Teacher Laura Morris’s resignation ignited a discussion on critical race theory in Virginia schools. During a Loudoun County School Board meeting, Morris, a longtime educator at Lucketts Elementary in Leesburg, voiced concerns over the board’s focus on “equity trainings” and the push for political agendas. She felt these pressures forced her to promote divisive ideas to students, whom she described as “our most vulnerable constituents.”
Morris also raised concerns about free expression, noting that staff were asked to report colleagues who criticized the board’s practices. In her resignation speech, she highlighted being told in trainings that “white, Christian, able-bodied females” held undue authority in schools.
Morris’s departure underscored the challenges educators face when balancing institutional mandates with personal beliefs. Her decision to leave served as a protest against what she perceived as the politicization of education, sparking ongoing debates on critical race theory and how to handle sensitive topics in the classroom without stifling open dialogue.
