A California school district has contracted with a ‘Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium‘ training center to provide anti-racism training to teachers and district staff.

The Napa Valley Unified School District school board approved the $38,490 contract at an April 21, 2022 meeting. The contract will cover summer sessions over 2022 and 2023. The training sessions include one module that aims to “address how white teachers can engage in ethnic studies work” and teach “through an understanding and reflection of their privilege, power, and positionality.”

Besides the tragically ironic fact that a teachers training is using a word that even the dictionary does not recognize – positionality – there is also that wee little problem of segregation that liberals just can’t seem to abandon. The “ethnic studies” training does not even apologize for the blatant presentation of segregation among teachers, and in fact touts it as if it is a good thing to isolate teachers by race in order to train for the next school year.

It is not comforting to know that your child’s teachers are learning how to segregate themselves and their ideas according to race. In fact, it is chilling.

Here is how the documents, as posted by the district, describe the ‘white teachers’ portion of the training (gird your loins for a whole lot of ten dollar words that add up to zero):

Faculty will address how white teachers can engage in ethnic studies work and teaching through an understanding and reflection on their privilege, power, and positionality, an authentic definition of ethnic studies that maintains fidelity to the multidisciplinary field, two model lessons that address white supremacy culture, decentering whiteness, and an action plan for professional personal growth. Educators will learn about the importance of ethnic studies, for all youth, according to research, how to address, white grief, and fragility, how to nag navigate difficult conversations and build a healing classroom and engage into model lessons. That highlight  white allies in our history who conspire with black indigenous and people of color to fight for justice in solidarity with by POC.

This is a vile betrayal of the work our forefathers – many of whom are still alive – did to save America from the scourge of segregation and racism in the 60s era Civil Rights Movement.

We can put this shoe on the other foot and imagine that a training program was being offered to black teachers to specifically teach them how to talk to white students, and hear their concerns about diversity and ethnicity. Even to imagine such a thing feels outrageous.

The talking point that critical race theory is not in our schools is laughable. Here it is, being delivered right to the teachers so they can deliver it right to our students. It’s cloaked in the term “ethnic studies” but just a quick perusal of the training session shows the horrifically bias nature. This isn’t a study aimed at educating teachers on diversity. This is a study aimed at one group of people based on their race. White teachers are expected to bear the burden of all history, and to shut up about any opinions they may have about that, lest they succumb to their “fragility.” It is only framed as how they can diminish their own lives and accomplishments.

Pro tip: white Americans can be “ethnic” too.

Rhyen Staley, of Parents Defending Education says this is nothing more than activist training disguised as ethnic studies.

“Any curriculum or pedagogy that requires special trainings for white teachers and students should be a major red flag. Liberated ethnic studies requires students to become trained activists to ‘end oppression.’ Ethnic studies should be for students to learn and appreciate the histories of other cultures but should not be used simultaneously to disparage the United States and Western Civilization.”

The Napa Valley Unified School District – which means, in turn, the taxpayers – is paying close to $1000/hr for this racist drivel.

And they wonder why parents across the country are seething with rage towards their school boards right now.