An organization comprised of families and educators in Montgomery County opposed to critical race theory (CRT) will hold the first forum for school board candidates running in the May 14 primary election on Wednesday night.
The group, called United Against Racism in Education (UARE), is generating controversy ahead of the event in Sandy Spring, with some of the 14 candidates saying they have decided not to attend due to the organization’s values and the $10 contribution that attendees must pay to RSVP.
CRT is an “academic and legal framework that denotes that systemic racism is part of American society – from education and housing to employment and healthcare,” according to the Legal Defense Fund.
On its event flyer, UARE said an RSVP is required because space is limited at the site where the event will be held. According to the flyer, those wishing to attend can make a $10 contribution on the UARE website or mail a check to a Gaithersburg address. The forum will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department, 17921 Brooke Road.
The event is listed on the website of the Montgomery County Republican Party. The party did not return a call asking whether it supports UARE.
While it is unusual for those sponsoring election forums to charge a fee to attend, Dee Reuben, a UARE leader, wrote in an email to MoCo360 that money collected from the $10 donation will be used to pay for the food for those attending.
“This is not a fundraiser. All monies are used for food, beverages, desserts, paper goods and the room. Of course, if someone is unable to pay the $10, they are still welcome to attend provided they must rsvp,” she wrote.
As of Tuesday, most of the 14 school board candidates responded to queries about their attendance. Many said that they planned to attend UARE’s forum, however, a handful have decided not to or are unable to attend, including Dist. 2 candidates Aby Thioye and Natalie Zimmerman, Dist. 4 candidate Laura Stewart and At-large candidates Melissa Kim and Jonathan Long.
Stewart announced on social media in late February that she would not attend the forum. She told MoCo360 that the UARE’s goals do not align with her values and added that she was uncomfortable with the organizers charging admission.
In a post on X, she wrote that UARE holds events that are “harmful to our diverse community” and shared screenshot images of past events the group has held called “True Stories About Transgenderism,” which included speakers on topics such as children being “brainwashed into the gender ideology.” Another screenshot included an event with guest speaker and school board candidate Brenda Diaz discussing how “CRT is being infused into the [Montgomery County Public Schools] history curriculum.”
School board Vice President Lynne Harris, who is running for a second term, said Monday she wasn’t sure whether she would attend.
Harris told MoCo360 that the $10 admission charge seemed “unusual” to her.
“I’ve helped plan and carry out many, many candidate forums. And I’m unaware of any – and I could have missed something – but I’m not aware of any [forums] that have ever charged admission or used them as a way to raise funds for any purpose,” she said.
Thioye told MoCo360 she did not plan to attend because she is “not familiar enough with the organization and its goals and principles.”
Long wrote in an email that he doesn’t plan to attend the forum because he doesn’t “agree with [UARE’s] platform and [doesn’t] think it would be very productive debating the issues with them.”
Kim won’t attend the forum because she is currently in Seattle, Washington, she said in an email.
School board elections are nonpartisan and such election forums provide an opportunity for voters to learn about candidates and where they stand on issues, but candidates aren’t obligated to attend.
“This is a great opportunity for voters to be informed before voting. Especially since our tax dollars are helping to fund our schools,” Reuben wrote.
UARE drew attention during the 2022 primary election when it distributed flyers endorsing a slate of school board candidates, leading the candidates to say they rejected insinuations on social media that their focus in office would be in support of fighting the concept of teaching CRT.
According to a flyer for Wednesday’s event, the forum will include a meet and greet with candidates starting at 5:30 p.m. A panel discussion with candidates will begin at 6:30 p.m. and a question-and-answer session with audience members will be held at 8 p.m. Pizza, beverages and dessert will be served.