XENIA — A Xenia school board member wants another look at the curriculum to make sure a controversial topic isn’t being taught anywhere in the district.
Jeremy Cox requested that critical race theory (CRT) be placed on the agenda for the Monday, Oct. 14 meeting, during which he is expected to submit a proposal for an additional curriculum audit.
Critical race theory is an academic concept that is more than 40 years old. The core idea is that race is a social construct, and that racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies.
In a letter to Xenia Community Schools families, Superintendent Dr. Gabe Lofton expressed his displeasure that this topic has “once again come to the forefront.”
He is adamant that CRT is not in Xenia Community Schools.
“First and foremost, I would like to once again state that Xenia Community Schools solely utilizes curriculum that is age appropriate and is in alignment with Ohio state standards, and that critical race theory is not taught in our classrooms,” Lofton wrote.
Lofton said he has had conversations with Cox during the last year to assure him CRT has no place in the district and that apparently has not been good enough.
“To be entirely clear, critical race theory is not being taught now, and has not been taught in the past,” Lofton said. “Given his ongoing and persistent inquiry around this issue over many months, including his questions about the professionalism and integrity of our teaching staff, I understand that Mr. Cox is not convinced of the truth of that statement. This is in spite of the fact that there have been no student or parent complaints that CRT is being taught in our schools, or any evidence whatsoever that this is the case. It is also regardless of the fact that we successfully completed a curriculum audit with a respected company earlier this year.”
According to Lofton, the district has provided Cox with access to every textbook and digital resource, along with thousands of curriculum documents used in classrooms for his review.
“We have answered numerous questions about the curriculum through presentations and email requests, offered to have him talk to teachers, provided him with tours through every school and classroom in the district, and offered additional support for him through the Ohio School Boards Association,” Lofton said. “Quite frankly, at this point, I am at a loss as to what would convince Mr. Cox that CRT is not being taught in Xenia Community Schools or what to do next.”
Lofton said Cox is going to propose the audit be performed by an “unvetted vendor” and that another audit could cost the district as much as $20,000. Lofton called another CRT discussion “a distraction that siphons limited time, energy, and valuable resources away from critical areas where we could work to see real change for our students.”
“Considering the amount of positive change and momentum we have worked hard to build and maintain, I am saddened by this persistent and unwarranted focus on an issue that is not relevant to our district,” he said, citing improved scores on the most recent report card, as well as four Xenia schools making the 2024 U.S. News & World Report “Best Schools” list.
Lofton said he hopes the topic will be put to rest Monday.
“After a robust discussion of Mr. Cox’s concerns and proposal, I truly hope that our board of education will collectively be able to move us past this issue once and for all, so that we can focus our energy and attention on areas of real concern that will benefit our students in the short- and long-term futures,” he said.
This newspaper sent two emails and two text messages to Cox seeking comment and has not heard back. If Cox responds, we will update this story.
Reach Scott Halasz at 937-502-4507.
