Loudon County parents on CRT and districts videos on fox news from April 2021

6:09PM Oct 26, 2021

Speakers:

Keywords:

critical race theory

loudoun county

people

equity

school

gofundme

statement

parents

thought

work

donations

rachel

school board

scott

teaching

students

call

remove

question

teachers

shut down after raising nearly $4,000. In an email to the organizer, GoFundMe said the account was removed for violating Terms of Service, and they refunded all the donations, but now the group is gaining momentum. Parents got Manal started the fundraiser and he's joined by Loudoun County parent advocate Paul Chen. Welcome to both of you. So how tell me what when you found out that GoFundMe was going to remove your your fundraiser.

The day it was removed, which was Thursday the 25th

Okay, and did they explain how you violated the terms of service?

No, they use one of their covenant ambiguous and subjective prohibitive conduct sections, which really means nothing.

So clearly then they received information from your opponents on this on this issue and they basically lobbied GoFundMe to remove you Is that correct?

Correct. It was for radical and irrelevant. Former Board school board members equity committee members and PTA president that petition or send an email to the current school board asking their assistants to help remove this GoFundMe campaign. Paul,

you have been gathering parents together to fight against critical race theory. They've raised $4,000 apparently more people want to donate. Is that correct? And how can they by the way?

Well, Scott knows the new website. That's actually taking the notations, donations, but yeah, you're absolutely right, Rachel. It's appalling that when you think about organizations trying to raise money to provide a different perspective to things that GoFundMe can go to shut you down, but yet it's okay to stay open and up while they're taking money for bailing out people that have been riding throughout the country for the last couple of years. It didn't make any sense.

Okay, we actually did reach out to go fund me they did not respond. Um, I want to talk about the Facebook page as well because there's a group that was trying to take take you guys down on critical race theory. They were threatening, is that right and explain what happened and why they're now being investigated. So Rachel,

Scott. So what it was it this was initiated by a current school board member, and what she did was put a call to action out to what we refer to as the Chardonnay Antifa. And they immediately jumped into action began creating a pretty well organized list I have to say to gather fundraising volunteers, looking to finance hackers looking to add me and my organization to the Southern Poverty, Law Center list. And a few other things. I mean, they want to go on a misinformation campaign. And after my employers, my employer, excuse me, closed the whole litany of things that these people tend to do.

And Rachel, just add on to that, when you think about the people that should be most open to thought and dialogue should be our educational systems. So when you hear about when you hear about the school board itself, elected officials going out and working in collusion with other parents, identify parents that have or even teachers that have an opposing thought process, and then to blacklist some work to you know, to cancel them out. And you can see it's, this is the nurturing ground for future kids of American they're watching this example. It's okay to cancel people out and it absolutely is not. And so it has to be addressed. Oh, we're

gonna have a lot of time but I just want to know what percentage of the parents you think are behind you and what percentage of the parents do you think are backing up this, you know, critical race theory in our schools?

It's a great question. Rachel, I It's hard to determine right now, because all we know is that there's a concentric group of parents that are involved, but we don't know how far spreads because they're using social media and you know, we don't have access to it. I don't know if Scott has a different perspective. I'd welcome his thoughts on that. But that's a bit hard to tell, but there's quite a few focus people that

are doing that. Right. Well, go ahead.

I would suggest that we are going to riverlea are prevail and because our like as you said, our donations have doubled. The school board attendees, people come in to express their concerns to the school board and increase infinitely infinitely. And these people are dead silent to what's going on and all the news articles and everything. Wow.

I thank you both for joining us. I have to read a statement here from the Loudoun County Public Schools. They said individuals, including some are identifying themselves as LCPs employees have made statements across social media about parents and their thoughts about the school divisions. Divisions equity work. LCPs recognizes the right of its employees to free speech, but does not condone targeting any members of the community for their viewpoint. It takes a lot to stand up especially in Loudoun County, which is pretty woke. So I appreciate you guys standing up for kids and also standing up against I think this very divisive ideology so

About a year ago but a year ago there was a lot of information coming out from the city then superintendent about the new initiatives coming forward in a fall that were all centered around comprehensive equity and you know, it's just a lot of hate the word but the phrase dog whistles going off. And so I began following it a lot more closely. And then as we got closer to school, the school year you know, I really did a lot of digging in into the the information within the school system itself and it's like pulling a thread on a sweater and more and more I fold, the more and more I uncovered.

Yeah, I know. You said that. The schools have white supremacist white fragility, and every other White woke phrase in your words throughout the school system. They're also pushing you suggest critical race theory, which essentially says that America in this is broadly America is fundamentally racist, right?

That's correct. Okay. So they don't go sorry. No, go ahead.

They don't. They don't stop there. Right. So it's one of these things it's always a moving target because they deny critical race theory. Then they say, Well, we're, we're working with equity, and then it's culturally responsive framework, so they keep moving the goalposts but at the end of the day, it all means the exact same thing.

Well, we've got a statement from the school board they said what you are seeing are snippets of much longer classes and lessons with no context. They say, the interim superintendent has never denied that critical race theory is discussed at Loudoun County Public Schools. What he has stated is that students and staff are not indoctrinated into any school of thought or philosophy. Schools had not adopted a uniform equity curriculum but does have a culturally responsive framework. Right. But you say that despite that statement, the students are being indoctrinated.

Yes, I mean, I think his statement is absolutely ridiculous, because not ever have we questioned whether or not CRT was being discussed. We've always said it's being taught in schools. So that's just a play on words as far as I'm concerned. And then the other side of the coin is they're not indoctrinating or trying to change the thought or philosophy of our students and teachers in the school. Has he not seen these two videos that came out? Right? I mean, one was in the same daily, Colorado, and then there was one just a couple of weeks ago. Yeah. So what he's trying to do is deflect with different terminology. And it's not a discussion right? They are teaching. That's the answer that they give all the time. We're not doing it and they will not address the question. And one of the things we're calling for, is them to step up to the plate. Holder townhall answer the questions. If I am flat out wrong, I will apologize but I can promise you that I'm not. And we demonstrate every day. This type of material that they are pushing in the classrooms, our students and teachers, so he's he's actually incorrect. He's just tap dancing.

Well, you would think that your call for a town hall is reasonable. You know, if they're putting out statements about it, why not have a discussion?

Exactly. Steve, I mean, you're you're in the news. So you're a lot more in tune with things than I am. But I don't recall a school district being in a new cycle for 30 days straight at least. Virtually in the last three weeks a new story every single day. You think you can come up with something better than we are not discussing critical race theory or we're not teaching it when we're providing evidence and this evidence, by the way is coming directly from the school system. It's not anything that I'm creating or googling or finding, it comes right from them. And they're not even defending, attempting to defend their own information.