Teacher compares ‘unwoke’ colleagues who reject anti-racism training to ‘PEDOPHILES’ and demands they’re fired
A MIDDLE school teacher has compared her “unwoke” colleagues who rejected antiracism training to “pedophiles.”
Katherine Watkins, a humanities teacher at Cedar Park Middle School in Beaverton, Portland, told her colleagues those with “old views of colonialism” should be fired as they become “obsolete.”
The teacher made the comments during a Zoom conference called Equity ABAR (anti-bias anti-racist) Summit, back in February.
She said: “If you’re not evolving into an anti-racist educator you’re making yourself obsolete in this field of profession.
“Our district is only getting browner and browner with our children and so obviously you can’t change your melanin alright? But you can change your mind, so that you can actually function in a district that is full of BIPOC children.
“So, if you’re being resistant I understand that, but you’re going to have to eventually come to the light.
“Because if you’re going to keep with those old views of colonialism it’s going to lead to being fired because you’re going to be doing damage to our children, trauma.
“And so, as we fire the teachers who sexually abuse our children, we will be firing the teachers who do racist things to our children and traumatize them.
“It’s just a matter of time, you either evolve or dissolve, you got to start walking with us.”
The clip was has recently emerged after Parents Defending Education (PDE) group uploaded it on YouTube in April.
The video has been shared several times on Twitter since then with many users not adopting the teacher’s views.
The Beaverton School District’s public communications officer Shellie Bailey-Shah defended the teacher in a statement to Newsweek.
“Throughout this past year, institutions have been called upon to re-evaluate their role in the perpetuation of implicit bias and systemic racism.
“The Beaverton School District is no exception. It’s our responsibility to identify and change inequitable practices that harm our students and staff of color.
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“In the comments, we hear Ms. Watkins expressing her expectation that all our educators authentically engage in anti-bias, antiracist work for the benefit of our students.”
However, the district had previously distanced itself from the teacher’s comments in a statement to Fox News.
“Katherine Watkins does not speak for the Beaverton School District. All disciplinary or dismissal procedures are governed by state statute and our collective bargaining agreements with our unions, Beaverton Education Association (BEA) and Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA).”