By Jarret Liotta

WESTPORT — Dan Woog’s 06880 blog got the town talking Thursday morning when he posted an overview about an anonymous website called WP06880 that speaks to concerns about Critical Race Theory being taught in the Westport Public Schools.

In particular, the site is opposed to Supt. of Schools Thomas Scarice’s hiring of the NYU Metro Center to do an assessment in the district of equity and racism, as it states that its ideology and methodology embrace CRT, which it claims is “a Marxist based ideology that seeks to divide people.”

As of Friday night Woog’s blog had received 65 comments, with emotional responses pouring down on all sides of the issue.

Scarice, however, cautioned Westporters not to buy into the “current hyperbole” about CRT.

“There is no CRT ‘curriculum’ in Westport.”

“There is no CRT ‘curriculum’ in Westport,” he said. “We study all types of thinkers and theories in schools,” with the focus on teaching kids “how” to think rather than “what” to think.

Broadly, CRT is an academic argument that racism and other forms of discrimination are historically inherent in the U.S. legal system based on various factors, with proponents arguing that current legal and social outcomes are unduly influenced by the past.

“Across the country there is evidence of outlandish claims, emotional appeals, inaccurate inferences, and personal attacks, while other honest inquiries stem from curious and inquisitive parents and community members,” Scarice said regarding CRT.

“Culture wars are not new to public schools,” he noted.

Equity Study

He said that the three-year strategic plan adopted by the Board of Education in 2017 included “a strategic commitment to diversity and inclusion.” In particular, a resultant equity study facilitated by consultants at New York University is part of that work to assess students’ sense of belonging and affiliation, equitable access to programs and services, and to enhance programs aimed at preparing all students for a diverse world they’ll experience as adults.

“The study … has shed light on some of the disparities in outcomes for different groups of students,” he said. “However, this work is intended to benefit each and every student (and) the professional educators and locally elected Board of Education will determine the action steps … not outside consultants.”

Board of Education Chair Candice Savin, in tandem with State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, (D-136), with whom she is on the Democratic ticket for the Board of Selectmen, was quick to issue a statement Thursday morning from their candidacy.

“We strongly oppose the misinformation-driven national agenda promoted by the WP06880 website,” it said. “This effort, driven by outside groups, has unfortunately arrived in Westport.”

“A gross mischaracterization”

They called the site’s content “a gross mischaracterization of the work of Westport’s world-class educators.”

“Westport is a town that values inclusivity and diversity,” they said. “This is not who we are.”

Robert Harrington, a Republican candidate for the BOE, invited the parents involved with the website to come forward for an open dialogue.

“I would like to see a public discussion … out in the open,” he said. “I would be the first into the room and do my best to make sure it remains constructive.”

“There is always going to be a lot of passion and emotion around our kids’ education, but how much better would it be if we could help to remove all different kinds of bias,” he said, noting that nothing can be solved with emotion and anger fueling opposite viewpoints.

“I partially blame our school administration,” Harrington said, “for avoiding transparency and openness, and pushing a number of parents into more extreme positions because they didn’t engage with the community enough on these important issues.”