An Oregon middle school was exposed by furious parents after likening her colleagues to pedophiles and warning them they’d be fired if they refused to teach critical race theory.
Katherine Watkins, an 8th grade humanities teacher at Cedar Park Middle School in Beaverton, Portland, told colleagues during a Zoom ‘equity conference’ that if they were ‘going to keep up those old views of colonialism, it’s going to lead to being fired’.
Watkins also equated teachers who ‘do racist things’ with pedophiles, during an inflammatory statement that her colleagues were forced to listen to.
She said: ”If you’re not evolving into an anti-racist educator you’re making yourself obsolete in this field of profession.
‘Our district is only getting browner and browner with our children and so obviously you can’t change your melanin alright? But you can change your mind, so that you can actually function in a district that is full of BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) children.
‘So, if you’re being resistant I understand that, but you’re going to have to eventually come to the light.
‘Because if you’re going to keep with those old views of colonialism it’s going to lead to being fired because you’re going to be doing damage to our children, trauma.
‘And so, as we fire the teachers who sexually abuse our children, we will be firing the teachers who do racist things to our children and traumatize them.’
Katherine Watkins, a teacher at Cedar Park Middle School in Portland, told colleagues they would be ‘fired’ if they kept up ‘old views of colonialism’. Her social media accounts, right, show the Black Lives Matter sign and invite people to donate to her Cash App, PayPal and Venmo accounts
Teachers at Cedar Park Middle School in Beaverton, Portland, above, had to attend the $5,500 ‘equity summit’ where Watkins made her comments
‘So as we fire the teachers who sexually abuse our children, we will be firing the teachers who do racist things to our children and traumatize them.’
Watkin made the comments on February 10 during a virtual conference of teachers in the Beaverton School District, called ‘Equity ABAR (anti-bias anti-racist) Summit: If Not You Then Who?’.
The Beaverton school district said the summit cost $5,500 to organize, and was required for all licensed staff, and encouraged for classified staff.
A video of the private Zoom conference came to light in late April when it was leaked to YouTube by a group called Parents Defending Action (PDE).
A PDE spokesperson Asra Nomani told Fox News ‘equity warriors’ were laying siege to schools such as Cedar Park.
‘Teachers and staff who self-describe as “equity warriors” harass colleagues until they submit to the new ideological indoctrination of critical race theory, the controversial philosophy that looks at all societal issues through a racial lens and pits people against each other. It’s dangerous and it’s destructive.’
DailyMail.com has requested comment from the Beaverton School District and Cedar Park Middle School on whether Watkins’ comments are official policy.
Neither immediately responded but in previous comments to media Beaverton School District has both distanced itself from Watkins’ and defended her.
A social media account belonging to Watkins showed her posing under a Black Lives Matter sign with a clenched fist, and invited people to send her money via digital payment apps Cash App, PayPal and Venmo.
It’s unclear why she was soliciting donations, or what they would go towards.
Parent groups, educators and commentators blasted Watkins’ comments on social media.
James Lindsay wrote: ‘This video is a perfect example of why we need to start taking back education from these so-called ‘anti-racist’ racists and manipulators who are abusing our kids to push their political agenda. Beaverton, OR, is out of control. Unbelievable.’
Allie Beth Stuckey said: ‘This kind of mind virus is highly contagious and deadly. The best known remedy is to get your kids out of government schools immediately.’
‘Fun little dangerous cult we have cooking!’ said Tim Dillon
Dave Reaboi said: ‘If America had 1/10 the amount of teachers, we’d be so much better off.’
James Lindsay wrote: ‘This video is a perfect example of why we need to start taking back education from these so-called ‘anti-racist’ racists and manipulators who are abusing our kids to push their political agenda. Beaverton, OR, is out of control. Unbelievable’
‘This kind of mind virus is highly contagious and deadly. The best known remedy is to get your kids out of government schools immediately’
‘This 8th Grade teacher in Beaverton Oregon is comparing Anti Racism to Sexuality Abusing children if you are not teaching the BS Critical Race theory to kids. And America wants to know what is wrong with kids today. What is wrong you have IDIOTS teaching like’
‘Fun little dangerous cult we have cooking!’ said Tim Dillon.
Greg Bates wrote: ‘This 8th Grade teacher in Beaverton Oregon is comparing Anti Racism to Sexuality Abusing children if you are not teaching the BS Critical Race theory to kids. And America wants to know what is wrong with kids today. What is wrong you have IDIOTS teaching like’.
Dave Reaboi said: ‘If America had 1/10 the amount of teachers, we’d be so much better off.’
Another Twitter user said: ‘Katherine Watkins from Beaverton school district near Portland, Oregon is merely a symptom. The entire district is filled with these critical race theory pronoun users lead by Beaverton Superintendent Don Grotting.’
The Beaverton School District’s public communications officer Shellie Bailey-Shah defended her comments in a statement to Newsweek.
‘Throughout this past year, institutions have been called upon to re-evaluate their role in the perpetuation of implicit bias and systemic racism,’ Bailey-Shah said.
‘The Beaverton School District is no exception. It’s our responsibility to identify and change inequitable practices that harm our students and staff of color,’ she said.
‘In the comments, we hear Ms. Watkins expressing her expectation that all our educators authentically engage in anti-bias, antiracist work for the benefit of our students,’ she added.
The comments appear to contradict an earlier statement the school district made to Fox News, in which a spokeswoman distanced the district from Watkins’ comments.
‘Katherine Watkins does not speak for the Beaverton School District. All disciplinary or dismissal procedures are governed by state statute and our collective bargaining agreements with our unions, Beaverton Education Association (BEA) and Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA).’
The district confirmed that the district-wide summit was required for all licensed staff, encouraged for classified staff, and cost approximately $5,500.
During the February 10 Zoom conference, another Beaverton school district teacher Stephanie Yelder said white educators should be as bold as the January 6 Capitol rioters in their pursuit of anti-racism ideology.
‘My lovely white people, be as bold as those idiot invaders, insurrectionists about storming that Capitol,’ Yelder says.
‘Go about this change like them. They are wacky, but you know what to do, so have that same energy.’
Parents Defending Education (PDE) said they had uploaded the videos to YouTube in to bring transparency to a matter of huge public interest.
It described ‘ABAR’ as the ‘latest buzzword for the ‘anti-bias, anti-racism’ teachings of critical race theory’.
‘It’s just a matter of time, so you either evolve or dissolve’: Katherine Watkins’ comments in full
Katherine Watkins’ comments to a $5,500 Zoom conference titled ‘Equity ABAR Summit: If Not You Then Who?’, which Beaverton School District reportedly required its teachers to attend.
‘My pronouns are she, her, we and us.
‘I’m going to say something that’s not nice and not sweet but its true.
‘If you’re not evolving into an anti-racist educator you’re making yourself obsolete in this field of profession.
‘Our district is only getting browner and browner with our children and so obviously you can’t change your melanin alright? But you can change your mind, so that you can actually function in a district that is full of BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) children.
‘So, if you’re being resistant I understand that, but you’re going to have to eventually come to the light.
‘Because if you’re going to keep with those old views of colonialism it’s going to lead to being fired because you’re going to be doing damage to our children, trauma.
‘And so, as we fire the teachers who sexually abuse our children, we will be firing the teachers who do racist things to our children and traumatize them.
‘And while our district might not be completely on there… it’s just a matter of time, so you either evolve or dissolve.’