Florida Community’s Only School Teaching Critical Race Theory & Political Agenda, Principal “Committed” to It, Parents Targeted
Florida’s Conservative Voice has obtained documents that show Babcock Ranch’s Neighborhood School is undergoing intense internal strife between parents and faculty over instituting a critical race theory (CRT) and a left-leaning political agenda in their instruction.
The only school in Babcock Ranch, a small private community in rural Charlotte County, Florida, is reportedly teaching students “unwritten history” pertaining to systemic racism, according to social media posts from the principal.
The source has maintained that the owner, Syd Kitson, along with other officials, are committed to “coming after other residents and parents who still have their kids [registered] in school next year. They also worry about Kitson being so connected and what his company may do.”
Shannon Treece, the Babcock Neighborhood School’s principal, has stated on Facebook that she is committed to teaching CRT, saying, “I am committed to the work and facing it in my space, but I will say as a result of our teachers addressing the unwritten history of systemic racism, I took a beating at our board meeting last week.”
“I have read a ton this year, every book I can squeeze in on racism! I am 100% committed to this work,” Treece exclaimed on social media.
The principal posted an image of her first-grade students participating in a project where climate change solutions are brainstormed. On the poster, “Follow through on Paris Agreement” can be seen.
Documents obtained by FCV show that parents voiced concerns at a board meeting. “Bias teaching of teachers was brought up to teachers and administration, and nothing was done about it. Curriculum needs to be based on facts. Not based on politics,” the minutes read.
The school board voted to remove these recorded minutes from public record the next month, according to the source.
Treece also said in a Facebook post that she received pushback from a parent and that she was “glad” she was wearing a mask.
Private emails from Treece read that she believes “white privilege” has “occurred naturally” and sees it as an opportunity to advocate for “equity for all.” Equity means equality of outcome.
CRT was founded and emerged in the field of education in the late 1990s. Its main principles include the opposition to “color-blindness,” or being neutral to one’s skin color, and the idea that meritocracy is bad for society and rooted in oppression.
CRT asserts that racism is inherently constructed into America’s institutions and must be rooted out. It describes whites as the main oppressors against the “oppressed” – black people, mainly.
Since the end of the Civil Rights era, aspects of American history like Jim Crow laws and slavery are taught in virtually all major United States textbooks.
The small community is in a rural part of Charlotte County, which heavily swung for Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Trump received 63% of the vote.
The second nearest school to the community is more than a thirty-minute drive. The only viable option parents of this community have for their children is the Neighborhood School.
The school is a charter school – its curriculum is not controlled by a public school system board. Its funds are not entirely received from the government. Charter schools in Florida have a greater degree of autonomy than public schools while not technically being private schools.
Residents told FCV that Kitson is avoiding addressing the Neighborhood School’s situation to prevent it from receiving broader attention.
FCV reached out to the principal and other faculty for comment and have not yet received a response.
If you’re a teacher in the Neighborhood School and you’re sick of CRT being pushed, reach out to us. Your identity will be kept safe and you can help blow the whistle.
