The school board in Bozeman, Montana passed a policy to “eliminate achievement gaps and meet the individual needs of all students” which explicitly had the term “equity” removed because of its connection to Critical Race Theory…
“Trustee Lisa Weaver said the policy was succinct and clear without using “extraneous words that have become divisive” and she was grateful for the work that had been done on it since it was originally introduced.
“‘The people who are supporting the removal of the equity language are not supporting racism,’ Weaver said.
“In mid-June, the policy went through first reading and board discussion without much fanfare. At the June 28 board meeting, the policy revisions were tabled after dozens of people raised concerns with the word equity and what they said were connections to critical race theory.”
Increasingly parents have noticed that “equity” is a euphemism for racialist indoctrination.
WINNING: Parents in Bozeman, Montana, have forced the school board to retract its "equity," "privilege," and "oppression" policy and adopt a race-neutral "student success" policy in line with the Montana Constitution.
This is another huge victory for the parent movement. pic.twitter.com/ZuBjz8ZbSw
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 14, 2021
Even then, this was passed not without pledges to add it back in in the future.
“While the policy passed unanimously, a handful of board members expressed disappointment with some of the edits during their discussion.
“Trustee Douglas Fischer said the district’s inability to put the word equity into its institutional framework is an example of the problem they’re trying to address, systemic inequity and systemic racism.
“‘We have said over and over that words matter but yet here we have an equity policy without the word equity in it. It troubles me,’ said Fischer.”
Notice, further, how they are dismayed that this is a “student success policy” and not an “equity policy”. They make it very clear that students succeeding and “equity” are completely different things.
“‘I think this policy has evolved into a different policy. I don’t consider it an equity policy. This is a student success policy,’ Lusin said. ‘… To apply this policy, put it in action in the classroom will require diversity, inclusion and equity.’”
This will be a long multi-generational fight.
