A Connecticut school board has reversed the district’s decision to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day on the 2021-22 school calendar after hearing criticism about the move made back in June.
The Stonington Board of Education voted 3-2 last week to restore the name Columbus Day, at least for the time being, with some members arguing that a public hearing should be held before such a change is made, The Day of New London reported.
“We need more community input before we make that call,” said Gordon Lord, a board member, at Thursday’s meeting.
Changing the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day was among a list of planned revisions to the new school calendar, included in a June 10 report to the board from Superintendent of Schools Van Riley. He said the change was made at the request of the school system’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. But in the weeks that followed, the board has heard criticism from those who opposed the change and claimed the school system teaches critical race theory.
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Critical race theory is an academic framework that examines history through the lens of racism. There is little to no evidence that critical race theory itself is being taught to K-12 public school students, though some ideas central to it, such as lingering consequences of slavery, have been. The Day previously reported that the Stonington school system recently issued a formal statement saying it does not teach critical race theory.
