No new teachers in Decorah sign pledge on Jan. 25 to teach Critical Race Theory

By NE Iowa News

Jan 27, 2022

There were no new teachers in Decorah who signed the pledge on Jan. 25, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 24, the day before. It now has four pledges from Decorah teachers.

They’re one of the thousands of US teachers pledging to continue educating students about the controversial Critical Race Theory, which explains racism is embedded in US culture and politics.

Comments from Decorah teachers included, "people don’t even know what critical race theory is and if they did, would know that it has been taught for decades in various ways and the only problems with it is that it has not been taught enough or in context with how it affects making a world we all want to live in" and "it is unethical to withhold truths from our students and for an entity of government to expect educators to change our history. It is our duty as educators to provide facts and allow students to develop their own opinions and beliefs".

Though the concept was first suggested in the late 70’s, it has recently exploded as a contentious issue between the American right and left in the last two years.

Many who signed the pledge are defying state bans on the teachings. Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.

Other states, such as Montana and South Dakota, have denounced the teachings without passing specific legislation.

In an interview with The Washington Free Beacon', Ashley Varner of the Freedom Foundation accused the Zinn Education Project of providing “left-leaning propaganda to teachers.”

Teachers in Decorah who’ve pledged to teach Critical Race Theory

Teachers	Thoughts on Critical Race Theory
Dana Bockman	it is unethical to withhold truths from our students and for an entity of government to expect educators to change our history. It is our duty as educators to provide facts and allow students to develop their own opinions and beliefs.
Jill Leet-Otley	The truth matters!
Steve Peterson	Children deserve to learn the truth. It is my (our) responsibility to teach the truth.
Z.P.	people don’t even know what critical race theory is and if they did, would know that it has been taught for decades in various ways and the only problems with it is that it has not been taught enough or in context with how it affects making a world we all want to live in.