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The Beaufort County Schools Board of Education earlier this month passed a resolution to “ensure dignity and nondiscrimination” in schools.

The resolution doesn’t directly mention critical race theory, but it touches on several of the topics community members have brought up while speaking to the school board about the theory in recent months. Critical race theory is an academic concept that originated in the 1970s. The general idea of the theory is that race is a social construct, and that racism is embedded in the laws and legal institutions of the United States, rather than just being a product of individual bias.

Beaufort County Schools says critical race theory is not part of the local curriculum. Community members, many of them donning anti-CRT buttons and other apparel, have expressed concerns in previous board meetings about what could happen if the theory is somehow implemented into the curriculum, and have asked the board to make a hard commitment against teaching CRT in local classrooms.

In passing the resolution, the school board committed to seven main points, as listed in the document: That one race or sex is not inherently superior to another race or sex; that an individual, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex, is not inherently racist, sexist or oppressive; that an individual should not be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex; that an individual’s moral character is not determined by his or her race or sex; that no individual, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by the same race or sex; that no individual, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex, should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress; and that the United States comprises of persons that are all created equally.