The culture wars are pushing some teachers to leave the classroom

In the spring of 2020, James Whitfield had just become the first African American to be named principal at Colleyville Heritage High School, located in a predominantly white Dallas-Fort Worth suburb.

Whitfield, who holds a doctorate in education, was anticipating big challenges when students returned in the fall. COVID-19 had already shut down in-person learning, and the pandemic was about to make a chronic teacher shortage even worse.

Then came the death of George Floyd, the unarmed Black man killed by a Minneapolis police officer during an arrest outside a convenience store.

Unable to sleep one night in early June, days after Floyd's death, Whitfield set down his thoughts in an email to friends and colleagues. He wrote about "systemic racism" and wondered what could be done to stop it.

At first, Whitfield says, "I got nothing but positive responses ... from people in the community, parents, family members [and] staff members." In the months that followed, though, pressure on him mounted as internet chatter began to heat up among those he calls "[conservative] operatives here in Texas that are trying to take over school boards." There were even indirect aspersions cast on his biracial marriage.

Whitfield's email came around the time that a were introduced across the country that have reshaped public education. Some target critical race theory,are aimed at prohibiting classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity.