After working for nearly 20 years in public education, Sonia Galaviz said she doesn鈥檛 take kindly to bullies. As a 5th grade teacher in Idaho, she鈥檚 not afraid to speak out against what she considers direct attacks on educators like herself.
But in Idaho, many fear what could happen if they do the same.
As the lieutenant governor鈥檚 education task force continues to make claims of indoctrination in Idaho schools 鈥� and vows to root out 鈥渢he scourge of critical race theory, socialism, communism, and Marxism鈥� 鈥� Galaviz said teachers are being scared into silence.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a very McCarthyism feel to the task force and to the accusations being made against educators and public education,鈥� Galaviz said. 鈥淔olks are hesitant to speak out for fear of reprimand or being accused directly or personally as to their pedagogy and practice in the classroom.鈥�
Galaviz is one of about a dozen educators the Idaho Statesman spoke with about their responses to the task force and discussions surrounding critical race theory in the state. Many others said they didn鈥檛 feel comfortable talking publicly.
The task force on Thursday will have its third meeting, which is expected to focus on higher education. The includes a presentation from Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin on the response from university presidents and a video presentation on 鈥渉igher education student experiences.鈥�
In its first two meetings, the task force 鈥� which includes few Idaho educators or education stakeholders 鈥� has heard only from people who appear to support its claims and efforts. It has not allowed for public comment, but McGeachin that members would hear from the public once they had proposals or recommendations before them.
Few current teachers have publicly supported the task force and its claims. One exception is Scott Yenor, a political science professor at Boise State University, who is a member of the task force. During the first meeting, he that 鈥渢he oppressors are fundamentally and irredeemably evil, while the victims of the oppression are good and pure鈥� and that 鈥渢he aggrieved get to make the rules.鈥�
Most of the teachers the Statesman spoke with said the task force is a distraction from the real issues affecting students in the state, including how districts are now trying to recover from the immense challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unequivocally, teachers said critical race theory is a complex theory not taught in K-12 schools. But the term is being used as a catch-all to group together issues of race, educators said.
Those who agreed to speak publicly also said the passage earlier this year of , sparked by worries of critical race theory in schools, and formation of the task force created a climate of fear within the classroom. Teachers don鈥檛 know what they are allowed to discuss and they鈥檙e scared of the repercussions 鈥� for themselves and their students, they say.
鈥淚 am very fearful,鈥� said Shaakirrah Sanders, a professor at the University of Idaho鈥檚 College of Law in Boise. 鈥淏ut I wear that fear loud and proud.鈥�
What is critical race theory and where is it taught?
When the creation of McGeachin鈥檚 education task force was announced, the lieutenant governor鈥檚 office the committee would 鈥渆xamine indoctrination in Idaho education based on critical race theory, socialism, communism and Marxism.鈥�
McGeachin claimed that she鈥檇 learned through conversations with parents and constituents 鈥渢hat this is one of the most significant threats facing our society today.鈥�
But multiple Idaho teachers said they had never even heard of critical race theory before it started to make headlines. Teachers were confused where it came from and why it all of a sudden was such a big concern 鈥� especially since curricula and what they do in the classroom is so transparent, they said.
鈥淢y only thought was because it contained the words critical and race that it was an easy target, kind of an amorphous bucket in which you could place your concerns about what was happening in the country writ large,鈥� said Debra Smith, who retired in 2020 after teaching in the state for about 20 years.
Maddie Dew, a teacher in Nampa, said the concept is not 鈥渄evelopmentally appropriate鈥� to teach in K-12 schools.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know of any classroom who would teach anything remotely close to critical race theory at the primary or secondary level,鈥� she said.
According to the , critical race theory 鈥渃ritiques how the social construction of race and institutionalized racism perpetuate a racial caste system that relegates people of color to the bottom tiers.鈥�
鈥淐RT also recognizes that race intersects with other identities, including sexuality, gender identity, and others. CRT recognizes that racism is not a bygone relic of the past,鈥� its website said.
But when talking about the term critical race theory, many legislators and public officials in Idaho and across the country 鈥渨illfully misconstrue鈥� its meaning, said Jeffrey Wilhelm, a distinguished professor at Boise State and co-director of the , which 鈥渟upports over 3,000 teachers each year with over 110,000 contact hours of professional development.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that I鈥檝e never seen in a school, never heard talked about in a school,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel like the public is being misled in really irresponsible ways that is going to harm teachers, and it鈥檚 certainly going to harm students.鈥�
During the task force鈥檚 first meeting, members sought to define critical race theory. But teachers who spoke to the Statesman said the task force didn鈥檛 produce a clear definition. The educators also questioned the makeup of the task force, which includes few teachers or experts on the the theory, and also has a lack of diversity.
鈥淚t鈥檚 this nebulous catch-all boogeyman that鈥檚 being promoted across our country, but for Idaho ... without direct evidence of it actually happening in our schools,鈥� Galaviz said. 鈥淐oming out of the most difficult year of my profession ... it鈥檚 really disheartening to attack teachers and to attack public schools in this way. We teach with our heart and guts and minds and bodies and souls, and give everything we can.鈥�
Jen Schneider, a professor and interim associate dean in the School of Public Service at Boise State, said she, too, was confused when she started to see the theory in the news.
鈥淭he whole hubbub over critical race theory, it certainly wasn鈥檛 on my agenda as a problem that was facing education in Idaho,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen we started first hearing about it in the news and through the Legislature, I think there was a lot of like, 鈥榃hat is going on?鈥� This is really strange, because most of us don鈥檛 teach critical race theory.鈥�
When the lieutenant governor created the task force, though, teachers started to get a better grasp of what they thought was going on, Schneider said. McGeachin is running for governor, likely against incumbent and fellow Republican Brad Little.
鈥淏y the time the indoctrination task force was formed,鈥� Schneider said, 鈥淚 think most of us started to understand that this was being used as a political tool to attack public education.鈥�
鈥楢 distraction from the real needs鈥� of kids
The task force could be harmful to teachers and students in a number of ways, educators said, including taking time away from key issues. Over the past year, teachers had to quickly adapt to the pandemic, tweaking lesson plans to compensate for remote and hybrid learning models.
As the start of a new academic year nears, teachers are hoping to get back to some sort of normalcy in the classroom.
But this year, they will need to address new challenges stemming from the pandemic. Teachers and administrators are still figuring out what was lost over the past year, and how to make up some of that learning so students remain on track.
Now they鈥檙e facing uncertainty related to supposed indoctrination, too.
鈥淭he biggest problem with the indoctrination task force is it鈥檚 a distraction,鈥� said Sharon Hanson, who retired from the Boise School District at the end of this past school year. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a distraction from what鈥檚 really happening in the classroom, it鈥檚 a distraction from the real needs of our children.鈥�
After the pandemic school year, Schneider said, educators need to get back to 鈥渄oing what we entered this profession to do鈥� 鈥� teaching.
A climate of fear
Teachers said House Bill 377 and the task force discussions make them uncertain about what topics are off-limits and what they can continue teaching. The bill, signed into law earlier this year, prohibits funding to schools that direct students to 鈥渁ffirm, adopt or adhere鈥� to the idea that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color or national origin is 鈥渋nherently superior or inferior鈥� or that people of a certain race or identity are 鈥渋nherently responsible for actions committed in the past.鈥�
It鈥檚 making some teachers scared of doing or saying the wrong thing in the classroom.
鈥淚 think teachers and administrations both are so worried about getting in trouble or getting caught by this indoctrination task force that they鈥檙e just avoiding a lot of difficult conversations,鈥� Dew said.
But learning shouldn鈥檛 be comfortable, she said. Part of teaching is challenging students on what they know.
鈥淚 think learning as a whole is an uncomfortable situation for students,鈥� Dew said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e pushing them beyond what they know. So including topics of race or gender or sexuality, yes, it鈥檚 uncomfortable for some students, but so is everything else for teaching.鈥�
Kari Filson, who teaches Spanish in Boise, said she could see there being a 鈥渨itch hunt for teachers.鈥�
鈥淚 find it so eerily similar to McCarthyism,鈥� she said, 鈥渢o have such a vague threat floating in the air around teachers as they go into this new school year.鈥�
The scrutiny likely won鈥檛 affect how she teaches, but Filson said she worries for newer teachers, especially those teaching subjects where some of those more difficult conversations take place.
鈥淭he goal is to frighten (teachers),鈥� Schneider said. 鈥淎nd I think that will be effective in some cases.鈥�
The teachers who spoke out said it鈥檚 important to confront an attack they say is based on misinformation and could have negative impacts on students.
鈥淚 would encourage all public educators to speak their truth, to speak up,鈥� Galaviz said, noting a lack of teachers on the task force. 鈥淣o one has the right to write the narrative of public education unless you鈥檙e actually in the trenches doing it. That鈥檚 our story.鈥�
Dew said she is voicing concern because 鈥渟omebody has to.鈥� She said other educators have told her to worry about keeping her job, but she feels obligated to call out what鈥檚 happening.
Said Sanders, the to make the rank of full professor at the University of Idaho鈥檚 College of Law: 鈥淪ilence is meaningless in these types of situations.鈥�
Teaching, educators told the Statesman, shouldn鈥檛 be politicized.
鈥淭hey all have one shared commitment, and that鈥檚 to help their students develop their fullest capacities as human beings,鈥� Wilhelm said of teachers. 鈥淭o them that鈥檚 not political, it鈥檚 what they do. ... They feel very much like this is a huge constraint being put on them, that they鈥檙e being threatened in doing what they were hired to do.鈥�
The task force has ended up 鈥渉ijacking the narrative of what education is really all about,鈥� Hanson said.
鈥淭hey are creating a monster that really doesn鈥檛 exist,鈥� she said.
How teachers approach the topic of race
Teachers said it鈥檚 impossible to avoid topics of race in the classroom, and it鈥檚 important not to. But discussing race and the country鈥檚 history doesn鈥檛 mean they are indoctrinating students, they said.
鈥淗aving a discussion about contemporary movements, political movements, social justice movements, is not indoctrination,鈥� Galaviz said. 鈥淗aving conversations about what鈥檚 going on around our children, around our students every day, is not indoctrination. Those are conversations.鈥�
Galaviz welcomes those conversations. She wants kids to bring questions and concerns to her class, and to teach her students to be critical thinkers.
The country has a 鈥渄iverse and complicated history,鈥� she said, and it鈥檚 important to recognize that.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know any reasonable person that would say every United States citizen, from the inception of our country, has had equal footing with every other citizen,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f we look at inequities historically, or institutions that have made it more difficult for one particular group of people to be successful, that is not unpatriotic. That is not promoting indoctrination, that is teaching our students how to evaluate and analyze the world around them and historical context.鈥�
Galaviz said she loves her country and her students 鈥� and it鈥檚 impossible to ignore what is happening in the world around them while teaching.
鈥淚 love that education gives us the opportunity to wrestle with really challenging concepts and allow kids to come to their own voice,鈥� she said.
Sanders said she 鈥渃ertainly鈥� brings race into the classroom. She teaches on the , and there鈥檚 no way to properly teach that unless you 鈥渄eal with the history of race,鈥� she said.
But she also brings race into other areas, such as when teaching the case. Part of the opinion talks about the history and tradition of abortion, such as in ancient Rome and Greece, but skips over the treatment of enslaved women and the rights to their unborn children, or the treatment of American Indian women, she said.
鈥淔or me, bringing race into that situation helps us to not just see what鈥檚 written, but to see what鈥檚 not,鈥� she said.
Even in subjects where topics of race don鈥檛 typically come up, it鈥檚 impossible to avoid it in the classroom altogether, Dew said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 rarely that it鈥檚 a part of my content ... and it鈥檚 often addressing comments that happen in the classroom that create an environment where it鈥檚 less welcoming for students of certain identities to be there,鈥� she said.
Educators do what they do so they can make each of their students a better person and citizen, Dew said.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that in my specific classroom I can do that without acknowledging those student identities,鈥� Dew said.
And students want to talk about these things 鈥� they want to learn about race and different identities, and how that shapes the country, educators said.
鈥淗ow do you teach about the history of the United States without touching on some of those things ... how do you talk about a major world conflict like World War II without talking about ethnicity and race?鈥� Schneider said. 鈥淚 think a lot of our students would actually like to learn more about race, ethnicity, gender, how those things function in American society, because they鈥檙e so foundational to understanding how our country works.鈥�
One of the most prominent talking points that has emerged from the task force is that mentioning race is equated with trying to divide our country, Schneider said.
鈥淎nd that therefore it should sort of be taboo,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just would roundly reject that. I think we can carefully and respectfully discuss race and ethnicity and the history of racism in this country in ways that respect one another ... and that would make us stronger as a nation, not weaker.鈥�
Educators said they are just trying to do what鈥檚 best for their students.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have an agenda to indoctrinate kids,鈥� Galaviz said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not indoctrinating kids, we鈥檙e allowing meaningful conversations.鈥�
What could the long-term impacts be?
Teachers are worried about the potential impacts of the task force 鈥� primarily about how it could affect the education of their students.
Public schools should be a safe place where students can discuss difficult subjects and hear different perspectives, Dew said. Students should be able to see and talk about what happened in the past and how it relates to the present, she said.
鈥淭he K through 12 school building is a pretty safe place for most students to have these conversations. Students on either side aren鈥檛 going to be put in a position ... where they鈥檙e either embarrassed or intentionally discriminated against,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f we start to censure what topics we鈥檙e able to talk about or willing to talk about, students aren鈥檛 getting the full learning experience they deserve.鈥�
Sanders said she doesn鈥檛 believe critics want to completely eliminate the topic of race in the classroom.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 a desire not to talk about race,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a desire not to talk about the atrocious history of racism in this country.鈥�
What comes out of the task force and makes its way into the legislative session next year could affect funding. This year, the Legislature to universities in an attempt to target social justice programs.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anybody disagrees that this stuff is intended to discipline faculty or to discipline the types of things that they feel like they can teach,鈥� Schneider said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a strong silencing mechanism ... . Whether or not this translates into additional budget cuts next year, that remains to be seen. I hope not.鈥�
Teachers are also concerned the climate being created could make it difficult for the state to attract new teachers and to keep current ones.
鈥淲e in Idaho can鈥檛 afford to turn teachers away,鈥� Filson said.
She said she knows teachers who could have kept teaching for a few more years but decided to retire, after having to deal with the attacks on educators while also facing the challenges brought on by the pandemic.
鈥淎nd to a large degree,鈥� she said, 鈥渢hey鈥檙e some of our best teachers.鈥�
Vanessa Anthony-Stevens, an assistant professor of social and cultural studies at the University of Idaho College of Education, said the task force also could keep the state from increasing the representation of teachers of color in the classroom 鈥� even as state demographics change.
鈥淚 think we will struggle to hire a diverse workforce in our state when we have leadership that is politicizing these kinds of discussions,鈥� she said.
What鈥檚 happening now in the state doesn鈥檛 make Dew want to leave Idaho, though. It makes her want to work for change, she said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of work that needs to be done,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or me as a person, my personality, it would be hard for me to leave a place where I feel like there鈥檚 so much left for me to be done.鈥�
But it could affect other teachers in the opposite way.
鈥淚 definitely think that if there鈥檚 not a culture of admin and district officials supporting their teachers,鈥� she said, 鈥渢eachers are going to leave.鈥�
In response to students who said they were 鈥渢errified鈥� about what could come out of the task force, Sanders said she never could ignore children who 鈥渇eel afraid of their government.鈥�
鈥淚 just can鈥檛 imagine that we would be contemplating raising another generation of Americans,鈥� she said, 鈥渨ho are so ignorant on the history of their race.鈥�
