Police had to clear out a Virginia school board meeting Wednesday night after a debate over critical race theory boiled over into a hostile shouting match.
At the Prince William County School board meeting, security and police had to disperse an agitated crowd around 8:45 p.m. after officials feared that a debate over critical race theory being taught in the district would lead to a physical altercation, Babur Lateef, the school board chairman, said.
FORTY-NINE PERCENT OF PARENTS SUPPORT TEACHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY IN SCHOOLS: POLL
“The fact that I have to worry about someone getting hurt at a school board meeting is ridiculous, and everyone in the nation should be ashamed of that,” Lateef said.
Critical race theory and related ideologies argue the United States is inherently racist and that skin color is used to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between white and nonwhite communities. Critics claim it relegates all white people to the role of oppressors and all people of color to victimhood.
“CRT has now become the new issue that folks believe they can rally around to accomplish a certain political agenda,” Lateef said.
He clarified that the school district has never taught critical race theory, and the topic was not even on Wednesday’s agenda.
The meeting was set to discuss vaccine requirements for students and faculty, which passed.
Still, when debates over the meeting capacity size erupted, parents started shouting about points of contention and critical race theory, NBC4 reported.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
No attendees were arrested, and there were no injuries reported.
Efforts to protect students and staff in schools are frustrated when parents lash out at each other, Lateef said.
