Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, guest host Gulbransen welcomed Williamson County District Six School Board candidate Debbie Pace in studio to talk about why she is running, how the Wit and Wisdom curriculum got into the schools and the voting record of her opponent.
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A group of Williamson County parents filed a lawsuit against Williamson County Schools, alleging a violation of the state’s ban on Critical Race Theory teachings.
Parents’ Choice Tennessee, a group started by James and Patricia Lucente, filed the suit in Franklin and pointed to the district’s use of “Wit & Wisdom” materials.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Williamson County’s District Four GOP School Board Candidate, Elliott Franklin in studio to discuss what he’ll do if elected to remove the toxic environment for members and teachers.
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Live from Music Row, Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – guest host Cunningham welcomed Robin Steenman of Moms for Liberty-Williamson County to the newsmaker line. Leahy: I am joined on our newsmaker line now by our good friend Robin Steenman, head of Moms for Liberty, also head of Williamson Family PAC. Our lead story at The Tennessee Star this morning. Moms for Liberty Critical Race Theory Complaint Against Williamson County Schools Rejected by Tennessee Department of Education. Robin, what’s your reaction to that? Steenman: Disappointment, Michael. It’s a dodge. Leahy: Well, it’s exactly my thought as well Robin. Steenman: Right. If you read the letter itself from Commissioner Penny Schwinn it says, please note that in declining to investigate these claims, the department has not made a determination regarding the merits of these allegations. It’s a dodge and kids are involved. Kids are in the balance and they chose to not even look at the merits. Leahy: The law prohibiting the teaching of basically 14 tenants of Critical Race Theory and K-12 public schools in Tennessee was passed…
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Parents and educators debated over the Wit and Wisdom curriculum and critical race theory during the Metro Nashville Public Schools’ (MNPS) board meeting on Tuesday.
The room was filled with individuals, 60 of which had signed up to speak. Not all of the public commentary concerned the Wit and Wisdom curriculum or critical race theory – but the dialogue that did focus on those two topics was equally, deeply divided. A total of 10 individuals spoke in favor of critical race theory and the Wit and Wisdom curriculum; 3 spoke against it.
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A parent coalition is concerned that the Wit and Wisdom curriculum, approved for use in 33 counties, may violate Tennessee’s K-12 critical race theory ban. The coalition, Moms for Liberty of Williamson County, formed a parent-led deep dive team to examine the entire curriculum, including the accompanying teacher manuals. According to their findings, Moms for Liberty of Williamson County believes that one of the learning modules within the curriculum for second graders teaches content that was banned from K-12 education recently by the Tennessee legislature: that one race is inherently superior to another; that individuals should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or another form of psychological distress because of their race; that the U.S. is fundamentally or irredeemably racist; and the promotion of a division between or resentment of a race.
Wit and Wisdom incorporates a type of education called “social-emotional learning.” The curriculum tackles history and complex topics such as segregation, animal reproduction, and death through the English language arts.
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FRANKLIN, Tennessee – After around 1200 hours of investigation, a parent-led deep dive team uncovered how a widely-used English curriculum in Tennessee pushes narratives on history and introduces K-5 students to a range of concepts such as Critical Race Theory, suicide ideation, gender fluidity, alcoholism, promiscuity, torture, cannibalism, and more. The curriculum, Wit and Wisdom, offers social-emotional learning (SEL) and was produced by the organization Great Minds. It is approved for use in 33 counties. Moms for Liberty (MFL) Williamson County Founders Robin Steenman and Lori Friedheim presented their team’s findings on Tuesday during their public event, “Let’s Talk Wit and Wisdom.” The group gave attendees packets with comprehensive reviews on the Wit and Wisdom books and teacher manuals. MFL explained that these reviews are works in progress. Up-to-date versions of their reviews of these curriculum materials are available here. The Wit and Wisdom K-5 curriculum is divided by grade and then by module. At the start of the presentation, Steenman outlined 9 common themes and ideas that their deep-dive team recognized in Wit and Wisdom: suicide ideation, condemnation of White people, displays of extreme emotion, cannibalism, opposition to the nuclear family and America, dark imagery, graphic death, and age-inappropriate content…
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THOMPSON’S STATION — Several hundred people gathered Tuesday night to complain that a particular curriculum, Wit and Wisdom, is dark and divisive and, overall, robs Williamson County elementary students of their innocence. WCS Board Member Dan Cash presided over Tuesday’s meeting, which he held at Thompson’s Station Church.
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