During a school board meeting in Phoenixville, two parents started a discussion on critical race theory (CRT), eliciting mixed reactions from the audience. CNN’s Elle Reeve, Samantha Guff, and Deborah Brunswick were there to cover it.

“We do not want our children to be taught that they are oppressed or they are oppressors by virtue of their color,” said a white woman who addressed the board.

She also touched on the subject of history and how many people died in the Civil War to end racism and slavery. She argued that “… saying America is wholly racist, and white supremacy are the biggest threats to America, is like saying Big Foot is the biggest threat.”

Several people clapped in support of the remarks.

Another white man took the stage to say “We did not want our children to be taught that America is systemically racist.”

Both speakers, however, also received pushback.

“What I’m hearing in these comments is really disturbing on a lot of levels,” said school board member Christopher Caltagirone. He said that he was particularly concerned to hear “… a comment that we ended racism with the Civil War.”

He sounded astonished. “I’m sick and tired of seeing people try to run roughshod over the education system.”

Caltagirone said that since CRT is not in the curriculum, he is not sure what triggered the complaints.

Read more about critical race theory at CNN.

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