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EXCLUSIVE: Private Catholic School Quietly Introduces Social Justice Course, 'Disguised as Religion Class,' Required for Graduation
EXCLUSIVE: Private Catholic School Quietly Introduces Social Justice Course, 'Disguised as Religion Class,' Required for Graduation
A private, Catholic school in Maryland quietly introduced a new social justice course, alarming parents who fear it is 'woke' ideology in the guise of religion.

A private Catholic school in Maryland has quietly introduced a social justice course for seniors that's required for graduation. One mother calls it social justice indoctrination "disguised as a religion class." The curriculum is vague; much is kept secret.

Now, she's demanding answers.

Speaking under the name Anne Fletcher, for fear of having her daughter targeted at school or jeopardizing her job—her employers aren't friendly to conservative values—she shared her concerns regarding the school's new direction. She also provided documents to support her claim that the new class is little more than critical race theory (CRT), with no academic benefit.

"We chose this school because we thought it was more conservative compared to some of the others," Mrs. Fletcher told The Epoch Times.

The John Carroll School (JC) is a private, independent Catholic school in Bel Air, Maryland. She pays more than $20,000 per year for tuition and related costs.

The contradiction in the class's title bothers Mrs. Fletcher.

Catholic social teaching promotes a person's Christ-like responsibilities in caring for others in society. In 1891, Pope Leo XIII wrote what is considered the foundational work for modern Catholic social teaching, "Rerum Novarum," which emphasizes the need to care for the material needs of one's fellow men, yet firmly rejects communism and "the main tenet of socialism," community of goods.

Social justice training, on the other hand, frequently pushes students to see the world through the lens of systemic racism and inequity, in other words, that of CRT.

JC Assistant Principal Danica Attanasio told Mrs. Fletcher the social justice class is required for graduation.
Religion 12-Catholic Social Teaching
The "syllabus" is particularly vague, and Mrs. Fletcher is unsettled by the ambiguity surrounding the curriculum.
The document states that classroom assignments, tests, and homework will be done primarily in the form of essays.

"There aren't even any books," Mrs. Fletcher said. "For three years, I bought religion books and books for English class. But this year, no religion books. I've never seen a class with no books. How will I know what's being covered in class?"

Grades are based on an equally vague points system.

Students receive up to five points at the end of each eight-day cycle based on their level of "participation" in the class.

Mrs. Fletcher questions whether "participation" refers to the student's level of involvement or the degree to which a student agrees with the teacher.

"With the social justice course being mandatory and disguised as a religion course, she's already being brainwashed by it," Mrs. Fletcher said. "That's why I reached out to you."

School Secrecy
Knowing that CRT often goes hand in hand with transgender ideology, Mrs. Fletcher worries that JC could be indoctrinating her daughter through a secretive social justice course.
"My daughter came home yesterday and said she was confused," she recalled. "When I asked her to show me what confused her, she wouldn't show me. That's because she knows it's something I won't want to see. You shouldn't want to hide things from your parents."

The Epoch Times has previously reported on children who were secretly indoctrinated into the transgender lifestyle at their schools.
Another document, the "Reflection Rubric," thinly explains the teacher's expectations and his scoring system.

Up to 10 points are possible for students who can "explain the key points of his or her reflection" when answering questions.

Handwritten notes (pdf) taken by Mrs. Fletcher's daughter during class show the definitions students were given for four topics: Catholic Social Teaching, Economics, Politics, and Prudential Questions. The last topic deals with political issues "where the Church can offer guidance, but does not have a universal teaching."
"What does any of this have to do with religion?" Mrs. Fletcher asked.
Bishops' Curriculum Guidance, 'Left-Leaning Philosophy'
To justify the course, Ms. Attanasio told Ms. Fletcher that it came directly from "The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Curriculum Framework" (pdf).
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the United States.

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EXCLUSIVE: Private Catholic School Quietly Introduces Social Justice Course, 'Disguised as Religion Class,' Required for Graduation
EXCLUSIVE: Private Catholic School Quietly Introduces Social Justice Course, 'Disguised as Religion Class,' Required for Graduation
A crucifix stands on the grounds of The John Carroll School in Bel Air, Md. (Courtesy of Tom Fletcher)
Patricia Tolson
By Patricia Tolson
9/11/2023
Updated:
9/12/2023

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A private Catholic school in Maryland has quietly introduced a social justice course for seniors that's required for graduation. One mother calls it social justice indoctrination "disguised as a religion class." The curriculum is vague; much is kept secret.

Now, she's demanding answers.

Speaking under the name Anne Fletcher, for fear of having her daughter targeted at school or jeopardizing her job—her employers aren't friendly to conservative values—she shared her concerns regarding the school's new direction. She also provided documents to support her claim that the new class is little more than critical race theory (CRT), with no academic benefit.

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"We chose this school because we thought it was more conservative compared to some of the others," Mrs. Fletcher told The Epoch Times.

The John Carroll School (JC) is a private, independent Catholic school in Bel Air, Maryland. She pays more than $20,000 per year for tuition and related costs.

The contradiction in the class's title bothers Mrs. Fletcher.

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On the "syllabus," it's called "Religion 12-Catholic Social Teaching" (pdf). However, on the student's schedule, it's called "Social Justice-101."
Religion-12 class shows as "Social Justice 101" on a student's class schedule (Screenshot - Anna Fletcher).
Religion-12 class shows as "Social Justice 101" on a student's class schedule (Screenshot - Anna Fletcher).
Catholic social teaching promotes a person's Christ-like responsibilities in caring for others in society. In 1891, Pope Leo XIII wrote what is considered the foundational work for modern Catholic social teaching, "Rerum Novarum," which emphasizes the need to care for the material needs of one's fellow men, yet firmly rejects communism and "the main tenet of socialism," community of goods.
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Social justice training, on the other hand, frequently pushes students to see the world through the lens of systemic racism and inequity, in other words, that of CRT.

JC Assistant Principal Danica Attanasio told Mrs. Fletcher the social justice class is required for graduation.
Religion 12-Catholic Social Teaching
The "syllabus" is particularly vague, and Mrs. Fletcher is unsettled by the ambiguity surrounding the curriculum.
The document states that classroom assignments, tests, and homework will be done primarily in the form of essays.

"There aren't even any books," Mrs. Fletcher said. "For three years, I bought religion books and books for English class. But this year, no religion books. I've never seen a class with no books. How will I know what's being covered in class?"

Grades are based on an equally vague points system.

Students receive up to five points at the end of each eight-day cycle based on their level of "participation" in the class.

Mrs. Fletcher questions whether "participation" refers to the student's level of involvement or the degree to which a student agrees with the teacher.

"With the social justice course being mandatory and disguised as a religion course, she's already being brainwashed by it," Mrs. Fletcher said. "That's why I reached out to you."
School Secrecy
Knowing that CRT often goes hand in hand with transgender ideology, Mrs. Fletcher worries that JC could be indoctrinating her daughter through a secretive social justice course.
"My daughter came home yesterday and said she was confused," she recalled. "When I asked her to show me what confused her, she wouldn't show me. That's because she knows it's something I won't want to see. You shouldn't want to hide things from your parents."

The Epoch Times has previously reported on children who were secretly indoctrinated into the transgender lifestyle at their schools.
Another document, the "Reflection Rubric," thinly explains the teacher's expectations and his scoring system.

Up to 10 points are possible for students who can "explain the key points of his or her reflection" when answering questions.

Handwritten notes (pdf) taken by Mrs. Fletcher's daughter during class show the definitions students were given for four topics: Catholic Social Teaching, Economics, Politics, and Prudential Questions. The last topic deals with political issues "where the Church can offer guidance, but does not have a universal teaching."
"What does any of this have to do with religion?" Mrs. Fletcher asked.
Bishops' Curriculum Guidance, 'Left-Leaning Philosophy'
To justify the course, Ms. Attanasio told Ms. Fletcher that it came directly from "The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Curriculum Framework" (pdf).
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the United States.

Page 41 of the bishops' 2007 document promotes social justice concepts under the guise of "Catholic Social Teaching," defining "the appropriate use of wealth and other resources," and advocating for "solidarity" in that "all people should participate in society" to "work for the common good."

An even more revealing look at the promotion of social justice by the USCCB is its version of the Catholic meditation called the Stations of the Cross.

In the USCCB's version, a spiritual pilgrimage through the stages of Christ's torture and death through crucifixion is turned into a reflection on our "persistent sin of racism" (pdf).
The reflection on the 13th station cites the USCCB's 2018 pastoral letter (pdf) on racism:
“The roots of racism have extended deeply into the soil of our society. Racism can only end if we contend with the policies and institutional barriers that perpetuate and preserve the inequality—economic and social—that we still see all around us.”

The Religion Teacher, an idea go-to source for Catholic schools and teachers, says: "While not a commonly taught course, learning about social justice or Catholic social teaching is a priority for the USCCB."
Episcopal conferences, says an explainer from the diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, have certain "limited areas" of authority, including the financial administration of dioceses and some norms such as fasting and holy days of obligation.
It calls the USCCB "mostly a forum for bishops to share ideas with each other, pray with one another, and discern together the will of God as they lead the dioceses with which they have been entrusted."

However, Church Militant founder Michael Voris, quoted recently in The Epoch Times, expressed skepticism about the USCCB's role, saying, "It's a political lobbying arm here in the states and that's all it engages in."
Knowing that JC has chosen to follow the USCCB's curriculum guidance confirms Mrs. Fletcher's concerns.

"This goes against the principles of Catholic school as we knew it," she said. "It seems that they're bending to suit the ideological and political narrative of left-leaning philosophy and Marxist principles. Individualism is discouraged, as is thinking for one's self, to fit some collectivist bent in the church and government elites."