Study on critical race theory in Louisiana schools killed by committee

The head of Louisiana’s community and technical college system harshly criticized a resolution asking for a report on how much Louisiana schools are spending on programs related to critical race theory, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and transformative social emotional learning.

Monty Sullivan, the president of Louisiana Community and Technical College System, called the resolution racist during a hearing on the resolution in the House Education Committee meeting Wednesday. The resolution, which was involuntarily deferred after a 6-5 vote, requested Louisiana elementary, secondary and postsecondary schools report these programs to the state for “further examination.” The resolution also asked that the Louisiana Department of Education compile a report on these programs for the legislature by the end of 2023.

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“We have a representative that would come to this table and say that this is an accountability instrument. No, this is not accountability, folks. Not the way I define it,” Sullivan said. “Accountability says what are you spending, what are you doing, and what impact is it having. Guess what? There’s no interest in the impact. There’s only interest in what are we spending, and who are we spending it on…

“You’re asking people of color to justify why they need resources spent on them. At its core, this is a racist instrument.”

Republican Rep. Valarie Hodges of Denham Springs, the author of the resolution, said her primary concern was how much money the state was spending on these topics.

“Basically all it does… it’s seeking transparency and clarification on how, if at all, the concepts of DEI, SEL and CRT are being implemented,” Hodges said. “Basically the report is just requesting that we could have this information to have a clearer picture of what’s being done.”

The resolution was one of several pieces of legislation proposed this session addressing the ongoing “culture wars” in classrooms. While the resolution would not have the force of law, it would have represented “an opinion or intent” of the Louisiana House.

Sullivan also alluded to the ongoing culture wars, saying that “the little man in Florida does not drive policy in Louisiana.”

Critical race theory has been a target of many Republicans nationwide for the past few years. The American Bar Association says it is a way of looking at the role of racism and race in society that was developed in law schools but has since spread to other areas of academia.

More recently, diversity, equity and inclusion programs have been targeted in states like Texas and Florida. Many universities across the nation have offices dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion that focus on providing resources and assistance to different minority groups.

Transformative social emotional learning is an education concept that focuses on interpersonal relationship and community building as a way to close equity gaps, according to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.

“There has been a lot of controversy over this,” Hodges said.

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The resolution was met with skepticism from Democrats on the committee. The Louisiana Department of Education has said there was no teaching of critical race theory in the state’s elementary and secondary schools.

Chris Alexander with the Louisiana Citizen Advocacy Group spoke in support of the resolution, saying the legislature needed to know if these concepts were part of Louisiana’s educational framework. He argued that critical race theory and similar concepts were being taught as fact, rather than theory.

“I think that is something that is of concern, and I do not believe that it is absolutely certain that it is not being done,” Alexander said. “I know that concepts like critical theory and SEL are permeating the school system throughout the country and being taught in schools throughout the country.”

Alexander also said that the committee had the responsibility to “make sure that is not occurring.” Many of the committee members in support of the resolution stopped short of saying they had any problems with the concepts, but wanted to see how money was being spent.

Ethan Melancon, the executive director of governmental affairs for the Louisiana Department of Education, said the state already has given the legislature similar reports in recent years. He said the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education opposes the resolution, saying the state already has the information and that the resolution doesn’t give a definition of any of the concepts.

Hodges was unable to define critical race theory when asked by Rep. Ken Brass, a Democrat from Vacherie. She said she believed that LSU has “a critical race theory department,” but no such department exists at LSU or at any Louisiana university.

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The committee’s vice chair, Rep. Patrick Jefferson, a Democrat from Homer, made a motion to cut off debate and vote on the resolution early, but the motion failed after a 5-5 vote.

Despite not taking official stances on the resolution, Sullivan, University of Louisiana System President Jim Henderson, and Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed passionately supported their schools’ diversity and inclusion efforts.

Henderson referenced a situation where an inflammatory conservative speaker was coming to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and the school’s Office for Campus Diversity helped prevent any types of violence that would prevent different viewpoints from being expressed.

Reed also said it could be difficult to quantify how much the schools spend on these issues, given that all of the money goes toward helping all students graduate.

“If you ask how many dollars we spend to ensure every student who enters our institutions graduates, the answer would be all of it,” Reed said.

Committee members in support of the resolution questioned why there was resistance to the request for the information, particularly if the higher education leaders were proud of the programs they’ve implemented. Some concerns appeared to stem from the fact the report would be sent to the House Appropriations Committee, which brought up fears that funding could be on the chopping block if legislators did not like what they saw in the report.

Andres Vasquez, the director of governmental affairs for LSU’s Student Government, said the resolution could also have a chilling effect, leading schools to stop offering some programs.

“We feel like this bill would create a feeling that teachers are being watched over, that professors are being watched over, and that would trample on academic freedoms and trample on their ability to freely say what they find and freely say what they feel,” Vasquez said.

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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Study on critical race theory in Louisiana schools killed by committee