LITTLE ROCK, AR. - The Little Rock Education Association (LREA) has come out strongly against recent statements and executive orders signed by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders after she took office.Â
The union, representing teachers in the city of Little Rock, expressed their offense at the governor's remarks and her January 10th Executive Order to Prohibit Indoctrination and Critical Race Theory (CRT).
In their statement, the LREA stated that Governor Sanders implied that teachers "indoctrinate" students with the curriculum taught in Arkansas schools. This claim, they argued, was unjustified. They also said CRT does not clash with equal protection under the law, as suggested in her order.Â
The LREA further clarified that CRT is not explicitly included in Arkansas school curriculums, making this executive order unnecessary and dangerous.
The association also expressed its support for LGBTQIA+ staff and students. However, they pointed specifically to Senate Bill 43, which they deemed "disingenuous, performative" and potentially harmful to students due to its negative targeting of this community.Â
Regarding safety for all students, the LREA argued that the government should support them instead of attempting to marginalize them;
If ALL students are not safe then NO students are safe," they concluded.
The tension between Governor Sanders and the Little Rock Education Association indicates a much larger ongoing debate about education reform in Arkansas. For example, recently proposed legislation, such as Senate Bill 43, seeks to restrict or limit access to resources for LGBTQIA+ individuals.Â
Governor Sanders' executive order is supposed to help students by keeping them from being indoctrinated into ideas with political undertones. However, some people think that this might be an attempt to keep people from hearing about or learning about specific topics related to race or gender issues.
Governor Sanders has yet to respond directly or comment publicly on any of these criticisms or concerns by members of the LREA; however, it appears that this issue is still very much unresolved between both parties involved and is likely to remain a source of contention for some time yet.Â
There will be more discussion about laws that might change how schools work. Some people want the rules to stay the same, while others want them to change. No one has agreed on anything yet, but there will be more discussion soon.
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