Amid uproar over Williamson County Schools’ curriculum, Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson is questioning the district’s Wit & Wisdom reading program and whether it teaches critical race theory.
Johnson, a Franklin Republican whose children attend system schools, said last week he reviewed a large part of the Wit & Wisdom curriculum and found items that are “very problematic and certainly not age appropriate, if appropriate at all.”
Great Minds’ Wit & Wisdom, which received failing grades from initial reviewers of the state textbook commission but finally passed muster with the Education Department with waivers approved by curriculum Commissioner Penny Schwinn, is under attack from a parent group called Moms for Liberty.
“I think there certainly are elements of the Wit & Wisdom curriculum that could be construed as being aligned with critical race theory,” Johnson told Tennessee Lookout.
But while Johnson avoids publicly criticizing the Williamson board and its decisions, he said he has spoken to board members about Wit & Wisdom and its efforts with the vendor, Fostering Healthy Solutions, which is working on a diversity, equity and inclusion program for the district.