(Tony Sifert, Headline USA) New York education officials are using federal COVID-19 relief funds to push critical race theory in public schools, according to a report in the New York Post.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., has sent a letter to Betty Rosa, commissioner of the New York State Education Department, accusing the NYSED of using taxpayer funds “to promote Critical Race Theory under the guise of Social and Emotional Learning and Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education.”
COVID funds should NOT be used to fund teaching racist CRT to our children.
I’ve demanded that NY State Education Commissioner show a complete account of how her department has spent the BILLIONS of dollars they’ve received in COVID-19 funding. https://t.co/Td3wLVx5A2
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) May 9, 2022
In the letter, Stefanik noted that New York public schools have received an extra $14 billion dollars over the past two years that were intended to help “reopen schools for in-person learning and address the significant learning loss students experienced.”
Instead, Stefanik wrote, the NYSED has actively encouraged schools to use “social emotional support” as a stalking horse for implementing woke, anti-white CRT programs that “advocate for the discriminatory treatment of Americans on the basis of race.”
“Shrouding the racist and divisive ideology of Critical Race Theory with vague and seemingly innocuous terminology does not diminish the harm it poses to students,” Stefanik concluded.
State education officials told the New York Post that Stefanik’s accusations were not true.
“None of the policies or initiatives advanced by NYSED or the Board of Regents are related to Critical Race Theory,” the education department said in a statement.
A look at some of the programs and instructional material being used to allegedly help “reopen schools for in-person learning and address the significant learning loss students experienced,” however, raised concerns.
In New York, COVID money was used to implement a plan that supported “equity warriors” who were “putting DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) at the heart of NYSED’s work with” all local education agencies, reported Yahoo! Finance.
“A long time ago, way before you were born, a group of white people made up an idea called race,” reads the book “Our Skin,” which is being used in New York schools.
“They sorted people by skin color and said that white people were better, smarter, prettier, and that they deserve more than everybody else,” the book said.
Luckily, President Joe Biden is committed to auditing local governments’ use of COVID relief funds.
Biden is meeting Friday with local officials from several states “to discuss how cities are using funds from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on policing and public safety programs,” reported the AP.
Rest easy, Americans, Sleepy Joe is on the case!
