When Wency Suo heard Idaho鈥檚 lieutenant governor was creating a task force to look into 鈥渋ndoctrination鈥� in schools, she had a mix of emotions: surprise, disappointment, and anger.
At the task force鈥檚 first meeting, Suo, a rising high school junior in Boise, noticed something right away 鈥� the absence of people of color on the task force.
She said she already distrusted the intentions behind the task force, and what she saw during the first meeting worried her even more.
Caitlin Yang, a rising junior in Boise, said she was skeptical at first when she heard of the task force. When she saw the first meeting, it was clear 鈥渨hat they wanted and what they wanted to take away,鈥� she told the Idaho Statesman. That, she said, included preventing students鈥� right to be 鈥渇ully educated on issues about race and the history of race.鈥�
Suo and Yang 鈥� founders of the Idaho Asian American Pacific Islander Youth Alliance 鈥� are part of a group of students who have organized to speak up about the task force assembled by Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin to look into claims of indoctrination in Idaho schools. The task force met for the first time last month, and will hold its second meeting Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Lincoln Auditorium in the Idaho State Capitol. A live stream will also be available.
This group of students said they want public officials to listen to them 鈥� to let them talk about their experiences in the classroom and how they feel about claims of indoctrination.
But so far, several students said they have been largely left out of the conversation. And McGeachin鈥檚 office said in an email there is no public testimony scheduled for the second meeting.
Without their input, the students are scared about how their education might be impacted moving forward.
鈥淯nequivocally, in my classes, we have never learned about critical race theory,鈥� said Shiva Rajbhandari, a rising junior in Boise. 鈥淲e have never ranked ourselves in order of power and privilege. We鈥檝e never once held up one race as better than the other. The idea that teachers are somehow indoctrinating students ... is frankly outrageous.鈥�
Why Idaho students began to organize
Students started organizing earlier this year when legislators were discussing , a in schools. The bill was signed into law earlier this year by Gov. Brad Little.
The bill 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 came at a time when critical race theory was making headlines, and around when the Legislature to universities in an attempt to target social justice programs.
When lawmakers were discussing HB 377, students started to put together protests and speak out, worried about the impacts these talks would have on their public education.
Rajbhandari sees what鈥檚 happening now with the indoctrination task force as an extension of what鈥檚 been happening in Idaho for months.
鈥淲e鈥檙e kind of talking about really similar things today, except now on a bigger scale,鈥� Rajbhandari told the Idaho Statesman in a video interview. 鈥淲hat started off as this budget compromise because these far-right legislators were holding our state education budget hostage, ended up growing into this bigger thing which now is the indoctrination task force and this witch hunt that is kind of taking hold in Idaho.鈥�
He said he thinks the task force is part of a campaign to discredit public education and 鈥渕aintain systemic injustice.鈥� He took direct aim at the Idaho Freedom Foundation, which during the legislative session higher education institutions and public schools.
Students also said they felt the use of the term 鈥渃ritical race theory鈥� has only served as a fear-mongering tactic.
鈥淣o one really knows what it is,鈥� said Yvonne Shen, who is going into 9th grade. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 why legislators are using critical race theory, because it鈥檚 this scary-sounding phrase.鈥�
According to a post on the 鈥榮 website, the theory 鈥渞ecognizes that racism is not a bygone relic of the past.鈥�
鈥淚nstead, it acknowledges that the legacy of slavery, segregation, and the imposition of second-class citizenship on Black Americans and other people of color continue to permeate the social fabric of this nation,鈥� the website said. The theory 鈥渃annot be confined to a static and narrow definition but is considered to be an evolving and malleable practice.鈥�
A number of students attended the first meeting of the indoctrination task force, some with signs opposed to the task force.
鈥淚 thought it was important to counteract this craziness that has taken hold in Idaho鈥檚 leadership,鈥� said Rajbhandari, who was at the first meeting.
Now, teenagers to graduate students are planning another show of protest against the task force.
On Monday, students gathered to spray paint T-shirts with phrases such as 鈥淗ands off our schools.鈥� They hope to send a message to the task force.
Helina Alvarez, a graduate student at Boise State University, said she sees the task force as 鈥渧ery partisan鈥� and wants to take a stand against it. She was joined Monday by a number of other graduate students who said they want a say in their education.
鈥淚t鈥檚 truly unfair because we go to school, public school, to get the best education that we can,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd to have that limited and altered is pretty disgusting.鈥�
鈥楾he real problem is that we鈥檙e not learning enough鈥�
Several high school students who are part of the effort said they鈥檝e never been taught critical race theory in school.
Students said they don鈥檛 want to be further limited in what they鈥檙e learning. Rather, those fighting against the task force said they want to be learning more about events such as the and the treatment of immigrants in this country.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e saying there鈥檚 this whole liberal indoctrination in schools,鈥� said Shen, a founder of the IAAPIYA. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 really more of the opposite. ... We鈥檙e skimming over parts of history.鈥�
When they don鈥檛 learn something in school, students take it upon themselves to do their own research 鈥� whether through social media, books, or talking to friends.
Shen said she feels like the task force created 鈥渁 solution to a problem that doesn鈥檛 exist.鈥�
鈥淲e want more education, not less. The real problem is that we鈥檙e not learning enough at the moment,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut they want to make it so we鈥檙e learning even less.鈥�
She had a message for the task force: 鈥淲e want them to know that, 鈥楬ey, Idaho鈥檚 already last in the entire nation when it comes to education funding, and we鈥檙e not learning enough in school. So you guys creating this task force is literally making the problem worse.鈥� 鈥�
鈥業t would be great if they could just truly listen鈥�
When she , McGeachin said she thought the issue was 鈥渙ne of the most significant threats facing our society today.鈥� A press release from the lieutenant governor鈥檚 office in April said the task force was an effort to 鈥減rotect our young people from the scourge of critical race theory, socialism, communism and Marxism.鈥�
鈥淲e must find where these insidious theories and philosophies are lurking and excise them from our education system,鈥� McGeachin said in a statement in April.
The three other meetings this summer will be devoted to examining K-12 and higher education, with the last meeting meant to focus on courses of action and recommendations.
So far, the task force has not cited any specific examples to support their claims of indoctrination of students.
Students who spoke to the Statesman say task force members haven鈥檛 listened to their experiences in the classroom.
鈥淚f this task force had gotten together and reached out to student leaders, community leaders in education, they would have learned a lot more about the truth,鈥� said Graf Kirk, an incoming senior at Boise State University. 鈥淎nd I would recommend that be the next thing they do.鈥�
Students hope they can get members of the task force to listen to them now.
鈥淚t would be great if they could just truly listen, like active listening, and not just have their values (imposed) on students鈥� education,鈥� Alvarez said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if they鈥檙e going to give us a chance at this next meeting for anyone to speak up because their agenda has been chaotic ... so if they鈥檙e not going to hear us out, then maybe there will be other messages to get across what we鈥檙e feeling.鈥�
Rajbhandari said fear is preventing task force members from listening to what this group has to say.
鈥淲hat McGeachin and the indoctrination task force and the Idaho Freedom Foundation are most scared of is student voices and education itself,鈥� Rajbhandari said.
Students who are part of the effort are hoping to raise awareness about what鈥檚 happening with the task force, and to educate others about what is going on in their schools.
鈥淭he key to all of this is education. ... Knowledge is power,鈥� Shen said. 鈥淎nd so if people know about what鈥檚 going on, then they鈥檙e less likely to just let it slide by their fingers.鈥�
What students are fighting for in Idaho
Students said they are fighting for their education 鈥� and they don鈥檛 want members of the task force to be meddling in it.
鈥淲e want a full education that will teach us the things that we need and have the right to,鈥� Yang said.
Students want 鈥渁 fair, accurate education equal for all students throughout Idaho,鈥� Alvarez added.
Going forward, some students said they weren鈥檛 sure how this would impact their education.
But they weren鈥檛 optimistic.
鈥淚鈥檓 terrified of what they鈥檙e going to try to take away,鈥� Yang said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 even more terrified that they probably would be able to and they probably will and that makes me incredibly sad and incredibly terrified.鈥�
