Opinion: New evidence shows harmful Critical Race Theory is taught in Washington public schools

Liv Finne discusses new evidence showing Critical Race Theory is part of teacher training in Washington public schools.

Liv Finne of the Washington Policy Center believes there is a simple solution: Repeal SB 5044 and assure families that hateful racist ideas have no place in either teacher conferences or in the classroom

Liv Finne
Washington Policy Center

Some media outlets and left-leaning activists maintain that harmful Critical Race Theory is not being taught in Washington public schools, but new evidence has emerged showing that CRT will be part of two upcoming teacher-training conferences.

Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (DEI) are among the racial concepts mandated in public education under SB 5044, the bill signed by Governor Inslee in May 2021.

Under Critical Race Theory students are told that America was founded in 1619 to promote slavery, that major institutions like local schools and state universities are systematically racist, and that white students in class are “oppressors” while other students are “victims.”

These hurtful concepts are incorporated into lesson plans under terms such as “inclusion,” “equity,” “cultural competency” and “diversity” as required by SB 5044, the state’s Learning Standards and the “Ethnic Studies Framework.”

Two upcoming conferences incorporate CRT training for teachers.

The first, set for October 26th at Chief Sealth High School in West Seattle has been organized by the radical Northwest Teaching for Social Justice and is sponsored by the WEA teachers union.

Scheduled topics include:

– Promotion of trans ideology among boys and girls in public schools

– Lobbying for passage of more ethnic studies and CRT bills in 2025

– Incorporating lessons about Palestine and anti-semitism in K-12 classrooms

– Critical analysis against capitalism for young learners

– Critique of the United States as Indigenous Enslavement and Decolonization

The second teacher-training conference is scheduled for December 2nd, 3rd and 4th at the Lynnwood Events Center north of Seattle. The agenda there will include sessions on:

– Changing classroom teaching methods to “Decolonizing Education”

– Navigating Conflict, Privilege and Identity among students

– Training in political protest and student organizing

– Leading Beyond White Supremacy for white women

– “Race-Based Caucusing”

– Disrupting “settler colonial dominance” in science education for students

In these agendas there is no recognition of the remarkable progress Americans have made since the dawn of the civil rights movement, or of the greater unity and social cohesion that has been achieved among students and the community in general.

In fact, classroom lessons in CRT and DEI are designed to divide students along color lines and take us backwards. The confusion and hurt feelings engendered by these concepts hinder student learning in core subjects like English, science and math and contributed to falling test scores statewide.

The two conferences are official. Teachers will attend on paid time and will receive annual Continuing Learning Credits as required by their state-issued certificates. Yet the adoption of harmful CRT concepts is likely a significant contributor to the decline in student attendance in the public schools. Increasingly Washington families are leaving the system and seeking alternatives to accessing high-quality academics for children.

There’s an easy solution. Repeal SB 5044 and assure families that hateful racist ideas have no place in either teacher conferences or in the classroom. That assurance, combined with improved academics, is the best way to attract families back to public education.

And besides, if leftists say CRT is not being taught in schools, there should be no objection or controversy about making that claim a reality.

Liv Finne is the director of the Center for Education at the Washington Policy Center.