Date of meeting: 10 January 2022

FOR GENERAL RELEASE

1. SUMMARY AND POLICY CONTEXT:

1.1 To receive any petitions submitted directly to Democratic Services or any e-Petition submitted via the council’s website.

2. RECOMMENDATIONS:

2.2 That the Committee responds to the petition either by noting it or where it is considered more appropriate, calls for an officer report on the matter.

3. PETITIONS

3. (i) Critical Race Theory – Mr A Hart

To receive the following petition:

Brighton and Hove is an anti-racist city. We are proud to live in a city where racist violence and abuse is a rarity.

Which is why we are shocked by the council’s decision to promote a racially divisive policy throughout Brighton’s schools.

Brighton and Hove City Council has begun to educate governors, heads, staff, parents and even pupils based on their race. White children will be taught that they are ‘privileged’ while non-white children will be taught that they are victims of their white classmates. This warped ideology is known as ‘Critical Race Theory’ (CRT).

The Council is urging schools to take their 'Racial Literacy' training without consulting the public. It refuses requests made under the Freedom of Information Act to view the training materials, claiming that this violates the ‘commercial interests’ of the training providers. The council’s ‘Anti-Racist Schools Strategy’ document identifies citizens with an ethical objection to CRT, including ‘some BAME parents,’ as ‘Potential barriers to implementation.’ To describe dissenting views in this way while favouring commercial interests is patronising and anti-democratic.

We are calling on Brighton and Hove council to:

o Consult widely with citizens about the decision to adopt CRT as a defining framework for the council’s work, taking particular care to seek the opinions of parents given the statement by the Minister for Women and Equalities making it clear that CRT should not be taught in schools as fact.

o Be transparent about its anti-racist training by publishing a full exposition of its content for public scrutiny and comment.

o Show evidence to residents that, as a public authority, its actions in schools are lawful in relation to the Education Act 1996 (s406/7), s78 of the Education Act 2002 and the Public Sector Equality Duty (section 149 1c) 'the duty to foster good relations between groups'.

Our children should be taught in a politically neutral sphere, in which they learn how to think, as opposed to what to think.

We must not be divided – by reactionary racists or culture warriors – who refuse to see us as individuals beyond our skin colour.