BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Lt. Gov. and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Janice McGeachin announced the creation of an education task force designed to "protect our young people from the scourge of critical race theory, socialism, communism, and Marxism" on April 12. McGeachin announced the task force will hold its first meeting on May 27, 2021.
McGeachin said her constituents believe critical race theory is "one of the most significant threats facing our society today."
The announcement comes as an external investigation of an ethics and diversity course at Boise State University found no "evidence of attempts to indoctrinate."
While the task force has not announced how it plans to combat these "significant threats", a list of task force members was released late last week.
Idaho Rep. Priscilla Giddings (R-White Bird), who announced plans to run for Idaho lieutenant governor last week, will be the committee's co-chair.
Other members include a member of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, a North Idaho evangelical Christian Reverend and the former head of a Nampa charter school. Several current and former Idaho teachers, administrators and school board members are listed as well.
On Friday, a KTVB viewer sent in this question:
"What qualifications were used to choose members of the McGeachin indoctrination commission?"
KTVB reached out to the lieutenant governor's office for clarification on member qualifications but has not yet received a response.
The task force's first meeting is set to take place on Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. at the Lincoln Auditorium in the Idaho Statehouse. The public is invited to attend the meeting but questions and testimony will not be allowed.
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