A Virginia public school district’s equity lead sent out a graphic claiming that Christians are privileged and women, children, and people over the age of 50 experience “oppression.”
Lottie Spurlock, the equity director for Loudoun County Public School (LCPS) district — one of the most affluent school districts in the nation — passed out a graphic that used immutable characteristics to divide people into two groups — oppressed and privileged.
According to LCPS, the following groups experience “privilege”:
- Men
- White People
- Christians
- Heterosexual
- 20-50 Year Olds
- U.S. Born
- Owning/Middle- or High-Income Background
- Currently Able-Bodied
- College Educated or Parents College Educated
- Not Adopted or Foster Child
- English as a Primary Language
- “Average” or “Thin” (referencing weight)
- Lighter Complexioned People of the Same Race
The graphic claims that the following groups experience “oppression”:
- Women
- Children
- People of Color
- Non-Christians
- Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Queer
- Gender Non-conforming
- 50 Years and Older
- Immigrant
- Working Class/Lower Income Background
- Disabled
- Not College Educated or Parents Not College Educated
- Single Parent or Raised by a Single Parent
- Adopted or Foster Child
- English as a Second Language
- “Overweight”
- Darker Complexioned People of the Same Race
Ian Prior, the executive director of Fightforschools.com, told The Daily Wire that he believes this presentation is an attack on people’s religious beliefs.
“Loudoun County Public Schools’ state-sanctioned racism and bigotry seemingly knows no bounds,” Prior said. “Not only are senior staff forcing teachers and students to see everyone as part of an identity group instead of individuals, but now they are attacking peoples religious beliefs.”
Following the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, school districts across the nation caved to activists and began implementing “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) training. LCPS has taken “DEI” a step further and called its approach to teaching, “DEIJA,” which stands for “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Anti-racist work.”
The push for “DEIJA” at LCPS is being spearheaded by Spurlock. In a recent training, Spurlock encouraged administrators to use the terms “Black and Brown” people or “BIPOC” instead of the term “minority.”
The training also listed the “15 characteristics of white supremacy culture,” which includes traits such as “perfectionism, individualism, objectivity,” and believing that there is “only one right way.”
The district’s equity department has presented controversial training to elementary teachers as well. Recently, an elementary school’s equity lead claimed that “Latinx” students and families may be facing outsized hardships in comparison to other racial groups.
The presentation listed immigration, deportation threats, language barriers, discrimination, access to services, employment difficulties, family responsibilities, health concerns, and family economics as barriers to “Latinx” families.
Listed under the category “Barriers to success” for Hispanic students, the presentation claimed that “Latinx” families struggle to communicate with the school because of work demands, lack of access to technology, and lack of understanding of parental engagement in education.
LCPS is planning to allocate over $6 million in “equity” and “equity training” for the 2022 fiscal year budget. The budget proposal allocated $339,516 for equity and culturally responsive instructors, $565,983 for school counselors, $72,000 for “equity training across departments,” and another $50,000” for “diversity interview panels.”
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