- Laura Morris was a fifth grade teacher at Lucketts Elementary School in Leesburg, Virginia
- On Tuesday night she quit in front of Loudoun County School Board in a tearful protest at their policies
- She accused the school board of forcing her ‘to push highly-politicized agendas on our most vulnerable constituents – the children’
- Morris also spoke out against forms which she said teachers were encouraged to fill in, reporting their colleagues if they criticized the teaching program
- Loudoun County is at the forefront of the culture wars sweeping U.S. schools
A Virginia teacher has dramatically resigned during a meeting of her scandal-hit school board after blasting its obsession with lessons on Critical Race Theory.
Laura Morris spoke before Loudoun County School Board in an emotional address, explaining why the ‘equity trainings’ and political dogma forced her to resign.
She said she could no longer be part of an organization that told her ‘white, Christian, able-bodied females’ needed to be reined in.
Morris, who has taught at Lucketts Elementary School in Leesburg, Virginia, for five years – half of her career – told the board: ‘I quit being a cog in a machine that tells me to push highly-politicized agendas on our most vulnerable constituents – the children.’
Her voice breaking with emotion, she said she no longer felt able to teach within the district, despite it being affluent and well-resourced.
‘This summer I have struggled with the idea of returning to school, knowing that I’ll be working yet again with a school division that, despite its shiny tech and flashy salary, promotes political ideologies that do not square with who I am as a believer in Christ,’ she said.
Morris said that she was dismayed by the ‘lack of consideration for the growing population of concerned citizens in this division’, pointing out that Tuesday’s meeting was in an empty hall.
Loudoun recently adopted rules for the public comment section of board meetings that prohibit a general audience and allow only 10 scheduled speakers to enter the building at a time.
She said she was angered by ’emails sent by the superintendent last year reminding me that a dissenting opinion is not allowed, even to be spoken in my personal life.’
Laura Morris has been a teacher for ten years, and for the past five has taught within Loudoun County Public Schools. On Tuesday night she quit, saying she could no longer teach their ‘highly-politicized agendas’ and objecting at being asked to report colleagues to the authorities
And she said that she had been sent a form which she and her colleagues were told to fill out if they heard others within the school system criticizing ‘the controversial policies being promoted by this school board’.
Morris continued: ‘Not only that, but within the last year I was told in our so-called equity trainings that white, Christian, able-bodied females currently have the power in our schools and, quote, ‘this has to change’.
‘Clearly you have made your point.
‘You no longer value me, or many other teachers you have employed in this county.
‘So since my contract outlines the power that you have over my employment in Loudoun County Public Schools, I thought it necessary to resign in front of you.
‘School board, I quit.
‘I quit your policies, I quit your training, and I quit being a cog in a machine that tells me to push highly-politicized agendas on our most vulnerable constituents – the children.
‘I will find employment elsewhere. I encourage all parents and staff in this county to flood the private schools.’
Loudoun County, asked about her resignation, said: ‘LCPS does not comment on personnel matters.’
Loudon County, which borders Washington DC, has become the epicenter for arguments about the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools.
School board meetings have become contentious with parents yelling and being arrested, furious at the idea of teaching what they see as divisive and unpatriotic approaches. Defenders of CRT say that it is simply a reframing of traditional narratives, to deal with some uncomfortable truths about America’s racial history.
The school board is no stranger to controversy.
On May 25, physical education teacher Byron ‘Tanner’ Cross was suspended after refusing to ‘affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa.’
He had taught at Leesburg Elementary School for eight years, but said that his Christian faith would not allow him to use a student’s preferred pronouns – although he said he was happy to use whichever name they chose.
On June 8 a court ordered that Cross be reinstated, but LCPS said they will appeal.
On Tuesday night the school board discussed whether to grant transgender children access to sex-specific facilities and school activities that match their gender identities.
A vote was postponed until Wednesday, after public comment stretched on for more than four hours.