A Republican state senator in Georgia is calling for an investigation into a newly elected school board chairwoman after she descr...
A Republican state senator in Georgia is calling for an investigation into a newly elected school board chairwoman after she described white people as 'socialized racists' and demanded an end to 'anti-black capitalism.'
Dr. Tarece Johnson, who is a Democrat, was elected the new chair of Gwinnett County Board of Education in January. She is the first black woman to serve as chair.
In a letter sent to the Georgia Board of Education this week, Republican Sen. Burt Jones requested a full investigation into Johnson's 'implemented policies, and administrative actions – and whether they violate any of the code of conduct policies or other statutes.'
The request comes amid controversy surrounding comments Johnson made in videos posted to social media in 2020, where she talks about the impact of systemic racism - stating that black people are impacted because 'we internalize racism and white people are also impacted because they're socialized racists.'
'Because we all live in a society that is founded on the oppression of black and brown people,' she is heard saying in the video. 'Because we live in society that glorifies whiteness - we are are all impacted. Black people are impacted because we internalize racism and white people are also impacted because they're socialized racists.'
'White people have privilege just because of the color of their skin,' she added. They have certain advantages that black people and brown people do not have.'
A Republican state senator in Georgia is calling for an investigation into a newly elected school board chair Dr. Johnson (pictured) after she described white people as 'socialized racists' and demanded an end to 'anti-black capitalism' in videos posted to social media
Dr. Tarece Johnson, who is a democrat, was elected the new chair of Gwinnett County Board of Education in January. She is the first Black woman to serve as chair
In Jones' letter this week, he states that Johnson's 'actions severely undermine that mission and further divide our students and schools at a time when we need to united and come together.'
Jones, who is running for lieutenant governor this year, also highlighted Johnson's comments about the district's indication that one of its classes utilized critical race theory (CRT) as a reason for his request for the investigation.
Johnson's book, 'The Global Purpose Approach: A Multicultural Resource,' reportedly describes CRT as part of multicultural learning, Fox News reported.
The syllabus, obtained by Heritage Action, a conservative think tank, reads: 'Students will bridge the skills from AP Language to AP Research, analyzing the value of using different lenses in social criticism (Critical Race Theory, Feminist, Marxist, Psychoanalytic) to aid their analysis across issues, and the class will discuss how these perspectives apply to the different methods used by research fields.'
A statement by the Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) indicated the syllabus wasn't altered by Johnson and that it came years before she joined the school board last year.
GCPS told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the syllabus was 'written by one teacher who submitted it to College Board in 2017 as a means of providing evidence that the teacher understood the scope of the course. It was not the syllabus actually used for the class.'
In a letter sent to the Georgia Board of Education this week, Republican Sen. Burt Jones requested a full investigation into Johnson's 'implemented policies, and administrative actions – and whether they violate any of the code of conduct policies or other statutes'
The request comes amid controversy surrounding comments Johnson made in videos posted on social media in 2020, Fox News reported
When Johnson was elected to the board, she said she wanted to hire more bilingual teachers, increase diversity in the curriculum and expand early education, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. She opposed efforts to limit lessons on race in classrooms.
'Teaching about the stories of all of the people who make America great may also help students develop empathy and understanding,' Johnson said on social media last year.
GCPS director of communications and media relations Sloan Roach told Fox News Digital this week that 'our Board members are intent on following all policies and statutes, as well as the norms they have established as a Board.'
Roach added that CRT was not taught in GCPS and '[t]his is just another example of cultural wars and political battles being waged at the expense of our schools and the critical thinking and the standards-based learning that takes place in our classrooms on a daily basis; this is not about our schools and what we are teaching in Gwinnett County.'
'Some are uncomfortable with recent changes in leadership. The irony is that this syllabus was written five years ago, before recent changes on the governance team.'
According to a department statement obtained by Fox News, 'State School Superintendent Richard Woods has stated repeatedly that Critical Race Theory and other divisive teachings have no place in Georgia's public schools, and condemns any attempt to promote or push these ideologies.'
'Superintendent Woods is working closely with Governor Brian Kemp and the Georgia General Assembly to ensure legislation passes this session that protects against divisive teachings and ideologies and establishes a process to properly review and directly address issues like the one identified in Gwinnett County.'
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