Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools Superintendent Yvonne Stokes provided a defense of the district’s curriculum at the end of Wednesday night’s school board meeting, saying HSE Schools “have not, shall not, will not, and we do not support the teaching of Critical Race Theory, or, what some call CRT.  Public schools have been the target of such claims for several months now.  With classes back in session, unfortunately, it appears that this narrative is once again being shared. ”

Dr. Stokes described one particular course, “Ethnic Studies.”  This is a class mandated to be offered as an elective by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), according to the superintendent, and is not required for graduation.

“Part of the curriculum, mandated by the state of Indiana, for this specific course, is that students explore ways that race, and racism, have impacted people’s lives,” Dr. Stokes said.  “We do this by exposing students to different voices and authors who share their various experiences with race and students are taught the true history of world in which we live.  We encourage students to celebrate their identity and honor others’ identity as part of this upper-level elective course.  Keep in mind that not all classes are designed for every student.”

Parents are encouraged to reach out to individual teachers and school administrators with any questions about the instruction provided to their students.

“So, once again, and I just want to reiterate, that there is language out there and claims we are teaching CRT and we are not condoning any teaching of CRT,” Dr. Stokes said.