Santa Fe- A group of 15 House Republican lawmakers today requested the interim Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) conduct an immediate hearing to provide oversight regarding the NM Public Education Department's (PED) ongoing efforts to require critical race theory (CRT) be included in "redeveloping" core NM K-12 Social Studies Standards. The PED's efforts to date have included creating a handed-picked working group of pro-CRT advocates to develop eight "guiding principles" to help ensure this controversial anti-American viewpoint will be included in a new social studies academic curriculum. PED has also selected a group of 60 "volunteers" from across the state to draft proposed new standards, as well as hired a left-leaning think tank from Washington, DC to provide technical assistance in creating these new social studies standards. These efforts by PED to begin changing current social studies standards are moving forward with little to no public notice, restricting parent and community involvement in these important decisions.

Due to the lack of public involvement in drafting these new, proposed standards, House GOP legislators believe it is essential that legislative oversight hearings be conducted to ensure that policymakers and the general public can thoroughly understand the, so far secretive, process of rewriting K-12 social studies standards and ascertain what impact these "guiding principles" will have on any proposed new standards, and to understand why only advocates of critical race theory were involved in creating these principles on behalf of PED.

Lawmakers are concerned not only with the ramifications of teaching theories, such as CRT, but that the process used to move forward in writing these new standards has been uncommonly exclusive. In the interest of public transparency, PED's actions and the discussions surrounding the creation of these new standards require review by the Legislature in order to ensure the public's trust is not further eroded by the secrecy and one-sided approach PED has utilized so far in developing this new curriculum.

By requesting this public hearing from the LESC, it will be the first step in ensuring concerned parents and other stakeholders will have a real voice in identifying and opposing any standard which tries to impose CRT upon NM's students.

Additionally, House GOP was made aware of a separate letter, submitted to PED, from a local superintendent outlining their concerns with the process thus far (letter is attached).