Thanks to Tucker Carlson, Loudoun County, Virginia is on the map! Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) became famous recently, but the issues causing the headlines today have been in the works for years. The public controversies began in earnest with the “Diverse Books” program initiated in Fall 2019 and spread far and wide during the pandemic as the ongoing progressive push for Critical Race Theory (CRT) within the school system became public.

View Comments (10)

Don’t be censored! Sign up to make sure you aren’t missing the news Christians need to pray about. Click HERE.

Loudoun County—only 45 minutes from the nation’s capital and home to IFA—seems to have become a case-study of sorts for the progressive educational agenda.  An active parent and teacher community (on both sides of the aisle) have contributed to notable school board meetings with many shareable, and viral, sound bites from the public comment section.

In recent months, CRT has taken center stage in the debate, since the school system spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on equity coaching, training and assessment.

Parents are riled and stirred to action. One parent leader joined IFA to pray about CRT in the schools. You can watch the webcast HERE. It has gotten so terrible in our county that there has been a push by concerned parents to recall the entire school board; they are collecting signatures through May 26, 2021.

Parents of all races, socioeconomic levels, and backgrounds are voicing concerns. Ironically, those who are considered “privileged” are shamed for their parents’ educational background, shamed for what they own, and shamed for what they look like. One mom shared her concern for her white, Christian, teenage sons who are automatically deemed oppressors. There is a pull for students to identify as victims and the oppressed. And to speak ANYTHING against this woke ideology draws ire and a multitude of labels (no matter the color of your skin).

Monica Gill, a teacher in LCPS, articulated it this way: “Despite the denials, LCPS equity training for employees looks a lot like CRT, which is rooted in Marxism. In this ideology, there are two kinds of people: ‘Oppressors’ and ‘The Oppressed.’”

Shawntel Cooper, a parent in the county, shared passionately with the Loudoun County School Board, “CRT is racist, it is abusive, it discriminates against one’s color. Let me educate you. An honest dialogue does not oppress, an honest dialogue does not implement hatred or injustice… We don’t want your political advertisement to divide our children or belittle them. Think twice before you indoctrinate such racist theories.”

A few days following this public comment, Cooper, interviewed by Tucker Carlson, was asked why she spoke up:

“It contradicts everything that Martin Luther King fought for. It’s hatred, Marxist ideology and it places the child in a loophole of oppression, making them feel as a victim… 

You cannot further brotherhood of a man by encouraging class hatred. Our constitution is what unites us, not the color of our skin, so America, it’s just time for us to stand up for one another…”

The concern is causing many parents to pull their children out of the public school system.  Parents are afraid that their children will be indoctrinated with values that are diametrically opposed to their own, afraid their children will lose their ability to think critically and freely, and afraid they will judged/labeled because of the color of their skin.

The truth is that the public school system was not created simply to educate young people nor was not based on Christian ideology.

As Nancy Huff pointed out, “The public schools [Horace] Mann created became the seedbed for the new socialists thought brought from Germany in the late 1800s, which in turn, made possible the growth of socialism we presently witness full-grown in our schools… Public school’s origin, founded on disdain for the Christian born again experience, has given us the public schools we have today.”

We are in an era to create the “idealized” citizen – a system in which every person thinks, speaks and supports the same ideologies.  The present system, specifically in Loudoun County, argues for exposing children to ALL the things they will be confronted with as adults and educating them on how to think. We have taken out God and elevated the opinion of man and an idolization for those “in charge.”

The “Diverse Books” initiative highlights this reality. It was a program never pulled, despite a huge public outcry and contentious school board meetings packed to overflow capacity, with countless public comments made in opposition.  In fact, just this month another vulgar, offensive excerpt from a book was read aloud in the school board meeting – to remind the board members that our children should be protected, not violated in the materials they are given access to, and sometimes even encouraged to read.

What we need is our school boards to bring back to education, we need our school boards to make and put each other accountable… If you have an administration that has put in material that is inappropriate, make change. But if you are not willing to do that, then listen to the parents because they are the ones having to deal with this on a daily basis. –Brandon Michon, speaking to Tucker Carlson on Fox News, 5/13/21

What should be taught in the classroom? What is education? Consider that the U.S. Education rankings continue to fall behind that of other countries, specifically in math and science  Our agendas and test scores have become the priority, rather than focusing on creating life-long learners who are able to think critically and adapt to ever-changing circumstances – not “Stepford” citizens who are only able to parrot biased, politically-correct rhetoric.

While LCPS vows that “Critical Race Theory is not part of the curriculum being taught to ‘Loudoun County Public Schools’ students,” a rose by any other name smells as sweet. There is an agenda being pushed.

“The conflict began last June when Loudoun County Public Schools adopted a ‘Culturally Responsive Framework,’ which called for the school community to dismantle ‘white supremacy, systemic racism, and hateful language and actions based on race, religion, country of origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or ability.’ The framework asks teachers to audit and update the K-12 curriculum to include lessons on identity, power, and privilege—tenets of critical theory that Parents Against Critical Theory and others oppose.

“Superintendent Scott Ziegler in September proposed changing the district’s professional code to prohibit teachers from speaking out against the district’s new framework. The district’s interest in abolishing systemic racism would ‘outweigh’ a teacher’s First Amendment right to free speech, according to a draft of that policy.”

-Alex Nester, “GoFundMe Yanks Page Run by Virginia Parents Fighting Woke Curriculum”, the Washington Free Beacon, 3/29/21

Our children are being taught to judge each other on the basis of their skin color. And the educational focus has become agenda driven.

“Schools across the country remain only partially open, students are suffering from hopelessness and despair, and special needs children are falling through the cracks. Instead of focusing on plans to fix these problems, school boards and school administrations are spending millions to implement Critical Race Theory concepts in our schools.

“Critical race theory holds that American institutions, language, culture, meritocracy, and liberal system of government are systemically racist and must be fundamentally altered…“Simply put, our schools are teaching children to judge people NOT by the content of their character, but by the color of their skin.  FightforSchools.com

Let’s get back to the basics here. We were all created by ONE God. The color of our skin was by His masterful design – each one fearfully and wonderfully made, a masterpiece, HIS exemplary work without mistake. We are ALL created to be His sons and daughters, to reflect His image and glory! To apologize for how He made us is a direct assault to our Creator.

“Twenty years ago, I couldn’t wait to become a teacher for Loudoun County Public Schools. Over the last three years, I’ve become increasingly alarmed at the direction LCPS has taken. The goal is no longer equipping our teachers and student body for learning. Instead, we are engaged in a trickle-down indoctrination targeted at teachers with the aim of filtering the “equity” mindset down into the classrooms. The evidence continues to pile up as parents and students come forward with clear examples of children being told they should be anti-racist activists or should see racial distinctions as individuals’ primary characteristics…”

-Monica Gill, “A Loudoun County Teacher Explains How Leftist Institutional Racism is Devastating Public Schools”, The Federalist, 4/15/21

Yes, racism still exists. There is no argument in that. But I believe the best way to fight that fight is:

• Pray to see with His eyes;
• Do whatever it takes to school our children in obedience to God’s plan for each individual child;
• Find a way to unite on behalf of our children’s protection and well-being;
• Empower, educate and equip our young people to rise up, stomp down self-defeating labels;
• Come alongside those who are struggling, defeated and ill-equipped;
• And operate with His Truth as our banner.

How will you invest in this time and hour? Our children are being placed on the altar of Molech. Let’s prayerfully consider our part in this time and day. Battle in prayer and/or be a voice! We carry the mantle of heaven!

Join Suni to pray–IFApray.org/live at 12:15 pm ET, Tuesday, May 25 or watch anytime on our YouTube channel.

Suni Piper is a writer and passionate intercessor for the nation and for the Church. She is determined and surrendered to be a voice of truth, hope and encouragement to the Body of believers. Follow Suni at her blog ASurrenderedLife.com. (Photo Credit: Canva.)