Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Maryland’s largest district, has rolled out an “anti-racism” curriculum for students beginning in kindergarten, according to internal documents obtained by parent advocacy groups. The training materials instruct teachers to focus on racism, oppression, implicit bias, inequity, and gender and racial identity.

The documents, which were initially discovered by United Against Racism in Education, outline the “Characteristics of Anti-bias/Antiracist Curriculum” and were reportedly discussed at a PTA meeting on Jan. 20, 2026. Teachers are encouraged to help students “analyze the forces which maintain injustice and develop the knowledge, hope, and strategies needed to create a more just society,” citing anti-racist consultant Enid Lee.

According to the guidance, lessons are to critically examine “systems of power and oppression created by white supremacy” and challenge what the documents call the “Master Narrative,” which emphasizes Eurocentric history. Instruction is meant to center the experiences, stories, and resistance of communities of color and tribal sovereignties, and to explore both historical and ongoing institutionalized oppression.

Teachers are directed to reflect on their own identities and privileges, understand how implicit biases manifest in the classroom, and ask questions such as “Who is centered in examples of resistance?” and “Are the people taking action coming from within the oppressed groups or from outside?” Resources linked in the documents include critical race theory frameworks, guides for selecting anti-bias children’s books, social justice reading lists, and early childhood instructional materials.

MCPS did not respond to a request for comment. Paul Runko, senior director of strategic initiatives at Defending Education, said the materials resemble critical race theory despite assurances from schools nationwide that CRT is not taught in K-12 classrooms. He warned that framing lessons around resistance to white supremacy and challenging the social order could divide students and “indoctrinate them into far-left ideology rather than upholding the American ideal that individuals are judged by their character and achievements, not the color of their skin.”