SouthernWorldwide.com – As the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) faces federal fraud charges, an education watchdog has raised concerns that the organization continues to introduce its “far-left content and materials” into classrooms, with some instances found in kindergarten curricula across more than 40 U.S. states.
The group Defending Education released a new report that details how the SPLC’s education program, known as “Learning for Justice” (previously “Teaching Tolerance”), has been incorporated into K-12 lesson plans and materials in 169 school districts across 42 states, in addition to Washington, D.C.
According to Defending Education, this program promotes “far-left cultural and political ideologies.” These include concepts such as “anti-racism, Black Lives Matter, gender ideology and queer theory, white privilege, white supremacy, whiteness, and transgenderism.”
Defending Education’s representative, Rhyen Neily, stated that the SPLC’s integration into schools means that “issues such as queer theory, white privilege, and anti-racism have supplanted traditional coursework in history, social studies, and other core classes.” She added that this approach teaches children “to view themselves and others through the lens of identity politics, and that America is forever stained by its original sin.”
Neily further commented that the SPLC’s materials “intentionally sow division and mistrust between students at a formative stage of their development.” She expressed her disappointment that “administrators and educators believe this is an appropriate use of finite classroom time and resources.”
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The report indicates that the SPLC’s website and documents are accessible through school district webpages. They are also found in teacher professional development sessions, classroom lessons, district-wide curricula, Social Emotional Learning programs, social justice standards, and district antiracism and equity policies.
The SPLC’s “Learning for Justice” program, described as focused on “education for liberation,” advocates for the implementation of anchor standards and “age-appropriate learning outcomes.” These are organized into four domains: identity, diversity, justice, and action.
Within the “action” domain, students are encouraged to engage in collective action. They are prompted to “join with diverse people to plan and carry out collective action against exclusion, prejudice and discrimination” and to be “thoughtful and creative in our actions in order to achieve our goals.”
Defending Education also highlighted that the New York State Education Department has integrated “equity revisions” into its NY Social Emotional Learning Benchmarks. These revisions align the benchmarks with the SPLC’s social justice standards.
The report further noted that the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian lists “Learning for Justice” as a recommended resource for certain lesson materials. Additionally, guidance and curriculum resources from the California Department of Education and the Illinois State Board of Education, along with Chicago Public Schools, include or reference these standards.
According to the report, “Learning for Justice” materials are being integrated into curricula and lesson plans for younger students in several districts. Examples cited include Cambridge Public Schools in Massachusetts, which has incorporated the Social Justice Standards into physical education for junior kindergarten through fifth grade. Yonkers Public Schools in New York is using the standards in pre-kindergarten project-based learning units. Princeton Public Schools in New Jersey has also updated its early childhood curriculum using this framework.
Rhyen Staley, director of research at Defending Education, stated that the “amount of influence the SPLC’s programming and content has had on district policies, learning standards, curriculums, and lessons is a real concern for families who value a bias-free learning environment.”
“No organization that labels concerned parents as ‘extremists’ and members of ‘hate groups’ should have its biased content used in K-12 schools,” Staley asserted. She urged “district leaders should end the use of this organization’s materials and ideas.”
The SPLC, an organization based in Alabama that identifies itself as a “beacon of hope” in the fight against “White supremacy,” was recently indicted on federal fraud charges. These charges stem from an alleged long-term covert paid informant program. Justice Department officials stated that millions of dollars in donations were allocated to a network of informants affiliated with or closely connected to White supremacist and neo-Nazi groups.
The 11-count indictment accuses the Southern Poverty Law Center of wire fraud, making false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealed money laundering. The Justice Department reported that the SPLC disbursed approximately $3 million to its paid informants between 2014 and 2023. This included payments to individuals associated with groups such as the United Klans of America, the National Socialist Party of America, and the Aryan Nations-linked Sadistic Souls Motorcycle Club, among others.
