Great Oak HS Students Protest TVUSD Board's 'Censoring' Of Education

TEMECULA, CA — Hundreds of Great Oak High School students walked off campus Friday morning in protest of the Temecula Valley Unified School District's ban on teaching critical race theory.

Carrying homemade signs that read, "Teach The Truth, Protect Our Education, Do Not Censor," the diverse student body marched to nearby Patricia H. Birdsall Park during a break in classes. (Click on the image above to watch a video snippet of Friday's protest.)

The large demonstration was prompted by Tuesday night's TVUSD board meeting in which trustees voted 3-2 to adopt a resolution banning the teaching of critical race theory in Temecula schools. Read more on Tuesday night's TVUSD board meeting: Critical Race Theory Banned In Temecula Schools By Newly Formed Board

CRT argues race is a social construct, and that racism is not just individual biases and prejudices, but something that's institutionalized in legal systems and policies. The theory maintains that racism and discrimination are embedded in everyday life, so people of all colors subconsciously make choices that can fuel biases. Some say CRT has been weaponized by far-right politicians and ideologues to scare white voters.

Tuesday's majority votes came from newly elected and first-time TVUSD governing board members Dr. Joseph Wayne Komrosky (Trustee Area 4), Jennifer Wiersma (Trustee Area 3), and Danny Gonzalez (Trustee Area 2) — all backed by the political action committee Inland Empire Family, which works "to stop the indoctrination of our children by placing candidates on school boards who will fight for Christian and conservative values," according to its website.

The Inland Empire Family PAC has ties to the 412 Church Temecula Valley and Pastor Tim Thompson, who's become a player in Southwest Riverside County politics. He's linked to several high-profile conservative figures, including Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, and he throws his backing behind other like-minded politicians. Read more: Conservative Christians Eye Control Of Southwest RivCo School Boards

Concern about extreme politics — and policies — seeping into school boards and local government prompted another political action committee to form this fall. One Temecula Valley PAC continues to recruit members and solicit donations "in response to a very real and dangerous threat to local governance posed by a religious group with extremist views that will damage our region for decades if their candidates are elected," according to the organization's mission statement.

One Temecula Valley lost its battle to keep far-right-leaning trustees off the TVUSD governing board, but the fight wages on.

"We are proud of the students at Great Oak High School who today staged a walkout [to] advocate for themselves and the education they deserve at TVUSD," One Temecula Valley posted Friday to its social media. "With AP and IB accreditation very much at risk of being lost due to the foolish, politically and religiously charged resolutions being passed by three rogue school board members, these kids realize that their future educational opportunities can be lost."

Critical race theory as a whole has never been taught in the TVUSD, but there is fear that U.S. history courses could get whitewashed now that the district's governing board has taken a staunch position. There are concerns that college opportunities for academically minded students could be in jeopardy, too, if AP teachers alter lesson plans.

There is no indication that TVUSD AP teachers will change a thing, despite the resolution, but a pandora's box was opened. The resolution states that CRT "or other similar frameworks will not be used as a source to guide how topics related to race will be taught" in TVUSD schools.

Earlier this year, the College Board, which runs the Advanced Placement (AP) program, reminded AP teachers they must adhere to program principles otherwise students could end up losing AP credit.

For example, the reminder laid out that "AP courses foster an open-minded approach to the histories and cultures of different peoples. The study of different nationalities, cultures, religions, races, and ethnicities is essential within a variety of academic disciplines. AP courses ground such studies in primary sources so that students can evaluate experiences and evidence for themselves."

Additionally, AP opposes censorship. "AP is animated by a deep respect for the intellectual freedom of teachers and students alike. If a school bans required topics from their AP courses, the AP Program removes the AP designation from that course and its inclusion in the AP Course Ledger provided to colleges and universities. For example, the concepts of evolution are at the heart of college biology, and a course that neglects such concepts does not pass muster as AP Biology," according to the principles.

It's not clear what the next steps are for concerned TVUSD students and educators. For its part, One Temecula Valley promises to "promote stable policy" within the Southwest Riverside County region. "We are only just beginning," the PAC's website reads.