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Changes to Douglas County Equity Policy

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On Tuesday, Jan 25, 2022, the newly elected Douglas County School Board of Education voted, 4-3, in favor to recommend changes to the current Education Equity policy put in place by the previous board. 

One of the main points the board wants to change on the current Education Equity policy is to make it clear that, “Our American aspirations have not always been achieved, to include, for example, the horrors of race-based slavery and segregation, and that this understanding has been and will continue to be a part of every child’s education in the Douglas County School District,” according to an article by 9News

On Feb. 7, 2022, Highlands Ranch assembled a walk-out of school to protest the latest firing of the superintendent, Corey Wise. Photo by Carlynn Claypool

The teaching of race relations and social prejudices in school has been a topic of discussion amongst school boards across the country. Conversations such as the critical race theory and equity policies have been pushed to the forefront recently because of the uprising caused by the Black Lives Matter movement and other similar social justice movements in the U.S. 

However, there will always be a side that opposes all changes to society.

The core premise of the critical race theory is that race is a social construct and that racism is not only the result of human bias or prejudice but is also ingrained in legal systems and legislation.

According to an article by Brookings.edu, “Opponents fear that CRT admonishes all white people for being oppressors while classifying all Black people as hopelessly oppressed victims. These fears have spurred school boards and state legislatures from Tennessee to Idaho to ban teachings about racism in classrooms.”

While I do see the argument that the institution of critical race theory and equity policy could shine some light on problems that people don’t want to deal with. However, I do think that problems based on race are important to talk about openly and freely and that a classroom can be a safe space for everyone to voice their opinions. Also, classrooms with highly educated teachers give students accurate information on what is really happening in society and formulate their own ideas not skewed by social media and other non-reliable sources. 

Opponents fear that CRT admonishes all white people for being oppressors while classifying all Black people as hopelessly oppressed victims.

Rashawn Ray, writer for Brookings Insitution

Furthermore, as a student in Douglas County, I don’t think that one side is being either victimized or vilified more than what history portrays. So I don’t think there needs to be a huge swing in the curriculum in terms of race relations because then students will not be taught the full aspect of either American history or the interactions between two different cultures and people.

Kofi Kessey, Staff Reporter

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Changes to Douglas County Equity Policy