1) CRT in schools is nothing more than a boogyman invented by the Right – it’s not a thing;2) CRT in schools is a thing, but it’s not being taught like Republicans claim;3) Republican legislation to ban or limit CRT in schools is racist!

NBC News published an article titled, “Teaching critical race theory isn’t happening in classrooms.” Similar claims were aired by the PBS News Hour, the New York Times, Salon and various regional news outlets (while, in the UK, the Guardian stated firmly, “CRT is not being taught in K-12 schools, which teach students from five to 18 years old”). A New York Times article asserted, “Education leaders, including the National School Boards Association, deny that there is any critical race theory being taught in K–12 schools.” Such articles often supported this claim by asserting that CRT is solely a legal theory—taught only in higher education—as an “advanced scholarly framework … focused on race inequality and the law.”

In September 2021, WITF Live ran an article by Gabriela Martinez asserting that, “it [CRT] isn’t being taught in Pennsylvania.” And yet the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s “Racial and Ethnic Identity” webpage has a recommended reading list that is overflowing with works by CRT scholars… And in case that still leaves any doubt that this ideology is being disseminated in Pennsylvania schools, the webpage also has a link to “vetted resources for addressing race, racism, and systemic inequality in the classroom” that include lesson plans, activities, videos and reflection exercises.