WEBVTT - The Pushback & The Science.  Sarah Westwood Talks to A&G

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<v Speaker 1>We'd like to say, welcome Sarah Westwood back to the

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<v Speaker 1>Armstrong and get a show. Long time, no talk, Sarah.

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<v Speaker 1>How you doing, I'm good, Thanks for having me. She

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<v Speaker 1>is the political and investigative reporter for the Washington Examiner. First,

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<v Speaker 1>I would I would appreciate it if all you Sarah's

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<v Speaker 1>would get together and decide whether there's an H on

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<v Speaker 1>the end of your name or not. Yesterday I was

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<v Speaker 1>dealing with my son, a tutor and a therapist. One's

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<v Speaker 1>a Sarah with an H and one is a Sarah

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<v Speaker 1>with an A, and I kept getting mixed up, and

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<v Speaker 1>I think you all should just decide on one and

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<v Speaker 1>move forward. Well, if someone was an H, I would

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<v Speaker 1>say that is the correct way to spell it without

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<v Speaker 1>an age. She's forgotten the letter. Also, I think all Kirsten's,

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<v Speaker 1>Kristen's and Kirsten's need to get there and get together

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<v Speaker 1>and choose one's fair. Um. So a couple of different

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<v Speaker 1>directions we could go. Um. First of all, I really

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<v Speaker 1>I literally liked your article. Before we get into some

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<v Speaker 1>of the critical race theory stuff and how it gets

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<v Speaker 1>into the schools um uh. I liked your definition of

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<v Speaker 1>critical race theory in one of your articles in which

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<v Speaker 1>you said it is now a catch all term for

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<v Speaker 1>lessons and policies that encouraged children to see themselves in

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<v Speaker 1>others almost exclusively through the lens of race. I appreciate

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<v Speaker 1>that because I feel like there's a lot of the

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<v Speaker 1>pushback on some of the critical race theory says that

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<v Speaker 1>that's not specifically critical race theory, but what most of

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<v Speaker 1>us mean, those of us who didn't go to Harvard

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<v Speaker 1>Law School in the nineties, we mean anything that leans

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<v Speaker 1>towards um where we're focusing on race for for everything

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<v Speaker 1>in society. That makes sense to me, right, And I

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<v Speaker 1>think you're touching on something super important, which is that

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<v Speaker 1>so much of the opposition to critical race theory UM

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<v Speaker 1>or excuse me, so much of the supporters of things

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<v Speaker 1>that would be classified as critical race theory or focusing

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<v Speaker 1>the debate on how we define critical race theory. And

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<v Speaker 1>if you're not specifically referring to the nineteen seventies academics

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<v Speaker 1>framework from Bell, then you know you don't know what

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<v Speaker 1>you're talking about, and you're not qualified to engage in

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<v Speaker 1>this debate. I think it's a way of sort of

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<v Speaker 1>trying to invalidate a lot of the feelings of parents

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<v Speaker 1>by making them feel like they don't know what they're

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<v Speaker 1>talking about. But ultimately, critical race theory has to mean

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<v Speaker 1>any sort of policy that is focusing on race um

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<v Speaker 1>and teaching children that they should see the world through

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<v Speaker 1>the lens of race and see themselves through that lens

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<v Speaker 1>of race. And so I think um by pushing back

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<v Speaker 1>on the idea that critical race here even exists in

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<v Speaker 1>K through twelve classrooms at all. Uh, it's a way

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<v Speaker 1>for supporters of this kind of curriculum to avoid having

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<v Speaker 1>to engage in a debate over the merits of teaching

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<v Speaker 1>kids sort of way of looking at the world. I like.

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<v Speaker 1>I like that distinction, Sarah Westwood of the Washington Examiners.

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<v Speaker 1>So you got into a question that I think a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of parents probably don't know and we all should.

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<v Speaker 1>How does a particular curriculum textbook end up in the school?

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<v Speaker 1>Is it come from the federal government, from the state,

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<v Speaker 1>from the who who makes these decisions? And you looked

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<v Speaker 1>into that, I did what what we you know sort

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<v Speaker 1>of laid out in an article about this is that

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<v Speaker 1>typically it's the textbook adoption decisions and curriculums decisions are

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<v Speaker 1>made at the local level. Local school districts will have

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<v Speaker 1>these sort of committees of educators and experts that will

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<v Speaker 1>make recommendations to the school boards, and the school boards

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<v Speaker 1>will approve what goes into the schools. And that's why

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<v Speaker 1>you see so many eruptions of CRT opposition at school boards,

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<v Speaker 1>because that's the pressure point for parents to express their

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<v Speaker 1>opposition and try to get the school boards not to

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<v Speaker 1>just rubber stamp some of these more controversial textbooks and

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<v Speaker 1>lessons that the local committees are recommending. Yeah, we've been

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<v Speaker 1>saying for a long time on this show that people

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<v Speaker 1>and I include myself on this people are not active

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<v Speaker 1>enough at the local level. Man, we're willing to get

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<v Speaker 1>into an argument about who's going to be president or

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<v Speaker 1>some federal policy. Don't go to the city council meetings.

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<v Speaker 1>We don't go to our school board meetings the things

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<v Speaker 1>that we can actually control and argue about things that

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<v Speaker 1>we have very little input on. I've been to one

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<v Speaker 1>city council meeting. I think in my entire life that

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<v Speaker 1>I spoke at overall homelessness in my neighborhood. I should

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<v Speaker 1>go on a regular basis. Same with school board means,

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<v Speaker 1>we should get more involved, because, as you just laid out,

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<v Speaker 1>it's at that local level that they're deciding what gets

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<v Speaker 1>into your school, right, And I think this dr Key

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<v Speaker 1>site has sort of raised a level of awareness that

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<v Speaker 1>I haven't seen about the importance of the school boards.

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<v Speaker 1>And you are seeing some of that activism take the

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<v Speaker 1>form of politics in that some parents are organizing recall

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<v Speaker 1>UH efforts, stuffs happening in Loudon County, Virginia, which is

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<v Speaker 1>outside of DC, where parents have organized this massive recall

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<v Speaker 1>effort for several school board members to try to get

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<v Speaker 1>them removed from their seats through politics, and out of

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<v Speaker 1>Texas in South Lake, Texas, which is sort of an

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<v Speaker 1>affluent suburb, there was actually a fair amount of money

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<v Speaker 1>that was thrown behind UH some parents who challenge school

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<v Speaker 1>board members on the basis of those over support for CRT.

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<v Speaker 1>So you are starting to see that happen in isolated places,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think as local elections creep up and as

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<v Speaker 1>we get into this next school year starting in the fall,

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<v Speaker 1>you're going to see a lot more of that in

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<v Speaker 1>parents realizing the importance of focusing on those elections. So

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<v Speaker 1>I was looking at your Twitter feed there Sarah with

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<v Speaker 1>an h And I saw your retweeted an article and

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know if you've written anything about this or

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<v Speaker 1>you're just more or less commenting on it. It was

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<v Speaker 1>a New York Times article from a while back where

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<v Speaker 1>it talked about, um, we're stigmatizing children by labeling them

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<v Speaker 1>as behind. All these kids that haven't been in school

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<v Speaker 1>for a year and a half, um with regular learning,

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<v Speaker 1>and some schools are going to continue with the zoom learning,

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<v Speaker 1>where if you're a parent and you've got kids doing

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<v Speaker 1>the zoom learning, you know they aren't learning even close

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<v Speaker 1>to normal level. And uh, and you retweeted this idea

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<v Speaker 1>that it's traumatizing to school to children somehow to tell

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<v Speaker 1>them that they're behind. Well, what else are we gonna do?

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<v Speaker 1>We're going to ignore it? Right? That seems like a

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<v Speaker 1>convenient way to avoid accountability for the learning loss is

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<v Speaker 1>that the schools and the teachers unions have inflicted on

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<v Speaker 1>these kids by keeping the schools closed for so long.

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<v Speaker 1>And there's just an overwhelming body of evidence that the

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<v Speaker 1>benefits of having kids in the classroom outweigh any remaining

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<v Speaker 1>risks to these children. And yet we're seeing, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>these Massy mandates being imposed on the schools, which isn't

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<v Speaker 1>necessarily detrimental to learning in itself, but it certainly taves

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<v Speaker 1>the way to have some of the commitments to full

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<v Speaker 1>reopenings rolled back. And so I think that's why a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of parents, you know, including myself, I started kindergarten

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<v Speaker 1>this year, are a little bit worried, may not open

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<v Speaker 1>us scheduled? Your son will start kindergarten this year? Yes, okay,

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<v Speaker 1>good because I know several people who'se uh whose kids

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<v Speaker 1>started kindergarten last year, and it just was heartbreaking because

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<v Speaker 1>kindergarten is such a special time. I mean, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>it's it's all about fun and play and learning to

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<v Speaker 1>be around other kids and stuff like that, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>just so cute. And the fact that there's a you know,

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<v Speaker 1>a million and the kids across the country that missed

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<v Speaker 1>out on that experience and we're sitting there staring at

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<v Speaker 1>a zoom camera as a five year old is just ridiculous.

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<v Speaker 1>I hope your your your son gets to be in school. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>how's the masking around where you where you live in

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<v Speaker 1>DC area? I M yeah, I do live around the

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<v Speaker 1>DC area, and recently, you know, after the CDC guides

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<v Speaker 1>came out in the spring, suggesting that vaccinated people didn't

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<v Speaker 1>necessarily have to wear mask indoors or outdoors or anywhere.

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<v Speaker 1>The masking really fell around the districion. You know, for

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<v Speaker 1>the first time, I felt comfortable going places without wearing one.

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<v Speaker 1>It'll be interesting to see the level of compliance though.

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<v Speaker 1>That follows this latest move from the find administration yesterday

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<v Speaker 1>to try to encourage people, even vaccinated people, to mask

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<v Speaker 1>up once again certain indoor situations, because vaccinated people have

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<v Speaker 1>been told that they didn't need to do that by

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<v Speaker 1>the President of the United States just days ago, and

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<v Speaker 1>he said, he specifically said, I repeat, if you are vaccinated,

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<v Speaker 1>you do not to were a mask just a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of days ago, right, And it's the science behind you know,

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<v Speaker 1>these decisions hasn't changed. There were variants in the spring,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's clear that the vaccine continues to protect vaccinated

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<v Speaker 1>people against severe cases and cuts down on transmission significantly.

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<v Speaker 1>And yet because the Biden administration has missed its vaccination targets,

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<v Speaker 1>they're trying to keep the virus under control. But the

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<v Speaker 1>problem is that this severely under cuts the argument for

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<v Speaker 1>the vaccine has of course, of course this could serve

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<v Speaker 1>to really undermine their vaccinies. Yeah, I was just talking

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<v Speaker 1>about that. It's absolutely amazing. The stick is so that

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<v Speaker 1>my theory is there's a carrot and a stick on

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<v Speaker 1>the COVID right or the vaccine, and the stick apparently

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't bother people that are vaccinated. They've decided for whatever reason,

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<v Speaker 1>and fine with me that I'm not worried about it. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>so you're not worried about the stick end of it.

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<v Speaker 1>Now the carrot of you don't have to wear a

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<v Speaker 1>mask anymore has been removed, so now there's no reason

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<v Speaker 1>for those people to want to get vaccinated. Um, do

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<v Speaker 1>you ever wish you were still the White House reporter

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<v Speaker 1>for CNN? So like yesterday when they did a one

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<v Speaker 1>eight in the mask, you can say, hey, what the hell?

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know if that would be my styness on

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<v Speaker 1>the air at least, but definitely the messaging from the

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<v Speaker 1>left from the DA has been for incoherent when it

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<v Speaker 1>comes to mask are they and to the vaccine as well?

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<v Speaker 1>Does it work? Or should we be worried about the

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<v Speaker 1>delta variant? Should we be celebrating the efficacy of vaccines

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<v Speaker 1>enough that we don't need to worry about it. It's

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<v Speaker 1>it's been very confusing, and for anyone who is still

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<v Speaker 1>wrestling with the decision of whether to get vaccinated, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>there isn't a lot of reliable message coming out of

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<v Speaker 1>the government about what they should do and what risks

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<v Speaker 1>their case, no doubt. Sarah Westwood political and investigative reporter

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<v Speaker 1>the Washington Examiner, follower on Twitter or just read the

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<v Speaker 1>newspaper or whatever. Sarah, thanks for your time to I

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<v Speaker 1>really appreciate it. Thanks for having me Armstrong and Jetty