Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced Friday she replaced the state’s director of early childhood education, due to the use of a teacher training book that Ivey said teaches “woke concepts.”
“The education of Alabama’s children is my top priority as governor, and there is absolutely no room to distract or take away from this mission," Ivey said in a statement.
“Let me be crystal clear: Woke concepts that have zero to do with a proper education and that are divisive at the core have no place in Alabama classrooms at any age level, let alone with our youngest learners.”
The book is a guide for early childhood educators but is not a curriculum taught to children.
Ivey spokesperson Gina Maiola said she understands that the books have been removed from the state classrooms.
According to a release from Ivey’s office, the governor directed Dr. Barbara Cooper, the secretary of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education (ADECE), to send a memo to disavow the book and discontinue its use after being alerted of concerning content in the book last week.
Ivey also decided to change leadership at the department, and accepted Cooper’s resignation “immediately,” the release stated. Meanwhile, Dr. Jane Hume has been appointed the interim secretary of the ADECE, pending Ivey’s decision about who will be the new department head.
“Governor Ivey remains appreciative for her service to the state and passion for early childhood education. In addition to expanding service to the number of four-year-olds, Dr. Cooper has helped put an increased focus on students in lower-performing areas and has even been a champion for computer science education in the state,” according to the release from Ivey’s office.
‘Woke Agenda’
Ivey’s office said that the governor is concerned about a “woke agenda” because the book “invokes ideas for teachers that there are ‘larger systemic forces that perpetuate systems of White privilege.'” It also promotes the idea that “the United States is built on systemic and structural racism.”“Also included for four-year-olds to learn is that ‘LGBTQIA+ need to hear and see messages that promote equality, dignity, and worth,'” Ivey’s office stated.
“The glossary includes equally disturbing concepts that the Ivey Administration and the people of Alabama in no way, shape or form believe should be used to influence school children, let alone four-year-olds.“
Ivey’s office stated she “does not stand for these concepts.”
“For as long as she is governor, Alabama will be focused on ensuring our students are receiving a quality education.”
The NAEYC told multiple outlets that the book is a research-based resource for teachers.
“While not a curriculum, it is a responsive, educator-developed, educator-informed, and research-based resource that has been honed over multiple generations to support teachers in helping all children thrive and reach their full potential,” the NAEYC statement said.
According to a copy of the 881-page book obtained by The Associated Press, the book states: “Early childhood programs also serve and welcome families that represent many compositions. Children from all families (e.g., single parent, grandparent-led, foster, LGBTQIA+) need to hear and see messages that promote equality, dignity, and worth.”
It further states: “systemic and structural racism ... has permeated every institution and system through policies and practices that position people of color in oppressive, repressive, and menial positions. The early education system is not immune to these forces.”
The book further notes that preschool is a place where children “begin to see how they are represented in society” and that the classroom should be a place of ”affirmation and healing.”
Cooper, in a previously published statement on the NAEYC website about the book’s latest edition, said the book shares “applicable skills for teaching through developmentally appropriate practices that build brains during the critical first five years of life.”
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