#PA school official under fire for silencing CRT critic

A Pennsylvania school board president has come under fire and faces calls to step down after cutting off an Iranian woman who spoke out against critical race theory during a board meeting.

Anita Edgarian, an Iranian immigrant and mother of three, voiced her concerns to the West Chester school district about CRT, a doctrine that posits that racism underpins America’s history, laws and institutions, according to Fox News.

She told the board at its July 26 meeting that she grew up during the Iranian Revolution and witnessed her “motherland” being “ravaged by communism.”

Edgarian also accused retiring Superintendent Jim Scanlon of creating divisions and “leaving a mess” — and described her home as “the International House of Pancakes” because her kids’ friends are diverse.

But when she asked if teachers were being taught CRT, board President Chris McCune said, “Anita, you’re at time.”

“No, no,” she said, but he insisted that she was, approached her at the podium, took the microphone and told her to leave, according to the report.

“This is shameful,” McCune said as she was being removed by police. “We’ve had a respectful meeting up until you. You bombarded up there, and now you want to monopolize the meeting. Not happening. You’re gone.”

In an interview with “Fox & Friends,” Edgarian said: “By the time I asked that question, he was already coming toward me. And so that’s a clarification because my parents have raised me better.”

The Republican Committee of Chester County is calling for the school board president to resign or attend anger management counseling.

“We are writing to condemn the conduct of West Chester Area District school board president Chris McCune for his reprehensible action at the public meeting on Monday, July 26,” the group wrote.

“During the public comment time, the mother of three children in the school district decried the division that has been created over whether or not Critical Race Theory is being used in our school,” the GOP committee said.

“As a legal immigrant from Iran, who has experienced first-hand the threat of communism and Muslim theocracy, the speaker was cautioning against the same thing happening here,” it continued.

“WCASD has a zero-policy toward bullying, the very behavior Mr. McCune displayed as he was unable to control his anger … since he refuses to apologize for his behavior, we and others in the West Chester community are calling for his resignation from the board,” it added.

Edgarian told “Fox & Friends” that she has “friends on both sides of the aisle.”

“Friends and, you know, close friends sometimes. And you know, so I don’t want my kids to grow up feeling that they cannot talk to this person or that person. And I just wanted to know and, you know, the best thing is to come out and frankly ask the question,” she said.

CRT has in recent months become a flashpoint in a partisan debate over how to address racism in United States institutions. 

A school district in California earlier this month devoted a staggering $40 million to implement “ethnic studies” lessons based on Critical Race Theory.

In June, Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas said “prioritizing woke training over actual war fighting” is a national security threat, after a report found that members of the Navy are more focused on diversity training than combatting enemies. 

Fox News said the West Chester school district did not respond to its request for comment.