Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Jim Renacci on Friday called on several members of the state school board, appointed by Governor Mike DeWine, to resign.
In his statement, Renacci argued that DeWine and the members of the board are advancing Critical Race Theory (CRT), a controversial topic that has appeared in education curriculum.
“Mike DeWine is responsible for stacking the school board with people who are trying to tear down our students by indoctrinating them with Critical Race Theory,” Jim Renacci said in an emailed statement. “Whether it is forcing our children to wear masks, implementing the Vax-2-School scam, or brainwashing students with CRT, DeWine has hurt children more than he has helped. We need new leadership that will protect our children instead of throwing them to the wolves.”
The statement follows two members of the State Board of Education resigning earlier this week. State Board of Education President Laura Kohler and board member Eric Poklar opted to leave the board after opposing a measure to repeal Resolution 20, a measure that critics say supports CRT.
Resolution 20, which was passed by the board members after the death of George Floyd, was replaced with Resolution 13.
The resolution resolves “that the State Board of Education similarly condemns any standards, curriculum, or training programs for students, teachers, or staff that seek to ascribe circumstances or qualities, such as collective guilt, moral deficiency, or racial bias, to a whole race or group of people.”
The debate of CRT within the State Board of Education has sent shockwaves through other branches of government.
Recently, two members of the Ohio House of Representatives introduced legislation to reduce the number of members and eliminate nonelected members.
The Ohio Star previously reported, “Eight of the current 19 members receive appointments from the governor, but House Bill 298 eliminates each of those positions when current terms expire, reducing the board to its 1995 level of 11 members.”
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jim Renacci” by The City Club of Cleveland.
