HARRISBURG – Senator Mastriano is demanding answers and accountability after hearing multiple accounts from parents at North Penn School District who say their children have been subjected to “privilege walks” as part of a broader critical race theory curriculum.
According to at least five parents of children attending AM Kulp Elementary School, the children were lined up against the wall and told to step forward for each attribute of “privilege” they possessed. According to the parents, certain students in the class were also made to feel ashamed or embarrassed for their “privilege.”
Another parent from a different school in the same district stated that one of the required assignments for his teenage daughter was to reflect on an article about “white privilege” and share what she had learned from it.
“A classroom made up of young impressionable minds is certainly not an appropriate place for fringe critical race theories, said Senator Mastriano. Any exercise that demonizes and separates certain students based on their race or privilege can have detrimental effects on a child’s mental health and lead to an increase in bullying in the classroom.
“It is only thanks to brave parents that we know what is occurring in North Penn District. They contacted me after their concerns were ignored by the school board. It makes you wonder what else is occurring in other schools around the commonwealth.
“As a member of the Senate Education Committee, I`m calling on the Superintendent of NPSD to provide answers. Are these assignments part of the approved North Penn DEI curriculum/initiative? Has any disciplinary action been taken against teachers who are forcing students to participate in these exercises? How long has the Principal of AM Kulp, the district administration, and the school board known of these activities, assignments, or classroom discussions? Have privilege walks or privilege assignments occurred at any other school within North Penn School District? Schools should be a place for education, not indoctrination.”
Senator Mastriano is a member of the Senate Education Committee which has jurisdiction over all 500 of Pennsylvania’s school districts.
Contact: Josh Herman