School Board Authorizes Curriculum CRT Audit

In response to a request from the Board of Education, a request for proposals regarding a curriculum and critical race theory (CRT) audit was issued on August 12, 2022. This RFP was also forwarded to four companies who specialize in curriculum review and auditing. Of the four companies, only one completed the proposal; two responded that this request was beyond their scope of work and one did not respond at all.

The proposal, submitted by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), included a proposed budget of $82,500 and was on the agenda for approval at the Sept. 12, 2022 school board meeting. After much discussion, the Board decided to go in a different direction, voting 3-2 to form an in-house committee. Kelley Casper and Julie Shaffer voted no. 

The committee will include five community members who will each be appointed by a member of the Board. The details of how the community members will be selected and the process for the audit will be discussed at a future meeting. 

Members of the community, and some school board members, differ in their beliefs as to whether or not CRT is taught at Lakota, as well as what the actual definition is. While parents are able to view their students’ lessons online, the CRT audit is a way to show curriculum transparency to community members who do not have students enrolled at Lakota.

Last fall, partially in response to concerns district leaders were hearing about curriculum, the district introduced Lakota Listens. This webpage contains links to departmental forms that community members, parents or staff may complete if they have questions, concerns or compliments about Lakota. Prior to completing a Lakota Listens form, a person should first speak to a teacher or building administrator, as many questions and concerns can be handled at the school level.