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Rochester, New York - Long-term substitute terminated for assigning uncensored YouTube videos for homework
Used uncensored YouTube videos referencing the Black Lives Matter Movement and police reform. Videos were assigned as part of a homework assignment for a sophomore class. Administration commented that the firing was because the videos were in violation of district policies, not because of content. The superintendent defended the use of videos on certain hot-button issues, but did not approve of the uncensored, biased and one-sided politics in the videos. -
Pelham, New York - Administrators respond to employees' apparel
Employees were told they weren’t allowed to wear apparel showing the thin blue line flag. The administrators said that employees are prohibited from expressing political speech according to school policy. In response, several employees showed up at work days later wearing political shirts. Several students reportedly felt uncomfortable and the events created a divide in the school district and the community. -
New York City, New York - Private school releases document detailing commitment to diversity and inclusion
More than 130 staff members signed the document. Originally posted on an internal forum for faculty, the Post received word of the document and decried it as Marxist demands. A tug-of-war ensued between students who are seeking representation and inclusion and the parents who don’t want to see these types of changes being brought into schools. The head of the school did eventually step down at the end of 2021 over the struggle to mediate all of the demands. -
Buffalo, New York - Buffalo City Schools are verbally attacked by a conservative-leaning publication
The article attacks Buffalo City Schools for their Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Initiatives Strategic Plan and Emancipation Curriculum which are centered around the principles of the Black Lives Matter Movement, claiming the Associate Superintendent is pushing radical ideologies. The Associate Superintendent has defended the district’s actions saying that they are meant to provide students with the important and relevant knowledge surrounding systemic racism and implicit bias. -
New York City, New York - A math teacher at a private school is fired for speaking out against district practices
The teacher spoke out against the district’s policies and practices in regards to critical race theory. The district had previously been in the news for its goals to create a more inclusive learning environment and establishing antiracism resources. The former teacher was quickly relieved of his teaching duties and is no longer allowed to come into the building without advanced notice. His classes were taken over by other teachers for the remainder of the school year. -
New York City, New York - Parents at several private schools speak out against the school’s policies and practices regarding critical race theory
Parents have responded in various ways including writing letters to the school and pulling their children out of the school altogether and relocating them to new schools or even new states. One of the parents also established the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism which targets the use of critical race theory in schools. Word is continuing to spread outside private schools to parents of children in New York City’s public schools who share similar opinions. -
Albany, New York - New York state rolls out recommendations for multicultural education in schools
Parents voice anger and frustration over these recommendations which they view as a way to implement critical race theory in schools. -
Albany, New York - Republican lawmakers in New York introduce a bill that would ban the requirement for students to study the 1619 Project
The current status of this bill is listed as pending, with no further action taken thus far in 2022. -
New York City, New York - Junior high school announces plans to racially separate students for discussions surrounding topics like identity and social justice
The separation format is optional for students and the program was designed with input from the School Leadership Team, PTA, and families. Parents have given mixed reactions to this plan with some showing support saying they believe the teachers know what they are doing and how to properly handle these topics. Other parents objected to the program saying it was infusing political material into the curriculum and that it was more divisive than beneficial. -
Albany, New York - Republican lawmakers in New York introduce a new bill that aims to ban courses that would include a study in critical race theory
The bill is similar to the one that was introduced in August 2021. The current status of this bill is listed as pending, with no further action taken thus far in 2022. -
Rochester, New York - Teacher is placed on administrative leave after a 7th grade lesson on slavery
The lesson focused on slavery and how cotton was processed. Students and parents were upset by the lesson which involved students picking seeds from pieces of cotton. The teacher, who is white, chose to teach this lesson in a classroom that was predominately black and brown students, adding to the controversy. -
New York City, New York - Teacher connects current events like the Buffalo supermarket massacre to discussions about race
The teacher has said she is happy to have more freedom to teach these types of lessons in a state like New York. She has also used the Spike Lee film BlacKkKlansman to link ideas about Reconstruction and the Civil Rights movement to modern events. Her lessons encourage students as well as other teachers to face the harsh truths of the world we are living in rather than shying away from it.