State questions Broward schools’ use of ADL anti-hate program

An anti-hate program used by Broward Schools is facing scrutiny from the Florida Department of Education, which questions whether it violates state law related to critical race theory and LGBTQ issues.

Mike Blackburn, the department’s inspector general, sent a letter to former Superintendent Vickie Cartwright Feb. 3, asking for “information and clarification” regarding its Dec. 13 approval of the Anti-Defamation League’s “No Place for Hate” program. The letter said the office received a complaint alleging the program covers off-limits topics.

“The correspondence alleged that the ‘No Place for Hate’ curriculum provided by the ADL contains topics such as Critical Race Theory, sexual orientation and gender identity ideology,” in violation of state laws passed last year, Blackburn wrote.

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The letter doesn’t name the complainant, but Deidre Ruth, a parent of a special-needs child, said on Facebook that she filed a complaint about the program. During a Jan. 24 School Board meeting, she chided the superintendent and School Board about the program.

“Do you know it violates laws? Do you know it teaches gender ideology to K-3? Did you know it teaches our children critical race theory?” Ruth asked the School Board. “Did you even look at it before you passed it through the system and said this is a great program?”

The state is asking the school district for copies of the “No Place for Hate” curriculum, the dates of the training, grade levels taught, and “information on all steps taken by the district to ensure the curriculum conforms” to state laws.

The letter references two laws passed last year:

• The law dubbed “Stop WOKE” prohibits instruction of critical race theory, which views racism as systemic in the nation’s institutions. It’s a concept historically taught in colleges, but it has become a catch-all term adopted by critics who say it’s divisive to define people as oppressors and oppressed based on their race.

• The “Parental Rights in Education” law, dubbed by critics as “don’t say gay,” bans the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3 and older grades if deemed to be not age appropriate.

Valerie Wanza, who is now filling in as superintendent, responded to Blackburn on Wednesday that there is no curriculum for “No Place for Hate,” and there won’t be one in the future. She said it’s a designation that a school gets when it completes three “pro-social, anti-bullying” activities.

She said the district has another contract with ADL, for a program called a World of Difference, that uses training materials that are being created in compliance with state laws.

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“The materials have not been presented to BCPS leadership at this point,” Wanza wrote. “Once the materials and resources are presented to BCPS leadership, they will then be submitted to the Superintendent’s Screening Committee for further review.

“These materials will not be utilized in any way until such time that they have been approved by the screening committee and deemed to be compliant with all Florida Statutes, State Board of Education Rules, and Florida Standards.”

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The materials would be available in grades 6-12 clubs and activities and would require parental permission, she wrote.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Education said Thursday the inspector general has not yet decided whether to launch a formal investigation into the matter.

A statement from ADL Florida said the group provides resources to schools, school districts, synagogues, youth groups and other organizations throughout the country.

“We tailor each of the suggested programs and content to meet the stated needs of the host institution,” the statement said. “Empowering young people against bigotry is a vital aspect of our mission — to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all.”

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The program has faced criticism from conservative activists and lawmakers around the country who have alleged the program introduces LGBTQ topics to young children, attempts to make white people feel guilty about their race and implies that white privilege can lead to genocide. In 2021, Allison Padilla-Goodman, vice president of ADL’s Southern Division, defended the program ina Montgomery Advertiser opinion piece.

“No Place for Hate has nothing to do with Critical Race Theory. No Place for Hate provides a platform and resources for schools to proactively address issues of bigotry and bullying within a flexible, student-driven framework,” she wrote in the newspaper.

Broward schools’ partnership with ADL for “No Place for Hate” faced criticism from conservative activists as well as Board member Brenda Fam when it came for a vote Dec. 13.

“If something happens with this literature that is not in compliance with the Florida Department of Education, you are opening yourself up to liability,” she said at the meeting. “I firmly recommend we stay clear and we keep our hands clean.”

The vote came a few days after ADL blasted Fam’s participation in a right-wing rally that labeled those who support teaching children about LGBTQ issues as “groomers” and also was attended by members of the far-right Proud Boys, which ADL and the Southern Poverty Law Center have identified as hate groups. A group of protesters identifying themselves as antifascist also attended.

Fam and board member Torey Alston voted against the program, with six board members supporting it. Former teachers Sarah Leonardi and Jeff Holness said they had used ADL materials in their classrooms.

“I had resources that were very valuable to students in teaching diversity and ensuring that we have a safe and also respectful environment,” Holness said.

Jorge Altuna, a senior at Cypress Bay High in Weston and the student representative on the School Board, praised the partnership.

“Hate is not welcome in Broward County. Instead, I think it’s more important to uplift others to do what’s right and amplify the voices of our students,” he said in December.