The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education joined many other school boards nationwide in tackling, at its July 21, meeting the potential of Critical Race Theory being part of the state’s curriculum.
And like in other places, CRT has received a very hostile reception from parents in the school system that educates the children of New Mexico’s largest city.
Much of the confusion, if not ire, is drawn from APS’s statement in which the district encourages students to be critical thinkers, respect each other and respect various points of view, KRQE reported.
“I do think some people are confused by the series of text we submitted for culturally responsive literature,” Superintendent Scott Elder said according to the station, explaining that CRT, an academic concept that is more than 40 years old, teaches that race is a social construct, and that racism is embedded in legal systems and policies in the U.S.
Albuquerque public schools are not teaching CRT as part of the curriculum, Elder said.
KRQE also reported that the state Public Education Department has asked districts to purchase “high quality, culturally responsive instructional materials,” but did not reference CRT directly as being included in the state standards.
The APS board fielded criticisms on CRT at the meeting.
One student who spoke asked the district to “let kids be kids, and get crazy ideology out of schools,” while a parent feared that CRT will mold children into racists.
The same student added that "my generation doesn't need more reasons to be hopeless," KRQE reported.
The station additionally reported that House Republican Whip Rod Montoya labelled the teaching of CRT as “child abuse.”
“What we are doing to some of the children is telling them they are nothing more than helpless victims and telling another set of children they are nothing more than ruthless oppressors,” Montoya said.