Blue States Used Democrat-Passed Coronavirus Relief Funds to Implement CRT in Schools

Blue states, including New York and California, used Democrat-passed coronavirus relief funds to usher in the Marxist ideology Critical Race Theory (CRT) into schools, according to reports.

Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act in March 2021, which President Biden signed into law shortly after. Republicans did not support the measure, but it passed in both chambers, as Democrats hold a majority. It included billions supposedly allocated to “safely” reopen schools.

In August, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said New York’s plan to use the funds to “support K-12 schools and students” laid “the groundwork for the ways in which an unprecedented infusion of federal resources will be used to address the urgent needs of America’s children and Build Back Better.” However, using the funds for CRT went far beyond just blue New York.

According to reports, “the law provided over $122 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), which helped multiple states implement ‘implicit bias’ and ‘anti-racism’ training, among other programs, according to research from One Nation shared with and verified by Fox News Digital.”

The Department of Education took its role a step further, offering “strategies” for using the funds to “address the impact of lost instructional time.” The department repeatedly emphasized “cultural responsiveness” and “equitable practices,” pointing to the Chicago Public School’s Curriculum Equity Initiative as a prime example. That included a “performance-based assessment system as part of the district-wide approach to culturally responsive and equitable teaching and learning.”

The department also placed emphasis on building trust with communities, adding that additional steps “may need to be taken by districts and schools to support families of color in returning to in-person learning”:

Volume 2 discusses some of the reasons families of color have cited for not returning to in-person learning, including for example health and safety concerns, fears of xenophobic and racist harassment against Asian American students in particular, physical safety concerns due to under-resourced school facilities, and school discipline policies.

It added that educators should prepare to have “uncomfortable” conversations and “evaluate and reflect on their school culture, climate, and policies” and use “well-designed survey tools to learn what practices may be keeping all students from feeling safe, included, and academically challenged and supported.”

According to Fox News, “at least $46.5 billion from the ARP ESSER fund has been allocated to 13 states, including California, New York and Illinois, that are planning to use the funds to implement CRT in their schools”:

The California Department of Education was awarded $15.1 billion in ARP ESSER funding to implement its schools reopening plan, which included $1.5 billion for training resources for school staff regarding “high-need topics,” like “implicit bias training.”

The California DoE used funds to “increase educator training and resources” in subjects such as “anti-bias strategies,” “environmental literacy,” “ethnic studies,” and “LGBTQ+ cultural competency,” according to the plan.

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The New York State Education Department (NYSED) was awarded $9 billion in ARP ESSER funding to implement its reopening plan, which supported “putting DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) at the heart of NYSED’s work with” all local education agencies.

Illinois took similar steps, receiving $5.1 billion in ARP ESSER funding for its reopening plan, which reportedly placed “an emphasis on equity and diversity.”

Meanwhile, states such as Florida have taken steps to root out CRT in schools, with Gov. Ron DeSantis signing anti-CRT legislation last week, making it clear that his administration believes in “education, not indoctrination.”