BELMONT — Alan Wood of St. Clairsville wants to ensure that Critical Race Theory will not be taught in the Union Local School District.

Superintendent Ben Porter and the school board heard from Wood during Thursday’s board meeting and said the curriculum for the coming school year was set and did not include the theory.

Wood is a father of students in the district.

“I’ve had kids that graduated here,” he said afterward. “It’s not part of the curriculum and that made me very glad for my kids’ sake.”

He said he has seen some of the CRT teaching material that has circulated online.

“Frankly, it’s racist. It’s teaching White kids they’re racist just because they’re White. It’s teaching Black kids they’re discriminated against just because they’re Black. I’m a veteran. I served with Black men and that is not true at all,” Wood said. “It’s not going to be here and I’m thankful for that, because we don’t need that here. Our kids aren’t racist.”

Porter said the district’s curriculum aligns with state standards.

“We heard his message and will take that into advisement,” Porter said.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica online, the method “provides a framework of analysis that holds that racism is a social construction and that the laws and policies of the United States are inherently racist, causing social, political and economic inequality among various groups with African Americans being at a particular disadvantage.”

The concept dates to the 1960s and was organized in 1989.

The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education states the theory can be used as an “instructional tool” to analyze possible racist influences on policies.

Ohio lawmakers — and those in more than a dozen other states — have introduced legislation that would ban the teaching of CRT in public schools.

Two different House bills — HB 322 and HB 327 — related to the matter have been introduced in Columbus and are awaiting action at the committee level.

In other matters, summer renovations continue.

“Building repairs and so forth, they’ve been pretty extensive over the summer. We’re in the process of improving our ventilation systems,” Porter said, adding work is ongoing at the elementary and high school buildings. Some work on the heating and air conditioning system will continue into the school year, since the district is awaiting equipment on back-order that should be delivered in September.

The middle school gym is also getting a fresh coat of paint. And the security camera system is being upgraded.

“We’re going to have more cameras in the buildings themselves and also the outside of the building. That is a big deal and something we’ve needed to upgrade,” he said.

Student restrooms will be upgraded to include touchless fixtures.

The flooring at the elementary school will also get a new surface.

Treasurer Janet Hissrich said the total cost of renovations comes to about $3 million.

Hissrich said the district is receiving close to $2 million in federal coronavirus relief funds.

Porter said the district buildings are about 23 years old and the improvements could extend the lifespan another 23 years.

“Our maintenance guys have done a very good job maintaining these buildings and the equipment in them to make them last,” he said.

Porter also said summer school was going well, with close to 50 high schoolers participating in credit recovery programs in June. About 200 elementary students are going through sessions in June, July and August.

“We’ve had good feedback from our families and the kids who’ve participated. They’ve been appreciative and we’ve been able to provide meals, breakfast, lunch and also transportation for students that needed it,” Porter said.