Buckeye Reporter

So far, 7,344 Ohioans have signed up for gubernatorial candidate Jim Renacci’s Coalition Against Critical Race Theory, his campaign said in a news release.

"This leftist propaganda has no business being in our schools," Renacci said.  "Our children are there for an education, not brainwashing. Parents should be able to trust that their children are learning reading, math, and science without being shamed or influenced by liberal politics. Shame on Mike DeWine for not respecting parent's rights." 

 One of Renacci's supporters is Lt. Col Michael E. Uecker, USAF  (Ret), who serves on the Greene County Career Center Board of Education.

 "I am solidly against any teaching of critical race theory or other Marxist indoctrination in our schools, and I support Jim in his effort to end it in our schools,"  Uecker said, according to the campaign.

House Bill 529 would require Ohio K-12 teachers to post class materials, such as reading lists, online, NBC reported.  The legislation aims to address frustration from some parents about the need for more transparency in schools.  

Britannica defines Critical Race Theory as an intellectual framework and social movement based on the idea that race is not biological, but socially constructed. According to CRT, race was constructed to oppress and exploit non-white people. Critical Race Theorists believe that the law in the United States is inherently racist and was designed to create and maintain white supremacy. CRT's roots are in critical legal studies, which taught that legal institutions benefit the wealthy at the expense of the poor, and which is an offshoot of Marxist critical theory. CRT rejects the idea of "color blindness" (treating all races equally under the law) as a solution to racism.    

Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro told the Statehouse News Bureau that public schools in Ohio are not teaching CRT. 

 “It’s not a K-12 curriculum," he told the news organization in August  2021. "Critical race theory is a theory that comes out of higher education, mostly out of the realm of law, that looks at the impact of inequity and racism on the law and how that has had an impact on opportunities for students throughout the years. We see that in the form  of segregation and redlining and things like that have a direct impact  on schools but that’s not part of our curriculum."        

Incumbent Governor Mike DeWine will face off against Jim Renacci in the May 3, 2022, GOP gubernatorial primary. The winner will go on to appear on ballots for the general election on November 8, 2022.