It just keeps getting better. And by “better,” of course, I mean worse. Far worse, in this case. As reported by Fox News on Wednesday morning, The Biden administration’s guidance for school reopening included the promotion of a radical activist group’s handbook that advocates for educators to “disrupt Whiteness and other forms of oppression.” “I want us feared,” the group’s co-founder defiantly declared.
The Abolitionist Teaching Network, not only pushes widely-opposed Critical Race Theory — its advocates vow to “disrupt and dismantle Whiteness and other forms of repression” in America’s schools. That apparently works for the Biden administration: the Department of Education linked to the Abolitionist Teaching Network’s “Guide for Racial Justice & Abolitionist Social and Emotional Learning” in its handbook intended to help schools reopen after pandemic — and also recommend how they should spend billions of dollars they collectively received through the so-called American Rescue Plan, as Fox reported.
As is the case with the Black Lives Matter movement in general, ATN papers over its radical beliefs and objectives — in contrast with radical statements of the group’s cofounders. The guide reads:
“Abolitionist Teachers” should “[b]uild a school culture that engages in healing and advocacy. This requires a commitment to learning from students, families, and educators who disrupt Whiteness and other forms of oppression,” while the website says: “Abolitionist Teaching Network’s mission is to develop and support those in the struggle for educational freedom utilizing the intellectual work and direct action of Abolitionists in many forms.”
Before we continue, let’s think things through, so far. By virtue of the term “abolitionist” being the operative word of ATN’s name, is it reasonable to assume that they first seek to dismantle — abolish — the existing education system and then proceed to build a replacement to their liking? Of course, it’s reasonable — it’s a vow. Remind you of anything else?
Here’s a hint: the first letter of the answer is “M.” The last for letters are “arxism.” What a coincidence.
As reported by Fox News, co-founder Bettina Love spelled it out as clearly as can be:
Abolitionist Teaching Network “is dedicated to not creating new schools or reimagining schools, but destroying schools that do nothing but harm Black and brown children.
“If you don’t recognize that White supremacy is in everything we do, then we got a problem. I want us to be feared.”
The Abolitionist Teaching Network’s guide also lists the group’s demands, which include “[f]ree, antiracist therapy for White educators and support staff.” Additionally, it demands that teaching and learning standards, as well as teacher evaluations, should be “grounded in the pursuit of Black, Brown, and Indigenous liberation, criticality, excellence, and joy.”
The problem with the American education system, the guide claims, is social and emotional learning “can be a covert form of policing used to punish, criminalize, and control Black, Brown, and Indigenous children.” It also claims the standards for such learning are “are rooted in Eurocentric norms” and don’t “empower, love, affirm, or free” those children.
As I was closing up shop on this article, Fox News received a statement from the Department of Education in response to its exclusive report. How to put this succinctly… it sucked.
In addition to some boilerplate nonsense was the familiar “The Department of Education has not endorsed… blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It then blamed the inclusion of the Abolitionist Teaching Network in its recommendations handbook as “an error.”
Nonsense. Including the link to the group’s radical propaganda?
Your tax dollars at work under the Biden administration, America.
