Let’s go ahead and document the evolution of the Resources page, so no one forgets how bad the recommendations once were.
Original Resource Page
Using the Wayback Machine (the webtool that takes a snapshot of a website at random times), we can see that by September 2020, the District fully endorsed a slate of applied Critical Race Theory resources. This list is really quite stunning; it shows the District is all in on applied CRT.
(If the drop-down menus on this District webpage don’t work, try copying and pasting the web address into a new window. If that still doesn’t work, drop me a note. I have screenshots.)
According to the Wayback Machine, the webpage was still active and unchanged in January and February 2021.
Resource Webpage with Appended Paragraph
But sometime between February and July, the following note was appended to the top of the webpage:
“The DEI Website was created in order to provide resources around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as the parents/guardians deem appropriate for their families. Our district librarians have been instrumental in the selection of these resources. In curating these materials, the librarians considered book reviews in sources like School Library Journal, Horn Book, Booklist and other book recommendation tools that include reviews and recommendations of titles for school libraries. For websites, they looked at web links from recognized organizations like the national PTO, American Psychological Association, the Smithsonian, Harvard Business Review, American Academy of Pediatrics and more. These resources are intended to be a source of information for families.
“Eanes ISD has a different set of criteria for the approval of instructional materials used in the classroom.”
If you want to explore the District’s applied-CRT recommendations, the links still work (as of today) on the archived July 2021 page. (Again, to make the links work, you may have to copy the web address into a new window.)
Resource List Removed from Eanes Website
Sometime between July 14 and July 21, all the recommendations were removed from the website and replaced with a simple note: “Our school librarians and/or counselors are available to assist families who are looking for particular guidance in a given area. Please contact your campus.”
Finally, at the beginning of August, the page now indicates that we can expect new recommendations: “We are reviewing resources for the 2021-22 school year. In the meantime, our school librarians and/or counselors are available to assist families who are looking for particular guidance in a given area. Please contact your campus.”
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P.S. Hey, School Board, as you review resources for the next year, you might consider the following writers for your list: Thomas Sowell or Shelby Steele or Coleman Hughes or Kenny Xu. If these are not good writers for your list, can you explain why not? Also, could you check with Dr. Gooden, the District’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant, to see if he would approve?