Earlier this week the ECS released a statement about the state’s recent comments about Critical Race Theory.

Wednesday afternoon, Elkhart Schools Superintendent Dr. Steve Thalheimer released a video on the schools’ YouTube Channel sharing the points of the statement:

Elkhart Community Schools statement about Critical Race Theory
July 26, 2021

In a recent letter sent to principals and superintendents by Indiana’s Secretary of Education, Dr. Katie Jenner, Dr. Jenner sought to clarify the position of the Indiana Department of Education regarding the teaching of critical race theory. She wrote that critical race theory is not appropriate for K-12 students and Indiana schools should not be teaching it. Elkhart Community Schools agrees and aligns our efforts for educational equity with the Indiana Department of Education. In addition, Elkhart Community Schools aligns with the Indiana Attorney General’s “Parent Bill of Rights.”

Elkhart Community Schools believes in:

● The Elkhart Promise: Every student is known by name, challenged and supported by
highly effective staff, and in partnership with the community will graduate career/college
ready and life ready.
● Helping our families understand how school works and providing access to resources to
help ensure student success.
● Building relationships with students and families to help our students learn, grow, and
master curriculum.
● Prioritizing the academic success of our students, while recognizing and supporting
students’ social and emotional needs.
● Alignment with IDOE curriculum standards related to Social-Emotional Learning and
Employability Skills, including the five core social emotional learning standards to foster
the development of the following cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains:
self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible
decision-making.
● An expectation for student behavior that centers on positive support for the
characteristics represented in the PRIDE acronym: Persistence, Respect, Initiative,
Dependability, and Efficiency.
● Fully supporting Elkhart’s diverse communities and acknowledging that all Elkhart
students benefit from learning a full and factual account of our country’s historical
events, shortcomings, and progress aligned with Indiana state standards for curriculum.
● Guaranteeing every student a challenging, fair, and equitable education, not only helping
them reach growth expectations on State Academic Standards, but also developing their
knowledge, talents, skills, and mindsets to meet the challenges of an ever-changing
world.

Knowing students by name is individualized and personal. Any effort to lump people into a
collective group and attribute characteristics to that group based on generalizations or stereotypes has no place in Elkhart Community Schools. Staff are not to teach curricula outside of the district adopted curriculum connected to state standards as outlined by the IDOE; consequences for employment can result from doing so. Efforts we take as educators to build understanding need to be rooted in reflection and respect and restoration of the individual with the goal of doing our best for each person’s unique dignity. Therefore, as a district, Elkhart Community Schools has not adopted nor will not endorse Critical Race Theory.