September 29, 2023

Muncie school board president addresses CRT, SEL misinformation

MUNCIE, Ind. — As COVID-19 and mask mandates have caused tension at school board meetings across the country, two other topics have recently become controversial, too, when it comes to K-12 education.

Both social emotional learning (SEL) and critical race theory (CRT) have become hot-button issues, and that’s true in local schools districts as well.

During a Muncie Community School Board meeting in late September, board President Jim Williams said he and the board have received multiple messages from parents, questioning why either subject has a place in the district’s curriculum.

Whether it be SEL or CRT, Williams said the apprehension around the subject is due to misinformation and the politically divisive time that the nation is in. MCS Director of Public Education and CEO Lee Ann Kwiatkowski agreed, and later told The Star Press it’s partially due to the pandemic, with parents being more anxious about how schools operate. There are plenty of political motives.

https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/education/2021/10/12/muncie-school-board-president-addresses-crt-sel-misinformation/6101114001/