Dallas-Area Principal On Leave After Critical Race Theory Dustup

COLLEYVILLE, TX —Critical Race Theory may not be on the classroom curriculum at Colleyville Heritage High School, but that didn't stop the local school board from placing Principal James Whitfield on administrative leave.

Whitfied was taken off the job Monday — just a month after his firing was demanded by a school board meeting attendee who accused the administrator of harboring "extreme views on race."

The accusation came on July 26 from former school board candidate Stetson Clark, who told board members he had misgivings about the "implementation of critical race theory" in the district and singled Whitfield out as a purveyor of racial extremism.

See also:

• What Is 'Critical Race Theory,' And Why Do Conservatives Hate It?
• Texans Wonder: Is Critical Race Theory History — Or Propaganda?

Clark then demanded a review of Whitfield's history at the district and his immediate dismissal. He said he based his assertion on a letter the principal sent to students and their parents last year that Clark claims "promotes a conspiracy theory of systemic racism."

According to academics, critical race theory looks at inequality between the races, its causes, where it's seeped into policy, law and social morés, and what's happened as a result. Critics claim that it brainwashes children into hating their heritage and identity.

But most educators, administrators and lawmakers fall silent when they're asked to demonstrate where the theory has been transposed into a classroom curriculum that could be actually taught during a semester or two.

For his part, Whitfield has said he's no racist and is simply being scapegoated because of his color.

On July 31, he turned a Facebook post into a manifesto professing his innocence.

“I can no longer maintain my silence in the face of this hate, intolerance, racism, and bigotry,” he wrote. “I am not the CRT (Critical Race Theory) Boogeyman."

He then posted, "I am the first African American to assume the role of Principal at my current school in its 25-year history, and I am keenly aware of how much fear this strikes in the hearts of a small minority who would much rather things go back to the way they used to be.”

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