(The Center Square) – Two Republican members of the Ohio State Board of Education have resigned after they voted against a decision to rescind a resolution passed earlier by the board regarding racism.
Board President Laura Kohler and member Eric Poklar were quickly replaced Friday afternoon, when Gov. Mike DeWine appointed two new members whose terms began immediately. The Ohio Senate also voted to confirm three other appointed board members who voted to rescind the resolution.
The initial resolution, introduced by Kohler, came during the George Floyd protests in 2020, and it called equity the greatest imperative and top principle in the Ohio Strategic Plan for Education. It condemned white supremacy culture, hate speech, hate crimes and violence in the service of hatred.
The same resolution also said “the starting point of our work in racial equity must be reflection and internal examination, whereby the board will look for ways to engage our members in open and courageous conversations on racism and inequity.” It also said the state board would offer training to board members to identify individual biases and require training for all state education employees and contractors to identify their biases.
In its place, the board passed Resolution 13, 10-7, which said the board has seen a growing national divide and was troubled by what it called a focus on color rather than character.
The new resolution cited an opinion from Attorney General Dave Yost that said the board could not require Department of Education contractors to take implicit bias training.
It also condemned racism, hate crimes and violence in the service of hatred, while declaring critical race theory has “no place” in K-12 education.
“The State Board of Education similarly condemns any standards, curriculum, or training programs for students, teachers, or staff that seek to ascribe circumstances or qualities, such as collective guilt, moral deficiency, or racial bias, to a whole race or group of people,” the new resolution reads.
Kohler told Cleveland.com that DeWine requested her resignation.
J. D. Davidson is a regional editor at The Center Square. Originally published by The Center Square. Republished with permission.
