Critical race theory is an academic subject in graduate schools.
Graduate-school subjects obviously aren’t taught in grade schools, but conservative culture warriors have hijacked the term to refer to teaching schoolchildren about slavery, racial discrimination, and mistreatment of black people, partly because they’re racists, but also as a calculated means of inciting their base (see article here).
An NBC News article says (here) that in “the culture war over critical race theory, conservatives are quick to weaponize criticisms of American history or misbehavior in an attempt to police Americanness and keep Black advocacy against racism and white supremacy at bay.”
The article continues, “Per these conservatives, Brittney Griner doesn’t deserve our sympathy — or even to be freed from a Russian penal colony — because she has some reservations about the way Black people in America have historically been treated.” (Some? Only some?)
It concludes, “There will most likely always be some white people who believe being an American means ignoring its problems. These are the same people who believe progress is scary and social equality is threatening.” (Not just some whites, though; there are black and Hispanic conservatives, too.)
The conservative culture war offensive against teaching America’s unvarnished history is rooted in white supremacy and its aim is to silence black people.