Missouri school board that previously rescinded anti-racism resolution drops Black history classes

A conservative-led Missouri school board has voted to drop elective courses on Black history and literature, five months after the same board rescinded an anti-discrimination policy adopted in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd.

The Francis Howell School Board voted 5-2 Thursday night to stop offering Black History and Black Literature, courses that had been offered at the district's three high schools since 2021. A little over 100 students took the courses this semester in the predominantly white suburban area of St. Louis.

In July, the board revoked an anti-racism resolution and ordered copies removed from school buildings. The resolution was adopted in August 2020 amid the national turmoil after a police officer killed Floyd in Minneapolis.

The resolution pledged that the Francis Howell community would “speak firmly against any racism, discrimination, and senseless violence against people regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or ability.”

The resolution and course offerings were targeted by five new members who have taken control of the board since being elected last year and in April, all with the backing of the conservative political action committee Francis Howell Families. All seven board members are white.

The PAC's website expresses strong opposition to the courses, saying they involve principals of critical race theory, though many experts say the scholarly theory centred on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions is not taught in K-12 schools.

The decision to drop the courses was met with protests outside the board meeting. Several parents and students chanted, “Let them learn!” Inside, speakers questioned the decision.

“You’ve certainly taught me to not underestimate how low you will go to show your disdain toward the Black and brown communities’ experiences and existence,” Harry Harris, a Black father, told the board.

Another speaker, Tom Ferri, urged the board to focus on bigger issues such as high turnover among teachers.

“Tapping into a diverse talent pipeline would be a great way to slow attrition, but what diverse staff wants to work in a district waging culture wars?” he asked.

Board Vice President Randy Cook Jr., who was elected in 2022, said the Francis Howell courses to which he and others objected used “Social Justice Standards” developed by the Southern Poverty Law Center with a bent toward activism.

“I do not object to teaching black history and black literature, but I do object to teaching black history and black literature through a social justice framework," Cook said in an email on Friday. “I do not believe it is the public school’s responsibility to teach social justice and activism.”

District spokesperson Jennifer Jolls said in an email that new Black history and literature courses “could be redeveloped and brought to the Board for approval in the future.”

This semester, 60 students at the three schools combined enrolled in the Black History course, and 42 took Black Literature, the district said.

Francis Howell is among Missouri's largest school districts, with 16,647 students, 7.7 percent of whom are Black. The district is on the far western edge of the St. Louis area, in St. Charles County.

The county's dramatic growth has coincided with the equally dramatic population decline in St. Louis City. In 1960, St. Louis had 750,000 residents and St. Charles County had 53,000. St. Louis' population is now 293,000, nearly evenly split between Black and white residents. St. Charles County has grown to about 415,000 residents, 6 percent of whom are Black.

Racial issues remain especially sensitive in the St. Louis region, more than nine years after a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown during a street confrontation. Officer Darren Wilson was not charged and the shooting led to months of often violent protests, becoming a catalyst for the national Black Lives Matter movement.

Cook, in July, defended rescinding the anti-racism resolution, saying the board “doesn’t need to be in the business of dividing the community.”

"We just need to stick to the business of educating students here and stay out of the national politics,” he said.

The district's description of the Black Literature course says it focuses "on contemporary and multi-genre literary works of Black authors and will celebrate the dignity and identity of Black voices.”

For the Black History course, the description reads, “Students understand the present more thoroughly when they understand the roots of today’s world in light of their knowledge of the past. This Black History course tells the history of Blacks from the beginning of Ancient Civilizations of Africa through the present day accomplishments and achievements of Black individuals today.”

School board elections across the U.S. have become intense political battlegrounds since 2020 when some groups began pushing back against policies aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19.

PACs in many local districts have successfully elected candidates who promised to take action against teachings on race and sexuality, remove books deemed offensive and stop transgender-inclusive sports teams.