Editorial: Indoctrination, controversy and education

Norwin School District has new guidelines when it comes to teaching about controversial subjects.

It’s the kind of thing that has been growing in the district and others like it for months while meetings have been taken up with criticism of classes and books.

But exactly what is controversial?

It’s a word that describes a public disagreement. A topic that riles people up and makes them pick sides.

However, one person’s lively debate is another’s absolute line in the sand. What this person would shrug their shoulders at and move on from would cause someone else to pick up a picket sign.

In Norwin, the controversy seems to center around race issues — identified under the umbrella term of critical race theory.

It is important to note that CRT is not taught in public schools; it is an academic theory that is discussed and debated at the college level. However, that is semantics. CRT might not be taught in high school, but issues that relate to race are often raised in other classes, such as history or literature. Someone’s concerns are not invalid because they are using the wrong label.

The new guidelines say teachers can teach students about controversial topics. They just can’t present the issues in a way that persuades or represents the teacher’s opinion as the only right answer. The concern outlined is indoctrination.

That, more than any individual subject, seems to be the real controversy.

On Monday, state Rep. Barbara Gleim, R-Cumberland County, introduced a bill she called “The Anti-Indoctrination in Teaching Act.” It would allow a parent, student, employee or “any person interacting with a public school” to file a complaint about indoctrination claims and require a board to have a hearing. A teacher’s contract could then be terminated.

The problem: “Indoctrination” is a harder idea to nail down than controversy. For some, it’s demanding kids learn a more detailed account of America’s history of slavery. For others, it’s requiring school prayer or the Pledge of Allegiance.

Florida seems to have reached the pinnacle of the indoctrination controversy with its recent crackdown on approving curriculums. On Monday, the Florida Department of Education rejected 54 of 132 proposed math text books for reasons including CRT.

There is nothing more resolutely fact-based than math. While all math teachers practice a certain amount of indoctrination as they tend to force kids to learn things they don’t want to learn, it isn’t about trying to brainwash them into accepting that long division is a conspiracy.

But the nebulous language of policies like Gleim’s bill and Norwin’s policy make anything possible.