Separating Fact from Fiction in DCSD’s Educational Equity Policy
Estimated Read Time: 16 minutes
*Blog post edited on Aug. 26, 2022, to reflect the outcome of the Aug. 23, 2022 BoE meeting, and the change of Superintendent Kane's proposal to review DCSD's Educational Equity Policy to "a date in September."
On Jan. 25, 2022, the DCSD majority board members passed a Resolution to the district’s Educational Equity Policy, directing then-Superintendent Corey Wise to recommend potential changes to the district’s educational equity policy by Sept. 1, 2022. At the Aug. 23 BoE meeting, Superintendent Kane was slated to present her plan to review the educational equity policy and ask for an extension of that timeline to June 2023. This was originally scheduled for the Aug. 9 BoE meeting, and was pushed out to Aug. 23 due to time constraints. The BoE meeting ran late again on Aug. 23, and the BoE agreed to waive the Sept. 1 deadline, and pushed Kane’s presentation off again to a “meeting in September,” which will either be on Sept. 13 or 27 (specific date not yet determined).
This Resolution and directive to review the equity policy is the result of targeted misinformation and moral panic campaigns. The villainization of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are inextricably linked to Christopher Rufo’s interview on FOX News in 2020 when he falsely claimed that “Critical Race Theory [CRT] has pervaded every aspect of the federal government.”
What started as a narrative to create anger, fear, and moral panic nationally, has been replicated down to the local level in our own school district. It was featured prominently with the Kids First candidates in the 2021 school board campaign, and has continued with the actions of those same individuals since taking office. Therefore, it is not surprising that there is a false narrative about the district’s educational equity efforts, including DCSD’s own equity policy.
We will walk you through the accurate development of the district's equity policy and where we currently are today. Before doing so, it is important to correct the misinformation that has perpetuated the last two years; CRT has not/is not being taught in DCSD. This has been reiterated multiple times, even in a recent interview with Superintendent Kane, in which she actually said, “Critical race theory isn’t taught in Douglas County schools.”
Educational equity work is not a response to "woke culture," nor the rise of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. That is an intentional misinformation campaign designed to create fear and panic, resulting in the dismantling of equity efforts.
For decades, educational equity efforts have existed. One of the earliest examples is well known – the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision in 1954 which determined that "separate but equal" efforts in racially segregated schools were not in fact equal, setting the stage for school desegregation. Other well known ongoing efforts include the free and reduced lunch program, school transportation, and special education programming.
How was DCSD’s Educational Equity Policy created?
Equity work in DCSD began as early as the 1990s with the “Diversity and Equity Course Pathway,” led by Jack Kronser, DCSD Human Resources Director, through the early 2000s. More than 11 yrs ago, many DCSD teachers and leaders began working on a diversity/equity committee. This work led to the development of the 2018 Strategic Plan, and updates made to this Plan in 2019 included Equity, Inclusivity and Safety as the main tenets to foster a culture of belonging in the classroom. The development of the Strategic Plan was influenced by a community survey by Greenway, which indicated that addressing the needs of all students was a significant priority. From the guidance of the Strategic Plan, the need for an Equity Policy was revealed. The policy creation took an almost-six-month stall with COVID, the resignation of Dr. Thomas Tucker, former DCSD Superintendent, and Marlena Gross-Taylor, former DCSD Chief Academic Officer. The work was picked up again in late Spring 2020. In March 2021, the ADB Educational Equity Policy was adopted after many revisions, meetings with stakeholders, and publicly debated changes on the dias. It was a thorough and transparent process involving multiple stakeholder groups.
So where did our equity policy start to go off the rails?
The single event of the “Making Connections” training by the Gemini Group is what derailed the Equity Policy. Fueled by this false moral panic of CRT in K-12 schools, the training became a rallying point for some extremist community members, including Mike Peterson, prior to his current BoE position. In an attempt to garner fear among community members, he said this about Gemini Training, “It should scare the hell out of you,” on the “Wokebusters of Douglas County” Facebook page, which is now rebranded and managed by the Douglas County chapter of Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR).
The reality is that the overwhelming response to the Gemini Training by participants (DCSD teachers) was extremely positive. This training was financed with a grant, (no DCSD money was used, despite the Kids First campaign of misinformation) from an Expelled and At-Risk Student Services (EARSS) grant, focused on working with at-risk youth.
Under the guise of this national, manufactured moral panic of CRT, the DCSD Equity Policy came under attack. Community members and our newest BoE directors claimed concerns with "implementation;" however, their examples are quite limited to a few instances, considering this is a school district of 64,000 students. In addition to their complaints about the Gemini Training, some community members began falsely linking additional activities with CRT, including experiential activities, the use of a specific sociology textbook, and concerns with the “No Place for Hate” curriculum – a research-based anti-bullying/bias prevention program that promotes positive culture in schools, and been used at some DCSD schools for many years. Community members showed up in public comment, using coded language such as, “reverse racism,” “victim mentality,” “victim and oppressor,” “immutable characteristics,” “gender ideology,” and “Marxism.” The intention of this coded language is clear – to create fear and anger about equity efforts, while simultaneously derailing any equity, diversity, inclusion efforts, therefore, maintain the status quo.
The Resolution to the Equity Policy
Before being sworn in, it appears the new BoE majority members were already preparing to confront the equity policy. At a November 2021 retreat in Estes Park, the four newly elected Kids First candidates were using these training binders to guide their work as board directors. In the binders were references to CRT on pages 126-129 (photos of tweets and the anti-Critical Race Theory Resolution from Colorado Springs District 49). What is not clear yet is the intention of these references? Was it to create an anti-CRT resolution in response to our Equity Policy? Was it to continue to perpetuate this false narrative of CRT in our schools?
Once the BoE majority was sworn in, it immediately began laying siege to the Equity Policy. At the same BoE meeting when they were sworn in on Nov. 30, 2021, Director Peterson voiced his support (3:08.11) for “A repeal of ADB, the educational equity policy, the second and immediately coupled to that is a resolution directing a replacement of ADB.” Director Becky Myers expressed agreement (3:10.30) with this as a way of “being honorable to the people that voted us in.” Director Kaylee Winegar also expressed concerns with the policy (3:19.24), stating, “There needs to be a change because it’s allowing for some things that I hear here and there, and it may be anecdotal, but it’s still allowing for some things that are concerning.” We want to note that while there was a tone of concern expressed for the policy and its implementation, no specific or systemic issues were ever identified with the newest board members at that meeting and were based on hearsay alone. In addition, Director Christy Williams, who was a member of the District Accountability Committee (DAC) prior to serving as a board director, and was involved in the policy during the formation stages, did not express concerns with the policy.
It was clear from the beginning that the newest BoE members had issues with the word “equity.” In a post-interview election, President Peterson stated, “Equity is a squishy word.” Peterson has, on multiple occasions, continued to decry the word “equity” instead of understanding the appropriate context and correcting misinformation around it. Here are some samples of adjectives that Peterson has used to describe equity: “polarizing” (Dec. 8, 2021, Equity Advisory Council Meeting), Winegar “tarnished and misinterpreted.” Nov. 30, 2021, BoE Meeting-3:19.16) Again, it is important to emphasize that the work of educational equity has been around for decades, and this sudden concern for the word equity is a direct result of Rufo’s CRT moral panic campaign.
In addition to the longevity of educational equity as a concept, it is also rooted in data, specifically demonstrating the achievement gap in vulnerable student populations. So the word “equity” isn’t coming from some far-left agenda as some community members have been led to believe. In addition, the word “equity,” as defined in our own district policy is: “providing all individuals and groups of individuals with fairness and respect in their opportunities to participate in and benefit from the District’s programs, and to ensure that every stakeholder has the opportunity to reach their potential.” All BoE directors have had an opportunity here to use this definition in their discussions about equity, as well as clarify this definition. Instead, the board majority members are misusing it and are leveraging this misuse to continue a narrative of fear in the community around equity, diversity, and inclusion work.
After receiving push back from the community following his November statements, Peterson tried to walk them back, saying he was never going to repeal the policy. Peterson then unveiled the plan to craft a “resolution” to the equity policy at the BoE Meeting on Jan. 11, 2022.
At a DCSD BoE meeting on Jan. 25, 2022, the directors voted to approve a resolution "Concerning Douglas County School District’s Culture of Individual Excellence and Inclusion”. The resolution included many "whereas" statements that minimized the importance of our unique identities and backgrounds that contribute and enrich our community. Other "whereas" statements minimized the history of oppression in the United States, and dismissed the fact that our students, parents, staff, and community members have shared their lived experiences of injustice in our schools, in the Douglas County community, and in the United States.
Despite an overwhelming number of supportive public comments and emails about our Equity Policy, the Resolution was approved with a 4-3 vote. Peterson, Myers, Winegar, and Williams voted “yes” and Directors Elizabeth Hanson, Susan Meek, and David Ray voted “no.” Other than putting the Board majority's colorblind voice on record, the only directive out of this resolution was for the superintendent to recommend modification to the BoE regarding the Equity Policy by Sept. 1, 2022.
How much influence did FAIR have in creating the Resolution?
That answer is unclear, as we have heard conflicting statements from the majority board directors themselves. During the BoE meeting on Jan. 11, when Peterson discussed plans for a resolution, he implied (4:53) that Winegar would be working with FAIR on crafting language for this resolution, “Director Winegar is running point on that. She's putting together a draft, socializing it with some members of the community including some of our fine folks over at FAIR which [sic] have a very balanced and even mind on this."
Including FAIR, which has connections to both the Independence Institute and FEC United, in creating a resolution to the equity policy was an intriguing choice, as they have consistently demonstrated their disapproval of equity and inclusion efforts in the district. Examples include chapter leaders from FAIR writing a letter expressing displeasure with the Gemini Training, publicly called out teachers with inclusive signage in their classrooms, and advocating against accurate and inclusive social studies standards. The national FAIR organization also opposes equity efforts, even bringing a lawsuit against the City of New York for attempting to provide equitable access to COVID mitigation efforts, despite data showing that that Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people have been at higher risk for poor outcomes during the Covid-19 pandemic. FAIR cited “discrimination of white people,” otherwise known as “reverse racism,” which is coded language used by the CRT moral panic crowd to incite fear and anger, and does not actually exist.
At the Jan. 25th BoE Meeting, Will Johnson, Douglas County FAIR Chapter Leader, publicly supported the Resolution. A notable exchange followed, in which Hanson called a point of order at (2:51:39) to question Johnson about his role in creating the resolution. Hanson cited Peterson’s statements from the Jan. 11th BoE meeting, and after responding to her question, Peterson stepped in and doubled back on his comments. He stated that “The organization [FAIR] was not approached to draft it, nor did they draft this resolution. I wanted to be very clear there was not formal engagement from any member of this board that I’m aware of, directly contacting an organization with that request.”
Winegar followed up, wanting to clarify her own involvement (2:54:48), stating, “I did not engage directly to FAIR. I have spoken to Will about it and his opinions on it, but he didn’t draft it at all. It was all me and some of Mike and nothing to do with FAIR.” This claim that FAIR was not involved while simultaneously stating they were consulted was oxymoronic at best. Winegar then employed a classic gaslighting technique of these moral panic campaigns by attempting to diminish valid community concerns that FAIR was involved by saying (2:54:56), “I think a lot of people heard that and grabbed onto it instead of seeing it as just a side note.”
Although continuing to deny the involvement of FAIR, Winegar went on to note her engagement with Johnson (5:58:17) in the Resolution process, stating “Honestly, if it was up to me at the beginning, I was like, “get rid of the word equity that was causing divisiveness, but actually it was Will Johnson who said I think we need to keep the word.”
During the meeting, Meek also expressed concerns (6:38:03) with the involvement of FAIR in the development of the Resolution, in particular the leadership of the group. It should be noted that Laureen Boll, Douglas County FAIR Chapter Leader, has a seat at the Equity Advisory Council table. Again, unclear why FAIR has an interest in being part of an equity council while at the same time proposing a world of so-called color blindness and erasure of the harm experienced by many members of our community. The only clear intention of this group seems to be derailing equity efforts in the district, and continuing a culture of casual racism and discrimination that harms BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and special education students and staff.
Where are we now?
Any potential changes to the policy, at this point, are speculation, but we are very concerned that watering down the language of the Equity Policy as it is currently written will diminish its value and therefore render it ineffective.
FAIR has consistently advocated for adopting the use of watered-down language of common humanity, falsely arguing that recognizing students’ identities is harmful. Our policy could look like that adopted by American Academy, and advocated by Kane herself while she was there in her leadership role. By erasing identity and lived experiences, we are ignoring the actual harm that is experienced by our students and staff, and are not providing any solutions to create equity in education.
Another concern with policy changes is for the overall standing of our district. We have heard the term “destination district” used quite a bit lately; DCSD has no chance of becoming a destination district if the equity policy is diminished or includes this coded language of the CRT moral panic. Educational equity is a standard of 21st century public schools. All other Denver metro school districts and most major higher education institutions have made a commitment to educational equity. Will our teachers and staff want to work in a district that won’t acknowledge or address the word “equity”?
We’ve already lost two high-ranking administrative leaders due to the Equity Resolution fallout. In February, Sid Rundle, Special Education Services Officer, resigned due to both the manner in which Corey Wise was fired and the actions taken by the majority members on the equity policy. In his resignation letter, Rundle wrote, “Despite their [majority board members’] propaganda, they do not value loyalty, hard work, dedication, relationships, decency, humility, or integrity. Instead, they showed themselves to be firmly yoked to political influence, arrogant ideology, and a disdain for due process.” Kate Kotaska, Chief Financial Officer, also resigned for similar reasons, and stated in her resignation letter, “I began to question whether my values, that center deeply around equity for students, would continue to have a place.”
Adding restrictions to curriculum, as done by neighboring District 49 with its anti-CRT resolution could impact accreditation. This language often restricts topics that might make students “uncomfortable,” such accurate and inclusive history and topics of slavery and genocide as part of US history. The College Board has already put out a warning to schools that Advanced Placement (AP) accreditation could be lost if “required topics'' are not taught. Many families in our community would be financially impacted with the loss of student AP learning opportunities.
Equity is also a standard of the 21st century workforce. Major employers have diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and policies in their workforce policies. Major employers in Douglas County have equity policies/commitments to equity and diversity to attract diverse employees. How can we as a district say that we are preparing our students for the workforce if we don’t even address the concept of equity?
The intention of the anti-equity efforts is clear; by not teaching accurate or inclusive history, by not addressing systemic inequities in our schools, we maintain the status quo, which is causing great harm to our students and staff. Their life experiences and diverse perspectives are left out of the conversation, thereby silencing those struggling. Substance abuse, mental health issues, suicide... all disparately distributed among the exact populations the equity policy is trying to protect.
Altering the equity policy by tampering it down will reduce the district’s ability to provide opportunities for educational equity for the students and staff who directly experience racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of systemic oppression. Furthermore, it will only serve to legitimize the culture of casual discrimination in DCSD, uphold the status quo, and limit the avenues of justice for negatively affected students and educators.