Audio of education specialist allegedly touting critical race theory raises concerns in South Carolina

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1776 Project campaigns to stop teaching of critical race theory in schools

Ryan Girdusky, founder of the 1776 Project PAC, rips critical race theory in public education and shares how his organization is fighting back against its rhetoric. 

The South Carolina Freedom Caucus on Tuesday released audio of a professional development specialist explaining how "tenets of critical race theory" seep into the state's public school system.

"Think CRT isn't being taught in your school? Think again," reads text on the video, which was released Tuesday on Youtube. 

The South Carolina Freedom Caucus, a conservative group of state legislators, said the recording was provided by a whistleblower, and allegedly shows Tarika Sullivan, a Professional Development Specialist for EL Education, explaining how she works "with school leadership teams to help improve schools and provide curriculum support."

Sullivan explains further that the curriculum is "inclusive of culturally relevant teaching" and that the teaching starts with "school leadership" and then subsequently to the "whole staff."

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"I would first start with an assessment of what are your beliefs about the state of affairs in this country? Like, what do you think? Tell me about your privilege. Do you enjoy any privileges? What parts of your identity are privileged? So I would ask that to you at home. What parts of your identity are privileged as a white male? Here are some of the privileges that I enjoy. But it starts with that," Sullivan said.

Sullivan appears to explain that the academic term for the subject is called "culturally relevant pedagogy."

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Sullivan goes on to say that, "When we start walking into school doors, we spend less time calling it that and more like respecting students' cultures or bringing the culture into the classroom and honoring and respecting them."

"We have allies, and we have co-conspirators," she says in the recording, describing a co-conspirator as someone who teaches these concepts "even if [they] get in trouble." 

Reacting to the audio, the South Carolina Freedom Caucus said Sullivan’s practice is "circumventing state law to teach critical race theory."

"For the past two years, parents were gaslighted by the education establishment and Democrat elected officials who said CRT wasn't being taught or implemented in public school," SCFC Vice Chairman RJ May, R-Lexington, told Fox News Digital. "This recording clearly shows that not only is it being implemented, but schools are welcoming organizations that are intentionally breaking the law and hiding it from public view."

An exterior view of the South Carolina State House, Columbia - construction work first began in 1851 and was completed in 1907, it was designated a national historic landmark in 1976 for its significance in the post-civil war reconstruction era.  (Epics/Getty Images)

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"This video shows the desperate need for legislative action," May continued. "Specifically, we must permanently codify into law greater academic transparency; ban this divisive, racist, and un-American teaching; pass universal school choice; establish a Parental Bill of Rights; and audit every public school in South Carolina to rid it of these organizations seeking to break state law."

In the 2021-2022 legislative session, a ban on CRT curriculum in K-12 education failed to pass the legislature, but a provision was inserted in the budget bill restricting funding for lesson plans related to CRT in South Carolina. 

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(REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool)

EL Education sent Fox News Digital a statement saying the comments were "not shared in a professional capacity." 

"The opinions expressed in the recording were not shared in a professional capacity, nor were they recorded with the speaker’s knowledge or consent. They were shared in an informal setting outside the performance of any professional duties related to EL Education," the statement reads. "The EL Education curriculum and approach do not include critical race theory by any name. EL Education’s curriculum is based on the science of reading and learning and is designed to help students from all backgrounds feel welcome at school and succeed academically by sharpening their thinking skills so they can draw their own conclusions."

The issue of education has become a top concern among voters heading into the midterm elections. Since the pandemic, school board meetings have become battlegrounds between parents and school board officials. 

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect the accuracy of a quote about critical race theory in schools.