Know Before You Go: Indianapolis School Board Elections

Too many of our schools, with the backing of elected school boards, are working to purposely divide children by teaching them Critical Race Theory (CRT) concepts, like believing that the color of their skin is more important than the content of their character, and sexualizing them by presenting age-inappropriate sexual content.  

Your local school board has the power to reverse these attacks and make sure our children have age-appropriate education materials. The power lies in your vote! Elections take place on November 8, 2022. 

Core Responsibilities of a School Board: 

• Approve curriculum and textbooks based on standards, goals, and policies adopted by the board. 

• Review and evaluate curriculum as it relates to student assessment results. 
• Hold accountable the superintendent of the school district. 
• Create a responsible budget to advance the educational success of the students. 
• Provide transparency to parents and community members on what is occurring in their local schools. 

Concerning Content and Actions Allowed in the Indianapolis Public Schools by the Governing Board: 

Below are examples of CRT, sexual material, and/or political indoctrination seen in the schools. 

• Resources on the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) website include a “Resource Guide For White Teachers & Parents Developing Racial Consciousness and Moving into Action.”  

• One of those resources includes an article titled “Why People of Color Need Spaces Without White People.” 
• The District went even further by sending out emails gauging interest in affinity groups that would segregate staff by identity (Black, Latinx, LGBTQ) “to build community. The interest group for White people was titled “Confronting White Privilege.” 

• The Board passed a resolution objecting to Indiana’s legislative bill that would prohibit the teaching of CRT in schools, passed a resolution supporting Black Lives Matter, and advanced a racial equity policy, policy 1619 

• This policy states that the District’s past was “too often privileging the prejudice of white parents over the interests of Black and Brown students.”  

• The District hosts an annual inclusivity summit. In 2021, the summit included lessons for high school students titled “Exploring Identity and Intersectionality (LGBTQ+),” and IPS Staff learned about “using the four tenets of social justice as a vehicle to build anti-racist thinking.” 
• Before state legislative involvement, the Board allowed transgender athletes (biological males) to compete against women, creating an unfair and dangerous athletic environment. This includes allowing transgender students to use the bathroom/locker room of their chosen identity. 
• These types of policies are driven by elite, Washington D.C.-based national unions and associations who are out of touch with Hoosiers’ values. Instead, they push an agenda that denies parent rights, supports restrictive COVID-19 mandates, instigates racist curriculum and transgender policies, and even labels parents domestic terrorists. 

Know Before You Go!  These school board races are non-partisan elections. The America First Agenda aims to give parents more control of their child’s education, education choice, and honest teaching of American history. You can research candidates and what they stand for by identifying keywords and phrases in their statements like “parental rights,” “patriotic education,” and “education or school choice.” Also, be on the lookout for Washington D.C based union language like “institutional racism,” “social justice,” “equity,” and “gender identity.” Understanding what a candidate stands for will help you make the best decision for your children and community.