URGENT: Let the U.S. Department of Education Hear Your Voice
Submit Comments Before May 19 Deadline
By Cheryl Buford
No one could blame the average person whose eyes glaze over at hearing that in this first day in office, President Biden signed a barrage of executive orders (EOs). Yet, the U.S. Department of Education is using two of these executive orders, 12866 and 13563, which on the face have the stated purpose of modernizing regulatory review, to push critical race theory in our local schools.
Why should you be concerned? Unfortunately, the Biden Administration is playing on Americans’ goodwill and desire to improve “social welfare…racial justice…human dignity, equity and the interests of future generations,” (as described in the White House’s Memorandum), giving these aspirational goals a particular meaning that many of us believe will in fact drive us apart and hurt educational outcomes for all our students. See for yourself by going directly to the Federal Register here.
At this link, you can both read about the stated objectives of this regulatory framework as well as submit comments. As with the White House memorandum, many of the priorities, (i.e. improving civics education) sound laudable, but looking at the reference materials, they are all on one side of the political spectrum. So, rather than increasing students’ abilities to gain objective knowledge of our history and respectfully consider differing viewpoints, the regulatory framework is a Trojan horse that will indoctrinate our students. Note, the description cites the New York Times 1619 Project, which takes the position that the United States is racist in its core and stereotypes races, but fails to mention 1776 Unites, which seeks to build “a positive movement in response to the overwhelming narratives of oppression, grievance and ignorance to America’s history — and its promise for the future.”
Please weigh in to protect our students from indoctrination. Again, the Federal Register link is here and the deadline to comment is May 19th.
Cheryl Buford has worked in education on the local, state and federal levels. In 2017, she was a Virginia House of Delegates candidate; in 2019 she ran for a seat on the Fairfax County Board of Education.