Critical Race Theory Raises Community Ire at Carmel Board of Ed Meeting 

At a public meeting last week, topping the Carmel Board of Education agenda was the revised budget after the district’s proposed budget of $133,581,366 for the 2021-2022 school year was defeated in May. 

Preceding the formal budget review, the board held an open session which ran an hour and 45 minutes, allowing many district residents to express a wide array of polarized views from decrying mask wearing to wasting taxpayer’s money. The room was full, and a line stretched back from the microphone.

Among the accusations: how the district wasted taxpayer money by raising taxes to overpay educators and staff, a demand to reimburse alleged undisclosed district funds to taxpayers with monies assumed saved during the pandemic. With a full house, many jeered and held up their fists, others applauded loudly.

Although Board President Michelle Yorio opened the public comment session stating that critical race theory was not part of the school curriculum, many were there to voice their opposition to critical race theory under the assumption that it was already being taught in the schools. Critical race theory has been around for decades, with advocates citing its design to promote understanding of inequality and institutional racism in the United States. 

Tatiyana Ibrahim, a Carmel School District parent who has vehemently criticized the district for “emotionally abusing” students by teaching critical race theory and what she claimed were communist values, recently made national headlines with her lambasting of the district. Others have joined her crusade of accusing Carmel educators of promoting Black Lives matter, LGBTQ equity and anti-police ideologies.