GoFundMe Pulls Parents Against Critical Theory Page

GoFundMe has taken down Parents Against Critical Theory (PACT) Founder Scott Mineo’s page, meant to help fund his efforts to fight critical race theory implementation in Loudoun County Public Schools. He said that GoFundMe didn’t say why it removed his posts, but he has a guess.

“Because I’m anti-[critical race theory], that’s it,” he said.

Mineo provided an email circulated among community members asking them to report Mineo’s page to GoFundMe. The email called for censure of school board member John Beatty. “Mr. Beatty’s suggestion that Critical Race Theory has been adopted within LCPS is a lie.”

Mineo said he thought GoFundMe had pulled the page for alleged false information, but didn’t warn him in advance. “No notification, no warning, nothing,” he said.

“The fact that I’m anti-CRT and that I’m spreading misinformation,” he repeated, adding, “Almost everything that I post comes from the school system themselves. It’s their material.”

Before the site was taken down, it described opposition from the Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County Facebook group that had called for infiltrating and hacking PACT.

“On March 12, 2021 a large Facebook group called ‘Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County’ (ARPLC) began a campaign to solicit felonious activities against dozens of Loudoun County parents. The group includes key administrators and teachers from Loudoun County Public Schools, Loudoun government officials including the Loudoun County Attorney, members of the Loudoun County School Board, and members of the Loudoun Board of Supervisors,” the GoFundMe page said, according to copies Mineo sent to The Virginia Star.

Mineo said the take down happened the same day he announced a new program on the site called PACT-RATS (Really Angry Teen Students.)

“PACT Announces: Coming Soon PACT-RATS! LCPS HS Students Perspective On CRT and Equity In LCPS,” his announcement said.

He said the program was a group of five students from a variety of ethnic/racial backgrounds who feel like they don’t have a voice to oppose CRT and equity efforts in the schools.

“Part of my GoFundMe was some of the money was going  to go towards recruitment efforts in minority or ethnic communities, to help spread the  word, marketing, literature, t-shirts, that sort of thing,” he said. “So when they closed down that account, they closed down that opportunity too, for the people they claim to be representing.”

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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network.  Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Loudoun Schools” by Loudoun County Schools.