Undercover video of school officials sparks debate over critical race theory
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — UPDATE as of Jan. 25: Upper Arlington Schools sent a statement Wednesday evening saying that the Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matthew Boaz requested leave that does not require board action.
The schools also said it will:
- Set clear expectations and goals for DEI work in our district while honoring the work of community members and staff members on the district’s Equity Advisory Board and our district and school DEI committees;
- Seek an independent partnership with an established research institution to review the current state of DEI in our district and the creation of clear deliverables for our DEI work going forward; and
- Keep parents/guardians and the community informed through clear and transparent communications on our progress.
You can find the full updated statement at the bottom of this story.
Original story:
The debate over critical race theory in the classroom is causing a stir in two local districts.
All of it is the fallout from a video circulating on the web.
Hidden cameras brought into Upper Arlington and Groveport Madison schools by self-proclaimed investigators exposing what they indicate are tactics for tricking parents.
Parents who spoke with ABC 6 said it's a made-up controversy.
The back and forth over the teaching of critical race theory continues in districts across the country.
Parents from Upper Arlington like Rebecca McClung who spoke with ABC 6 are up in arms over an online investigation they said was simply a stunt to fan the flames.
I hope they realize this is a waste of time and money, that we shouldn’t be meeting,”
A lot of emotion coming from parents at Thursday night's Upper Arlington Board of Education special executive session.
“I support our administrators our educators and I want my child to have an honest education here in Upper Arlington and I believe that our educators and administrators are qualified to provide that and I do not want outside organizations with political interests impeding that,” parent Jennifer Rigney told ABC 6.
The group of parents came out in support of the executive director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the district. He was taped in an undercover, edited recording by members of 'Accuracy in Media.'
In the video posted online Tuesday, Jan. 17 ‘Accuracy in Media’ claimed administrators are deceiving parents about their children's education. A staff member at Groveport Madison schools was also featured in the video.
The group outlined steps they said administrators are taking to insert critical race theory into classes without parents knowing.
Adam Guillette, president of Accuracy in Media described the staffers as radicals devoted to promoting social justice in classrooms.
“When we learned that so many administrators were bold face lying to these parents and deceiving them we thought families deserved to know what was actually happening in their community. Laughing about tricking parents, that’s a problem. Talking about how you can use verbiage and you have a long term plan to push an agenda in a district that’s a problem. The level of deception we saw in Upper Arlington is morally outrageous,” said Guillette.
Guillette indicates the video was recorded over the summer. ABC 6 requested a raw, uncut copy of the video. Guillette told ABC 6 the group would be releasing a longer version at a later date.
“The common response whenever we release a video is, it was out of context. You know in all the investigations we’ve done nobody ever said shoot you caught me red-handed point to you. Instead, they tell us every time oh, it’s out of context,” Guillette told ABC 6.
The Upper Arlington school district released the following statement to ABC 6:
Upper Arlington Schools and the Upper Arlington Board of Education are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and ensuring our schools are places where every student is welcomed, respected, celebrated and supported while receiving the highest quality education. This is a crucial part of ensuring that we live out our mission to challenge and support every student, every step of the way.
While we remain committed to DEI, critical race theory is not part of the district’s academic program. The district follows the state learning standards and all laws in effect related to public education.
The district is aware of an online video that presents a recording of Matthew Boaz, the executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion. At this point, we know the video was recorded with a hidden camera and under false pretenses by a man and woman who claimed to be interested in enrolling a student. The couple guided the conversation to focus on the topic of critical race theory, which again, is not taught or used in the district.
We take this matter very seriously and continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the video and the statements made therein.
The Groveport Madison school district superintendent, Jamie Grube sent a lengthy statement to families outlining the district's response:
Parents who spoke with ABC 6 believe it's a non-issue.
“To see some spliced together tape that takes statements and flips them around, it paints him as someone who doesn’t have the best interest of the community or the students at heart, does a real disservice and I don’t think communities should be subjected to that kind of propaganda. I think they need to respond to it strongly because it sows division,” Carl Smallwood, whose children graduated from Upper Arlington schools, said.
“They do an excellent job of educating our kids here and I want them to keep doing it,” McClung said.
'Accuracy in Media' touts itself as a group that uses citizen activism and investigative journalism to expose media bias, corruption, and public policy failings.
Jan 25 statement for Upper Arlington Schools:
Following the release of an online video last week and significant community response, I’d like to share an update with you.
We have heard from many, many residents. Some have shared that their trust in the district has been irreparably broken, others have shared that they feel it is critically important that the district stay on track with its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and there were also many other opinions shared.
People with a variety of perspectives on the issue have also inquired as to the employment status of Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Matthew Boaz. The district and the Board take personnel matters very seriously and consider many factors when reviewing employment status. At this time, Mr. Boaz has requested leave time that does not require Board action.
This incident has brought to the forefront a need to continue to clarify DEI work and responsibilities in the district. We remain committed to this work, which is a clear reflection of our mission to challenge and support every student, every step of the way.
We also remain committed to rebuilding the trust that has been broken and moving forward with greater transparency for our community. The district will be taking the following steps:
- Set clear expectations and goals for DEI work in our district while honoring the work of community members and staff members on the district’s Equity Advisory Board and our district and school DEI committees;
- Seek an independent partnership with an established research institution to review the current state of DEI in our district and the creation of clear deliverables for our DEI work going forward; and
- Keep parents/guardians and the community informed through clear and transparent communications on our progress.
As always, all staff members will continue to be expected to follow Board of Education policies. There has been no action to incorporate critical race theory into the curriculum in our schools, and the school district and its staff are in no way trying to indoctrinate students or promote a particular political ideology in our classrooms or hallways, programming, extracurricular activities or in any other way.
This video has prompted a variety of strong reactions from people in our community and across the country. For those of you with children in the district, you know we have amazing teachers and school staff members who work hard each day to provide the highest quality education for our students. Let’s work together hand-in-hand with mutual respect and civility in order to make our district and community even stronger.
