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A critical race theory workshop hosted by the Temecula Valley Unified School District turned contentious, with one woman escorted out of the meeting by police, and school board members scrambling Friday to answer questions about their decision to ban teaching CRT in the district.
During public comment at the school board meeting Wednesday night, a Black man identified only as Deon argued that banning teaching CRT in the Temecula Valley Unified School District was unnecessary because no school in the country teaches it to kindergarten through 12th grade students. After making his comments, a woman told him to “get out of the country.”
It prompted the man to yell at the woman, saying, “My family has been here since August 16th, 1619.” The exchange was shared on social media by others who attended the meeting.
The school board president, Joseph Komrosky, warned the man he would be asked to leave if he continued to disrupt the meeting.
The workshop and meeting was attended by Melissa Melendez, former state senator, Edwin Gomez, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Heather Williams, Riverside Assistant Superintendent, the members of the Riverside County Board of Education, members of the Temecula City Council, trustees from Hemet and Orange County and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Komrosky eventually asked the man to be removed from the meeting. People in the audience demanded the woman also being asked to be removed from the meeting.
Sheriff deputies eventually removed the woman from the meeting.
School board member Steven Schwartz said the woman was asked to leave.
“The meeting devolved into chaos, and the board president declared a recess,” he said.
The Temecula Valley Unified School District board voted in December to stop teaching CRT, a decision that has sparked protests from students, educators and community members.
Eighteen states have imposed bans and restrictions on the teaching of critical race theory or on how teachers can discuss racism and sexism since January 2021, according to Education Week.
