KARNS CITY — Many community members attended the Karns City Area School District’s school board meeting to hear discussion on the possibility of drafting a resolution on the district’s stance on critical race theory (CRT).

Board members and Superintendent Eric Ritzert said the school currently does not teach critical race theory and does not plan to teach it in the future.

“The district is not promoting those types of curriculum. We have an open, honest dialogue about diversity and respect for others and (that) has gone on for years,” Ritzert said.

The topic was placed on the agenda after residents asked to see recent purchases of seventh- through 12th-grade language arts textbooks called “My Perspectives.” Zachary Scherer, a recent Karns City graduate attending the meeting, said he didn’t approve of some ideas presented in the 10th-grade textbook.

“If we can’t spend time to go through this book 100%, why did we even elect you?” he asked the board. “There should be no politics (pushed) in schools.”

The board considered the possibility of crafting a statement or resolution after Butler Area and Mars Area school districts policies.

Board President Josh Price said a resolution may not be necessary, as the board acts as gatekeepers to what curriculum is taught. A potential policy need only be a few sentences, he suggested. Ritzert said the board would continue to be in discussion about it.

“Since we’re not actively pursuing the teaching of CRT, it didn’t seem necessary to take any action at first,” he said.

Board members Tara Hackwelder and Ashley Summerville said a resolution, if pursued, would have to be approached with caution, as some higher level history courses explore minority narratives on slave trade.

“We have to include minority voices. We can’t limit victims’ voices,” Hackwelder said.

Summerville added that if a resolution were written, it should be worded differently from the CRT policy statements by Butler and Mars districts to be more precise.

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