An Iranian immigrant and mother of three says she was silenced at a Pennsylvania school board meeting after speaking out about Critical Race Theory — and now the school board president is facing calls to resign.
Anita Edgarian told Fox & Friends that she had “no intention” to speak at the meeting where parents, faculty, and administrators discussed the West Chester school district’s efforts to incorporate “diversity, equity, and inclusion” efforts — efforts that often involve aspects of Critical Race Theory.
“[A]fter a long, daunting meeting and many remarks giving praise to the retiring superintendent, Jim Scanlon, she got up and expressed to the school board her concerns about critical race theory,” Fox News said. “During her allotted time to speak, she told them she grew up during the Iranian Revolution and witnessed her ‘motherland’ being ‘ravaged by communism,’” Fox reported.
Edgarian suggested a parallel between the ideas of Communism and what was being taught under the guise of “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” though it is not clear that Critical Race Theory itself is under consideration for the district’s curriculum — just that the superindendent refused to say.
She accused Scanlon of creating divisions and “leaving a mess.” Furthermore, she described her home as “the International House of Pancakes,” because her children’s friends are diverse.
When she proceeded to ask whether or not teachers were being taught critical race theory, the West Chester school board president Chris McCune said, “Anita, you’re at time.” She pushed back, “No, no,” prompting him to angrily say, “Yes you are.” McCune approached Edgarian at the podium, took the microphone, faced Anita, and told her to leave.
“This is shameful,” McCune reportedly snapped. “We’ve had a respectful meeting up until you. You bombarded up there, and now you want to monopolize the meeting. Not happening. You’re gone.”
Edgarian told Fox that she wanted to know whether Critical Race Theory was being taught to children in the school district so she asked, pointedly.
“I have friends on both sides of this aisle. Friends and, you know, close friends sometimes. And you know, so I don’t want my kids to grow up feeling that they cannot talk to this person or that person. And I just wanted to know and, you know, the best thing is to come out and frankly ask the question,” she said.
Edgarian is hardly the first parent to voice concerns over Critical Race Theory. Although leftists and progressives, many of whom cite CRT, say the theory is high-level and taught only in certain law schools classes, it appears that CRT is, at least, informing how some school districts approach issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and teachers are being instructed on how to implement some aspects of CRT in the classroom.
School districts, apparently concerned that individuals are questioning the curriculum, have repeatedly shut down district meetings and sparred with concerned parents. In one shocking case out of Virginia, a PTA official appeared to say of concerned parents, “Let them die!”