In July 2020, the Ohio State Board of Education passed a resolutioon condemning “white supremacy culture” and “hate speech” and encouraging top-to-bottom audits of Ohio schools for “inequity” and “implicit bias.
Public uproar followed and several meetings later, the board chair prohibited any further public comments on the CRT issue because one of the board members thought it was “painful” to “listen to people talk about their agendas” i.e., opposing critical race theory and calling it what it is—racism by another name.
In 2021, the State Board rescinded that resolution after much public outrage and replaced it with one entitled, “Resolution to Promote Academic Excellence in K-12 Education for Each Ohio Student Without Prejudice or Respect to Race, Ethnicity or Creed.” This new title reflects a foundation of American civic principles, and yet we still have many schools in Ohio that started down the road of DEI and still don’t grasp why it’s unjust and unfair, why this is not diversity and certainly not equitable.
I serve on the board of Protect Ohio Children and that organization has as one of its missions to expose critical race theory and its newer name, DEI, and show parents why these agendas are wrong for students and families, and seriously undermine the school culture.
"The mission of Protect Ohio Children Coalition is to expose radical indoctrination in public education," said Diane Stover, program director of Protect Ohio Children. "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is one large piece of the massive industrial complex that is harming minors. Our mission will not be accomplished until all harmful material is removed from schools in Ohio."
POC receives anonymous tips from community members—parents, teachers and others—about what’s happening in the schools. Why do we need a bill like Senate Bill 113 to prohibit DEI in schools? Because it’s everywhere in Ohio.
Based on anonymous evidence provided to Protect Ohio Children, we have information about 69 school districts in Ohio that have instituted overt CRT /DEI lessons, programs or policies since 2020. Many of these are part of a "social emotional learning" framework. Most of these also promote “LGBTQ” behaviors and identities to students.
And of course, these are the reports POC has received. There is no doubt this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Here are a few examples.
One disturbing example of CRT/DEI -based indoctrination comes from Bay Village, a Cleveland suburb. School consultants were hired, including one consultant who expressed support for BLM and spent college years in Communist China but was nevertheless given broad duties within Bay Village schools, including conducting surveys about school culture and climate.
The “equity commitment” of Bay Village Schools adopted militant language from the mission of Black Lives Matter. Bay Village schools pledged to “disrupt systemic inequities and eliminate disparities...” This doesn’t sound like inclusion. It sounds like revolution.
Fairfield City Schools has as a “Pillar 1” objective, to “Recruit, hire and retain teachers of color.” So hiring will be not the most qualified, but a chance to judge someone for employment based on the color of their skin.
The Bedford school system has 3 “Equity and Inclusion” staff, 1 SEL (social emotional learning) coordinator, 6 SEL interventionists, 11 school counselors, 4 school psychologists, 4 school social workers, and 2 mental health therapists.
Yet the recent Ohio School Report Card shows Bedford Schools have less than 44% of students achieving 4th grade proficiency in reading, even though 100% of students were promoted to fourth grade. Some priorities here seem to be out of line.
Cleveland Metropolitan school system is named as a key district collaborating with CASEL on social emotional learning, touting its significant “equity” focus and also that SEL “improves academic performance.” But Cleveland Schools have a very low fourth grade reading proficiency rate— 35.8%.
Dayton City Schools adopted a resolution on DEI in 2021 that asserts that there are “racial inequities in all facets of life in the United States, and these racial inequities continue to the present day...” Also the resolution affirmed a “rejection” of “meritocracy” and that “the social construction of race and institutionalized racism perpetuate a racial caste system.”
Bedford, Dublin, Kent and other districts asked their staff to read the biased, discredited book White Fragility.
And many parents have been concerned about the display of BLM flags in classrooms. At Kings Local schools, parents cited two classrooms with BLM flags and a Kings’ parent was outraged about lessons centered around required reading of the book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds, which she called “anti-Christian, anti-American, and racist.”
Mason City School District’s “Elementary Diversity/Equity Team” provided the book Julian is a Mermaid about transgender issues to all Mason 3rd grade classes.
Many school systems paid sketchy consultants for “equity audits” and DEI work. The Diversity Center of NE Ohio was hired by Parma, Bedford, Painesville, Brunswick, Cleveland Metro, and Elyria.
The Solon City Schools high school principal sent a letter to homes in 2020 announcing beginning of big DEI push, that said, “...all lives cannot matter until black lives start mattering.” This administrator is seriously out of touch with the American public.
Many schools are proudly weaving “LGBTQ” issues into a DEI focus, as if these are inborn, neutral traits. Mariemont Schools launched a “Global and Cultural Perspectives” program which received many parent complaints in 2021. The radical reading list for all ages covered both DEI and "LGBTQ" issues. GLSEN “safe zone” stickers appeared on most classrooms in all four schools.
There are many more details on the Protect Ohio Children individual school district listings. And even if a school system is not listed, it does not mean that the district is not implementing objectionable DEI programs. It only means that nothing as yet has been reported to POC.
It is possible that some of these reports have prompted schools to end these wasteful and misleading programs. If so, that should be reported to tips@protectohiochildren.net.
