The Johnston County School Board in North Carolina has adopted a policy that will discipline or dismiss teachers who incorporate Critical Race Theory into their teaching of United States history.
The measure passed unanimously on Oct. 1 as an amended code of ethics policy. The county’s GOP-run board of commissioners had previously said it would withhold $7.9 million in school funding until the policy passed.
April Lee, president of the Johnston County Association of Educators, expressed her displeasure with the policy. She reportedly said the school system is “selling our souls to the devil for $7.9 million.”
Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, vetoed an anti-CRT bill passed by Republican legislators in September. Cooper said the bill was based on “conspiracy-laden politics.”
The Johnston County Board of Commissioners told the school board in June it would withhold the $7.9 million in new school funding until a policy banning CRT was approved.
The new policy instructs teachers to not undermine foundational documents — including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
“All people deserve full credit and recognition for their struggles and accomplishments throughout United States history,” the policy says. “The United States foundational documents shall not be undermined. No employee of Johnston County Schools will make any attempt to discredit the efforts made by all people using foundational documents for reform.”
