So glad to see our youth standing up to this by walking out of school and protesting. This reminds me of a student who shared in class recently who said that Texas' ban on specific books has made these books hugely popular in her Central Texas secondary school, backfiring on those in support of this. If anything, censorship is politicizing many of our students even more.
It actually all so predictable. All of a sudden, this "forbidden fruit" becomes attractive and lots of students are now reading books that they likely would never have read under ordinary circumstances.
-Angela Valenzuela
Temecula students walk out to protest
critical race theory ban
Hundreds marched off campus Friday, Jan. 13, at Chaparral, Great Oak and Temecula Valley high schools
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
Temecula students are sending a message to adults in their school district: They will not be silenced.
Hundreds of students across the city’s three high schools — Temecula Valley, Great Oak and Chaparral — walked out of classes Friday morning, Jan. 13, to protest a school board resolution that bans the teaching of “critical race theory” in the Temecula Valley Unified School District.
The two school board members who opposed the ban, Steven Schwartz and Allison Barclay, plan to propose rescinding it at the Tuesday, Jan. 31, meeting.
At Temecula Valley High School, more than 200 students began leaving campus about 10:30 a.m. and headed to nearby Ronald Reagan Sports Park.
Some of the teens carried handmade signs with slogans such as “Stop censorship,” “End racism,” and “If history makes you uncomfortable, imagine how they felt.” Some shouted as they demonstrated. Many said they fear the ban could censor their education and that of younger students, while affecting the representation and safety of students of color and LGBTQ students. About 20 to 30 adults — apparently parents and residents there to ensure students were safe — also attended.
“Teach all history!” students shouted while gathered around the sports park’s parking lot. “We are here.”
Genesis Kekoa, president of Temecula Valley High’s Black Student Union, said she has been emailing Temecula Valley school board members about reversing the ban, which she believes silences students’ voices.
“I hope they realize we’re not going to be silent,” Kekoa, a 16-year-old junior at Temecula Valley High said. “We’re not being told by parents or teachers to do this; we’re doing it ourselves. We have a voice. I’m scared students are not going to be taught our history. Everyone deserves to be seen. Everyone’s culture and history deserves to be taught.”
A new conservative board majority last month approved the resolution, introduced by new board president Joseph Komrosky. Critical race theory — which is typically taught at the graduate school level and examines how racism has been historically embedded in society and policy — has been a contentious subject in the Temecula Valley community. Some have blasted the methodology, though a school district spokesperson and some current and past school board members have said it is not taught in the district.
