VA school administrator sues, says she was 'branded as racist' for opposing CRT

A former school administrator in Charlottesville, VA, has sued the county school board, alleging she was “branded a racist” after objecting to new teacher training curriculum informed by critical race theory (CRT).

Emily Mais, a former assistant principal at Agnor-Hurt Elementary School, filed the lawsuit earlier this month. In it, she claims that was forced out of that job in September because she questioned the school board’s implementation of “a radical program that scapegoats, stereotypes, labels, and ultimately divides people based on race.

“The curriculum sets up a classic Catch-22, in which a white person’s objections to the content of the curriculum are simply evidence that he or she is a racist who needs further training on the curriculum,” said the lawsuit.

“Unfortunately for her, Ms. Mais was caught in that Catch-22,” it continues.

“When Ms. Mais complained about the curriculum and protested reverse racism, she was branded a racist, severely and pervasively harassed, relentlessly humiliated, and ultimately compelled to resign from a job that she loved to preserve her mental health.”

The suit also documents a situation where a Black teacher’s aide lashed out at Mais after she said “colored” instead of “people of color” during a training session.

The aide “ignored the apology and verbally attacked Ms. Mais for her slip of the tongue during the training and in front of all attendees, accusing Ms. Mais of speaking like old racists who told people of color to go to the back of the bus,” claimed the lawsuit.

CRT and the policies it informs have been a galvanizing issue for conservatives, leading many Republican-led states to ban it in public schools. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who campaigned on the issue, signed an executive order banning its teaching after taking office in January.

The Charlottesville school board said it was reviewing the lawsuit.