Idaho’s education agencies require teachers to engage in social justice and critical race theory activism, and neither the newly-signed House Bill 377 nor the new proposed budget for K-12 teachers does anything to stop it.
Extreme leftist ideology in Idaho schools is not the fault of teachers; it is the result of pedagogical guidance from state agencies used to convert teachers into activists. State education agencies have made critical race theory and a commitment to social justice a required part of Idaho teacher certification.
Under House Bill 377, administrators and teachers can still be required to undergo anti-racism or culturally responsive training if they wish to obtain or keep a job in the public school system.
At the very least, Idaho’s state education agencies require teachers to understand and know how to implement cultural responsiveness into classrooms to become certified.
The State Board of Education’s Rules Governing Uniformity require that certified “teacher leaders” must be trained in “culturally responsive pedagogy for diverse learners.”
The State Department of Education and State Board of Education define cultural responsiveness based on the work of critical race theorist Gloria Ladson-Billings.
Culturally responsive training developed from activist pedagogy and as the name implies trains educators to make sure students grow up to be activists deconstructing the society in which they live.
HB 377 does not protect teachers. Conservatives need to defend teachers by ensuring the next K-12 budget includes specific language that prevents the use of public funds for social justice activism.
