MARYLAND (WBFF) — Maryland’s state-mandated anti-bias training guidance for teachers and school board members is drawing criticism for incorporating materials from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights group now facing scrutiny after a recent federal indictment alleged the group paid informants to infiltrate groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
The training guidance, issued by the Maryland State Department of Education as part of a 2024 legislative mandate, references SPLC’s “Learning for Justice” curriculum alongside other anti-bias resources.
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Supporters say the training is necessary to address prejudice and rising hate incidents in schools, while critics argue the approach is politically divisive, ineffective and inappropriate for statewide educator training.
“I just fundamentally don’t agree with it,” said Steve Whisler, president of the Carroll County Public School Board, who said he’s avoided taking the training so far. “I don’t agree with the state… or school systems coming in and telling their employees that they’re biased, when they’re not.”
“Implicit bias training and other types of anti-racism training – they don’t work, first of all,” said Del. Lauren Arikan, a Harford County Republican. “There’s good research out of Harvard, out of Rutgers, that shows that not only is it ineffective, but that it has a reverse effect in many cases.”
Spotlight reached out to the 17 Democratic lawmakers who sponsored the anti-bias training legislation, as well as several organizations that testified in favor of the legislation, in addition to the Maryland State Education Association and the Baltimore City and Baltimore County school boards – asking if SPLC materials should be excluded from future anti-bias training. None responded.
“As our state has seen a sharp rise in hate crimes, it’s more important than ever that educators are prepared to play their critical role as school and community leaders,” said Lauren Lamb, representing the Maryland State Education Association during a hearing on the anti-bias legislation in 2024.
But Arikan said she doesn’t think bias is a huge problem in Maryland schools and said that when incidents of bias happen, they should be dealt with.
“If you have a teacher who has a problem or an administrator who has a problem with a specific race or ethnicity, they just shouldn’t be employed,” she said. “If they’re discriminating actively against somebody, the state should not be employing people like that. The lesson is learned the hard way.”
Arikan added that using materials from the SPLC, “who seemed to have considered themselves the federal government and was allegedly paying informants millions or hundreds of thousands of dollars to essentially incite racism— any organization who’s doing that should not be working with the state of Maryland.”
A federal indictment
The federal indictment against the SPLC says the organization paid informants $3 million to infiltrate violent extremists like the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups, and that one helped organize an infamous “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a counter protester died.
The SPLC didn’t respond to a request for comment from Spotlight on Maryland, but has denied wrongdoing, and no individual has been charged. In a video posted to the organization’s YouTube account, CEO Bryan Fair said the SPLC has saved lives through its informant program and has often shared information with local and federal law enforcement.
“Today, the federal government has been weaponized to dismantle the rights of our nation’s most vulnerable people and any organization like ours that tries to stand in the breach,” he said in the video.
A ‘comprehensive anti-bias curriculum’
The state’s guidance outlines four domains of anti-bias education – identity, diversity, justice, and action – citing “Learning for Justice” materials from the SPLC.
“By addressing these areas, anti-bias education promotes cultural awareness while fostering conversations that challenge prejudice and empower students,” the guidance continues.
The guidance also references SPLC materials in an appendix, saying they provide a “comprehensive anti-bias curriculum, professional development, and materials for addressing issues such as racism, sexism, and homophobia in schools.”
MSDE doesn’t generally develop curriculum, but establishes statewide standards, said MSDE spokesperson Cherie Duvall-Jones, in an email.
“We’re not aware of any local school systems incorporating [SPLC materials] into training for teachers or board members, so questions about local implementation would need to be directed to individual LEAs,” she said.
The 2024 legislation requires county boards of education to provide training every other year that is based on the MSDE guidelines.
Have a news tip? Contact Brooke Conrad at bjconrad@sbgtv.com or 443-578-2126, or contact the Spotlight team at SpotlightOnMaryland@sbgtv.com or 410-467-4670. Spotlight on Maryland is a joint venture by The Baltimore Sun, FOX45 News and WJLA in Washington, D.C. .
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