Senator James Sturch (R-Batesville) falsely claimed he banned the teaching of the racist Critical Race Theory. The legislature didn’t pass a bill to ban it and when Sturch had a chance to pass a ban he voted against banning it in committee! Caught in his lie he responded with a video claiming he fought Critical Race Theory by voting for Act 684 of 2021 to give more control back to parents and our local school boards. That is not what it does!
Conduit has twice exposed his deceptions yet he persists in trying to make voters think he fought Critical Race Theory when he instead protected the radical leftists.
He keeps trying to disguise his record. This time with a campaign mailer to Republican voters making his supposed fight against Critical Race Theory the subject of one side and then repeating the deception on the other side.
Perhaps he thinks that now that he has been caught in a lie his only course of action is to keep trying to deceive some voters.
Because Senator Sturch keeps repeating his deceptions, we will be blunt. A vote for Senator James Sturch is a vote for the radical left’s indoctrination of Arkansas children with racist theories claiming all white people are oppressors and should feel guilt and shame and our government is systemically racist.
Because Sturch persists in misrepresenting his record, we are writing again to make his record and position very clear.
First, Sturch voted against banning Critical Race Theory! He was the only Republican in the Senate Education Committee to vote against HB1761. His vote killed the bill. Look at what the bill would have prohibited. Is there anything on this list you would vote against? HB1761 would have prohibited teaching:
- That any race or ethnicity is superior to any other race or ethnicity;
- That any individual from a particular race or ethnicity is inherently racist;
- That any race or ethnicity should feel guilt or shame because of their race or ethnicity;
- That the United States, as a nation, is systemically racist; or
- The promotion of prejudice or discrimination toward any race or ethnicity.
You can watch the vote for yourself using this link (Senate Education Committee April 26, 2021). Again, the bill is HB1761. The vote begins at 10:15 AM.
Second, when SB627 to prohibit Critical Race Theory made it to the Senate floor from a different committee, Sturch did not cast a vote. Not voting works AGAINST a bill. (See the vote)
Third, Sturch claims he is fighting Critical Race Theory by leaving it as a local decision. That is not fighting that is protecting the teaching of racist theories! Even if a few school boards addressed the issue and banned it, it could still be taught in the other school districts and there are hundreds of school districts in Arkansas. To fight racist indoctrination one school board at a time would be an incredibly difficult if not impossible task! Meanwhile our children’s minds can be poisoned in school.
Fourth, after being caught in his lie about banning Critical Race Theory, Sturch shifted to claiming his vote for Act 684 fights Critical Race Theory by giving more control to parents and our local school boards. That is not what Act 684 does. All it does is to respond to a situation we saw in another state where a school board refused to let parents examine instructional materials and would not let parents air their complaints at a school board meeting. Act 684 lets parents examine material (but it doesn’t stop the use of the material) and lets parents complain about teaching material. (The parent making the complaint could be conservative or a radical leftist.) The Act does not require a school board to delay use of any material or require a school board to remove any material. The Act does nothing to give more “control” to parents or to school boards.
Voters have a choice. Senator James Sturch is one of three candidates on the Republican ballot for Senate in District 22.
Senate District 22 includes Independence and Sharp Counties and parts of Cleburne, Fulton, Izard, and Lawrence Counties.
