Racist indoctrination is being taught under the guise of fighting racism. Children are being indoctrinated to think all white people are guilty of racist oppression just by existing, that all non-white people are victims, and that the founding of our country is racist and therefore our constitution, laws, and form of government are racist. The indoctrination throws out equality in the name of oppressor and victim.
The indoctrination comes in the form of programs such as Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the 1619 Project. (We think CRT is better described as Clearly Racist Teaching.)
When some Arkansas legislators wanted to consider legislation in the December special session to ban such divisive teaching, Governor Asa Hutchinson fought against them. He argued the issue should be left up to school boards.
“They talk about we ought to bring up critical race theory, which should not be taught on our schools, in our K-12 education systems,” Hutchinson said. “But that’s what our school boards are for. We don’t need a state law to address that issue in a special session.”[i]
Although the Republican Party has a supermajority in both the Arkansas Senate and House of Representatives a majority of the members in both the Senate and House fell in line with the Governor and big woke corporations by adjourning the session to avoid considering the issue.
Before we get to the main problem, we need to remind readers the Governor’s local control argument is phony. There are volumes of state laws and state regulations on every aspect of public school operation but the Governor has only been interested in local control by schools to keep mask mandates and to keep racist indoctrination. We provided a long list of state control over schools in our article Governor’s Phony Local Control Spin on Mask Mandate.
What is the consequence of leaving it to school boards to decide whether to allow the teaching of critical race theory and other racist theories?
- First, it means radical leftists can continue to indoctrinate the children of this state with the racist programs.
- Second, it means it will be almost impossible for Arkansans to stop the racist indoctrination of children in Arkansas.
There are over 300 school districts in Arkansas which means citizens must fight this battle repeatedly in all the school districts. Even if parents were successful in keeping it out of one school, the kids down the road may not be as lucky. Grandparents could see some of their grandchildren protected and other grandchildren subjected to indoctrination.
In addition, it is a sure thing that school boards will try to dodge taking any action by claiming the district has not “adopted” critical race theory while their inaction leaves the door open for individual teachers and administrators to push their racist theories on our children.
Unless you think Governor Hutchinson is very stupid, you must conclude he knew leaving it to school boards meant the indoctrination can continue.
OPPORTUNITY FOR LEGISLATION IN FEBRUARY
If the Arkansas Legislature wants to ban the racist indoctrination it can pass legislation in February during the legislature’s Fiscal Session. But legislators must introduce and push the legislation at the beginning to keep cowards from avoiding the issue again by adjourning before having to vote on whether to consider introduction of such a bill.
Some legislators who want to dodge the issue because it is an election year will claim that the Fiscal Session is only for budget issues. But those legislators will not be telling the truth. The constitution is clear that non-budget items may be introduced by passing resolutions in each chamber by a two-thirds majority. It was the intent of the legislature to allow non-budget legislation to be considered in a Fiscal Session so they would not be dependent on the Governor. The option to consider non-budget items was WRITTEN, PASSED, AND PROPOSED TO THE PEOPLE BY THE LEGISLATURE! Arkansas Constitution Article 5 § 5 (c) says:
(c)(1) Beginning in 2010, the General Assembly shall meet in fiscal session on the second Monday in February of each even-numbered year to consider only appropriation bills. The General Assembly may alter the time at which the fiscal session begins.
(2) A bill other than an appropriation bill may be considered in a fiscal session if two-thirds (⅔) of the members of each house of the General Assembly approve consideration of the bill.
With a Republican supermajority in the Arkansas Senate and House, legislation to ban the racist programs can pass without needing any Democrat votes – that is if the Republican legislators act like the conservatives they claim to be.
Some legislators want a ban on the racist indoctrination in our schools. Other legislators don’t want to offend the Governor and big money woke corporations and don’t want to have to go on record as voting “For” or “Against” such a ban. Pressure is being applied to try to keep the issue from being considered.
It is time for your state Senator and state Representative to go on record by voting on legislation to ban the racist indoctrination of Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project. It is time to do it NOW in the Fiscal Session. Call your legislators soon because the Fiscal Session begins February 14.
Remind them it is election year and you WILL be voting.
[i] Governor seeks farmers’ help to keep special-session focus, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, December 02, 2021
