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SALT LAKE CITY — A controversial Utah Board of Education rule linked by some critics to critical race theory narrowly survived a repeal effort during a marathon meeting of the body's board.
But the debate isn't over. The board members voted Thursday evening to postpone action, unable to find middle ground on an amendment to the rule. They will take the future of the educational equity rule up at their next regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 1.
"You know what, I want to show good faith effort to the Legislature. I don't want it said that we ignored it," said Brent Strate, the District 3 board member, referencing some critics' claims that the rule runs afoul of state law HB427. "Yes, we have the analysis. Yes, it has most of it. But yes, we can improve."
The rule in question, R277-328, spells out standards and guidelines for teaching "educational equity" in Utah public schools and outlines standards for teacher training on the topic. "Educational equity," as defined in R277-328, encompasses the notion of providing resources to students based on their needs, but critics view equity in the context of the rule as discriminating against one group of students in the name of assisting another group.
Numerous speakers addressed the board during the public comment section of Thursday's meeting.
Yvette Romero Coronado, who is Mexican American, spoke in favor of the rule, saying that as a student in Utah schools she felt pressure "to leave parts of me and my family at the door and even reject them" in order to succeed. "I believe that educational equity is a necessary framework to repair and prevent the harm of sameness that I experienced and that many other generations have as well," she said.
Monica Wilbur spoke against the rule, equating it with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. "The way I see it, DEI makes kids line up for a label so they can be put in a box and treated like a commodity in a market where their victimhood is their currency. DEI practices in schools by any name or euphemism result in systemic, symbolic and toxic discrimination," she said.
The board deliberated R277-328 at length and a motion to repeal it failed in an 8-7 vote. Strate helped author an amended version of the rule, but it and varied iterations of the proposal also failed, leading to the narrow 8-7 vote to postpone action.
The State Central Committee of the Utah Republican Party in a resolution approved last October called for the repeal of the rule, saying the State School Board, by approval of R277-328 in 2021, "installed, codified and further entrenched" critical race theory in Utah schools. Rule supporters dismiss the notion.
Critical race theory is a framework of understanding racial issues discussed, typically, at the college level, many academics say. Foes, on the other hand, view critical race theory as a belief system that posits that there is an oppressor class, typically white people, and an oppressed class, typically people of color.
R277-428 foes also maintain that it violates HB427, a measure passed by Utah lawmakers last year meant to ensure that materials in the state's schools "are consistent with the principles of inalienable rights, equal opportunity and individual merit." School board member Carol Barlow Lear, for one, said the board's legal advisers have determined the rule does not violate the state law.
