WFYI: “[Holcomb] said critical race theory isn’t part of Indiana’s academic standards”

ICYMI: Republicans hope that concerns about critical race theory can help them in the midterm elections

Dr. Jennifer McCormick: “[Critical Race Theory] goes back to an anti-public education push that again is coming outside of Indiana.”

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today bumped up an admission from Governor Eric Holcomb about Critical Race Theory: it’s not taught in Indiana’s K-12 schools. This admission by the state’s top Republican is exactly why today’s hearing on Senate Bill 167 is a solution in search of a problem. SB167 is a part of the Indiana Republicans 2022 session of culture wars, where their extreme partisanship will do nothing but use misinformation to divide families and communities across Indiana. 

Further, SB 167 fulfills the strategy by the national Republican Party to discredit public education and influence elections – an effort now championed locally by Scott Baldwin, John Crane, Travis Holdman, Jeff Raatz, and Linda Rogers. Statehouse Republicans now join Attorney General Todd Rokita in this partisan crusade — one that is against the Governor. Indiana Republicans continue to show their extreme partisanship comes before a brighter future for Hoosier families. 

This is what Eric Holcomb said to WFYI in December: 

“Gov. Eric Holcomb echoed a similar hope for any proposed legislation from lawmakers. He said critical race theory isn’t part of Indiana’s academic standards, and he’d like to see local schools and their communities handle it if it does come up.” 

Indiana Democrats recognized the Republicans’ partisan strategy last fall, and it’s why the state party held a multi-city press tour targeting rural communities. Dubbed the “Small Town, Indiana” tour, education champions like Dr. Jennifer McCormick criticized the Republicans’ efforts to manufacture culture wars on Critical Race Theory and the crusade to make school board elections partisan elections. Here’s what Indiana’s last elected state superintendent said during a WISH-TV interview last year:

“It’s very much of an organized effort that’s coming from outside of Indiana to cause disruption with Critical Race Theory or Social and Emotional Learning skills and curriculum tied to that. It’s very purposeful, and it goes back to an anti-public education push that again is coming outside of Indiana. It’s causing a lot of disruption. But regardless, it does not do anyone any good, including our students, to have a bunch of disruption at a school board. Families who are discouraged or frustrated with their school board and their leaders, there’s an appropriate way to handle that, and it’s not certainly showing up at school boards and threatening people or yelling at people and being disruptive. That is not serving anyone well.”

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