The Little Rock Education Association, a union of Little Rock School District teachers and support staff, objected Thursday to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' implication that educators "indoctrinate students."
Kristy Mosby, president of the association, said in a news release that executive orders signed by the state's new governor this week make it necessary for the association "to take a public stance in support of students and educators" statewide.
Mosby referred in part to an executive order Tuesday in which Sanders said that schools must educate and not indoctrinate students, and that critical race theory in schools "is antithetical to the traditional American values of neutrality, equality, and fairness."
"This claim is unjustified and panders to the fears of Arkansans who are unaware of the curriculum taught in Arkansas' schools," Mosby said Thursday.
"[Critical Race Theory] is not explicitly taught in Arkansas schools and an executive order forbidding its teaching is not only unnecessary but dangerous," Mosby also said. "Failure to accurately teach the realities of history harms all Arkansans. We, the members of the LREA, stand up for educational freedom and the autonomy of educators to make sound curriculum decisions within the scope of the state curriculum."
Additionally, Mosby said that the union stands with district staff and students regardless of their sexual orientation and admonishes lawmakers for "their open attacks" against those with non-traditional orientation.
"Our government should be looking for ways to support the safety of all students instead of proposing legislation and signing executive orders that continue to infringe on the rights of an already marginalized group," she said. "Laws that criminalize and police our students will only serve to degrade the safety of our schools. If all students are not safe, then no students are safe."