XENIA — Controversy in a local school district after what a Xenia board member said about Critical Race Theory.
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At least one school board member is worried about CRT being taught in Xenia classrooms, so the district’s superintendent and school board decided to put it on the agenda for Monday night’s meeting.
Many of the parents News Center 7 spoke with admitted they did not see the letter Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Lofton sent out about the meeting.
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Supports of the controversial education concept claim it is a way of understanding how past and present racism in America has shaped public policy.
Detractors claim CRT makes people focus on group identity over universal, shared traits and divides people into categories of oppressed or oppressors.
Lofton said in his letter that, “Xenia Community Schools solely utilizes curriculum that is age appropriate and in alignment with Ohio State Standards… To be entirely clear, Critical race Theory is not being taught now and has not been taught in the past.”
But one school board member, Jeremy Cox, is not convinced and claims he’s faced roadblocks trying to get information to confirm CRT is not being taught.
Cox told News Center 7, “I strongly believe in transparency in our great Xenia community …. I question how anyone can claim to know what is or isn’t being taught in the classrooms when The 2024 CMSI curriculum audit essentially concludes that the school district does not have curriculum management practices.
Xenia parent Betty Perez, said it’s tough to keep up with everything being taught in her kids’ classroom.
Parents said they haven’t seen or heard any classroom material from their kids that has concerned them.
Cox said he plans to ask for an outside audit of the district’s curriculum.
Lofton said that every board member has access to the current audit done earlier this year, plus curriculum details.
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