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Restrictions on teaching
In October 2021, the Alabama State Board of Education permanently banned elements of critical race theory, which it defined as blaming groups for discrimination because of their race or sex. Titled “Resolution Declaring the Preservation of Intellectual Freedom And Nondiscrimination”, the policy describes racism and slavery as “betrayals of the founding principles of the United States” and encourages Alabama residents to “move forward” from the past. A bill under consideration in the 2022 legislative session seeks to further codify this stance.
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Attempts to ban the 1619 Project
Republican lawmakers have filed a bill for the 2022 legislative session that seeks to ban instruction on the 1619 Project. The bill follows similar moves earlier in Alaska. In May 2021, Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy tweeted that critical race theory is “a false narrative” promoting “division” with “no place in our schools.” Since June 2021, at least 14 Alaska teachers have signed a nationwide pledge from the Zinn Education Project to teach through the lens of critical race theory regardless of any legislation barring it.
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Restrictions on teaching re-introduced
In January 2022, Arizona Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that prevents public schools from providing instruction on certain concepts relating to race and sex, including white privilege, structual racism, and the elusiveness of meritocracy. The bill is the latest attempt to curtail discussions on race in the state’s schools. In November 2021, the state Supreme Court struck down Arizona’s critical race theory ban due to a technicality. The former law, signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, prohibited teachers from instructing about unconscious bias or responsibility for historic acts of racism, as well as other instruction that “presents any form of blame or judgment on the basis of race, ethnicity or sex.”
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Restrictions on teaching the ‘1619 Project’
In Arkansas, the Saving American History Act died in committee in February, but the effort to ban critical race theory in the classroom continues. The bill, proposed by Rep. Mark Lowery sought to “prohibit the use of public school funds to teach the ‘1619 Project.’” On June 7, 2021, Lowery wrote a letter to Attorney General Leslie Rutledge seeking feedback on “the legality of teaching so-called ‘anti-racism’ and Critical Race Theory in Arkansas public schools and universities.”
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Revisiting state standards
Amid the national discussion on classroom content, in January 2022, Colorado Republican Rep. Tim Geithner filed a bill that requires teachers, schools, or districts to post instructional materials online. The bill is not expected to pass in the state’s Democratic-controlled House.
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Board of Education enacts critical race theory ban
In January 2022, Republican lawmakers advanced a bill that, if passed, would codify aspects of the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act announced by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in December. The Stop W.O.K.E. Act, as DeSantis called it in a statement, is intended to eradicate what they define as corporate wokeness and critical race theory. The bill limits instruction on certain concepts relating to race and sex, such as white privilege, structual racism, and the elusiveness of meritocracy. Additionally, amid the national discussion on classroom content, the bill requires teachers, schools, or districts to post instructional materials online. The bill is the latest attempt to curtail discussions on race in the state’s schools and businesses. In June 2021, the Florida State Board of Education voted unanimously to ban teaching of the 1619 Project and critical race theory, which it defines as “the theory that racism is not merely the product of prejudice, but that racism is embedded in American society and its legal systems in order to uphold the supremacy of white persons.”
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Opposition to teachings on white privilege
In January 2022, Georgia Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that prevents public schools from providing instruction on certain concepts relating to race and sex, including white privilege, structual racism, and the elusiveness of meritocracy. Amid the national discussion on classroom content, the bill also requires districts, schools, or teachers to post instructional materials online. The bill follows similar actions in Georgia. On May 20, 2021, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp sent a letter to the state board of education “opposing critical race theory in our schools,” calling it “anti-American.” In response to Kemp’s letter, Georgia’s Board of Education passed a resolution opposing lessons about systemic racism and unconscious bias as well as instruction related to the 1619 Project discussing racism’s role in the United States’ founding. The resolution also states that no state school district or school administration policy should “compel” educators to “discuss current events or widely debated and currently controversial issues.”
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Restrictions on critical race theory
Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little signed a bill in April 2021 restricting the use of critical race theory in schools.
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Indiana is not racist, bill declares
Republican lawmakers have filed multiple bills for the 2022 legislative session that seek to ban schools from teaching concepts such as white privilege, structural racism, and the elusiveness of meritocracy. If passed, schools could face fines for teaching ideas such as “Indiana or the United States was founded as a racist or sexist state or nation.” The bills follow similar moves earlier in Indiana. In May 2021, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita led 19 other state attorneys general in asking the U.S. Department of Education to ban the teaching of critical race theory, and in June 2021, Rokita released a 16-page “Parents Bill of Rights” that urges parents and guardians to oppose the use of the 1619 Project.
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Restrictions on teaching
On June 8, Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that she signed a bill limiting instruction on institutional racism, white privilege, and critical race theory in Iowa classrooms, including public universities.
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Allow parents to see test questions in advance
Amid the national discussion on classroom content, Republican lawmakers have filed a curriculum transparency bill, Senate Bill 363, that requires districts, schools, or teachers to post instructional materials and a list of “all materials used for teacher professional development” by July 1 of the preceding school year. Additional legislation, House Bill 2513, allows parents and guardians to opt their children out of any assessments that contain questions about the “personal and private attitudes, values, beliefs or practices” of a student, their family member, or friends. As written, the legislation allows parents and guardians to review test questions for subjects like English in advance.
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Restrictions on teaching
Republican Rep. Joseph Fischer has filed a bill for the 2022 legislative session that will prohibit teachers from discussing certain “concepts related to race, sex, and religion” and specifies that “a school district employee that violates the prohibition is subject to disciplinary action.” A similar measure, seeks to add more urgency to the possible enactment of such a law by “declaring an emergency” and instituting a $5,000 per day fine for each day a violation persists.
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CRT bill stalls and history standards updated
The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is scheduled to approve its revised social studies standards in March 2022 instead of January 2022 after receiving 1,800 comments about the drafted guidelines. Many of the comments addressed inclusiveness and critical race theory and the board delayed its actions to allow more time to review the feedback. This movement follows discussions around the same topic earlier this year when Rep. Ray Garofalo, the Republican chair of the House education committee, introduced a bill that would have blocked teachers and professors in public institutions from teaching elements of critical race theory in schools and colleges. Following fierce debate, the bill stalled and Garofalo was ousted as committee chair.
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Restrictions on supporting legal decisions
In February 2021, Republican State Rep. Ricky Carmicheal introduced a bill that attempts to ban teachers from engaging in political, ideological or religious advocacy in the classroom. The bill also states that teachers cannot endorse or propose the decision of any court case. The bill did not advance.
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Restrictions on teaching the 1619 Project
Michigan Senate Bill 460 introduced in 2021 would prohibit school lessons that promote the 1619 Project or content deemed “anti-American and racist.”
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1890 Constitution permitted in divisive material legislation
In January 2022, Mississippi Republican lawmakers introduced multiple bills that prevent public schools from providing instruction on critical race theory and certain topics about race and gender. For example, Bill 437 restricts instructional materials that present what the legislation described as “divisive concepts.” However, it makes an exception for the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, a document that states “separate schools shall be maintained for children of the white and colored races.”
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Attempts to ban Teaching Tolerance
Republican legislators have filed multiple bills for the 2022 legislative session that ban certain topics on race and gender in the classroom and ban the use of curriculum from certain institutions, including the 1619 Project, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance). Amid the national discussion on classroom content, one piece of legislation gives parents the right to opt out their children from any “divisive or controversial” lesson that conflicts with the parents and guardians’ personal beliefs on equality.
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Restrictions on teaching
In May 2021, Montana’s Attorney General Austin Knudsen, a Republican, issued a binding opinion banning critical race theory and certain kinds of antiracism training in schools. He stated, “Montana law does not tolerate schools, other government entities, or employers implementing CRT and antiracist programming in a way that treats individuals differently on the basis of race or that creates a racially hostile environment.”
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Restrictions on teaching
In January 2022, Nebraska Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that prevents public schools from providing instruction on “certain concepts relating to race and sex,” including white privilege, structual racism, and the elusiveness of meritocracy. In May of 2021, Nebraska Attorney General Douglas Peterson joined 19 other attorneys general in signing a letter sent to the U.S. Department of Education that called critical race theory and the 1619 Project “deeply flawed and controversial.”
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Restrictions on teaching
The state budget Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed in June 2021 included a clause discrediting the concept of unconscious bias. The clause in the Right to Freedom from Discrimination in Public Workplaces and Education amendment states that one’s identity does not make an individual “inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.” A Teacher Loyalty bill introduced in the 2022 legislative session goes a step further and threatens to discipline any teacher “promoting a negative account or representation of the founding and history of the United States.” It continues, “such prohibition includes but is not limited to teaching that the United States was founded on racism.”
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Opposition to critical race theory
In January 2022, New Mexico Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that prevents public schools from providing instruction on critical race theory and “the idea that social problems are created by racist or patriarchal societal structures and systems.”
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Opposition to critical race theory
In August and December 2021, New York Republican lawmakers introduced bills that prevent public schools from providing instruction on structural racism, white guilt, and the elusiveness of meritocracy.
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Restrictions on teaching
In September 2021, Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, became one of the first governors to veto a bill targeting critical race theory instruction when he rejected the Ensuring Dignity & Nondiscrimination/Schools bill. In vetoing the bill, Cooper said, “The Legislature should be focused on supporting teachers, helping students recover lost learning, and investing in our public schools. Instead, this bill pushes calculated, conspiracy-laden politics into public education.” Another piece of legislation, the Academic Transparency bill, failed to advance. It would have required districts, schools, and teachers to post instructional materials, actions that Democratic lawmakers labeled an unnecessary burden during an already taxing era of education.
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Restrictions on teaching
In November 2021, Republican Gov. Doug Burgum signed into law an act prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory in public schools. The law, which became effective immediately, bans instruction that suggests that “racism is systemically embedded in American society and the American legal system to facilitate racial inequality.”
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Restrictions on teaching
Republican lawmakers have proposed two bills for the 2022 legislative session that would limit teaching on what they label “divisive concepts” such as institutional racism, the myth of meritocracy, white privilege, and critical race theory.
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Restrictions on teaching
In May 2021, Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law a measure that limits teaching on institutional racism, the myth of meritocracy, white privilege, and the concepts of critical race theory. Stitt signed the bill despite objections from the Oklahoma Parent and Teacher Association. Later that month, legislators passed a resolution deterring the use of critical race theory and the 1619 Project in professional development for educators.
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Opposition to critical race theory
Republican Reps. Barb Gleim and Russ Diamond are among the sponsors of HB 1532, a measure that would restrict “racist and sexist concepts” in public schools and universities. The Teaching Racial and Universal Equality (TRUE) Act was introduced in the House on March 3 and was referred to the House Education Committee on June 7. In a memo, Gleim and Diamond said that the bill is “aimed at curtailing the divisive nature of concepts more commonly known as “critical race theory.””.
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Opposition to critical race theory
After its introduction in March 2021, a bill banning elements of critical race theory sponsored by Republican state Rep. Patricia Morgan was “held for further study.” The proposed legislation would “prohibit making any individual feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of their race or sex.”
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Opposition to critical race theory
Republican lawmakers have filed multiple bills for the 2022 legislative session, including House bills 4100, 4605, and 4799, that seek to ban schools from teaching critical race theory, the 1619 Project, and instruction deemed “ideological coercion and indoctrination.” For example, Bill 4605 discourages schools from promoting nonbinary pronouns, affirming “the existence of genders other than male and female,” and teaching that “standard English language” is racist.
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Opposition to the 1619 Project
In January 2022, South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem released a draft of her bill for the 2022 legislative session titled An Act to Protect Students from Critical Race Theory. In May 2021, Noem sent a letter to the Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s public universities, asking them to “preserve honest, patriotic education.” In the letter, she specifically targeted the 1619 Project as “infused with errors and misstatements about our nation’s history.”
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Restrictions on teaching
Over the objection of the Tennessee Educators of Color Alliance and the Tennessee ACLU, Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a measure that withholds funding from school districts if teachers tie certain events to institutional racism, white privilege, and critical race theory. Legal scholars have said that the new law “suffers from serious overbreadth and vagueness problems” and will “have a chilling effect on teachers.”
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Restrictions on teaching
An updated version of a recent Texas law banning elements of critical race theory in the classroom went into effect in December 2021. The update addresses all classroom instruction, moving beyond the scope of the previous law that targeted social studies instruction. Under the law, teachers who discuss widely-debated issues must do so “free from political bias.” It also bars instruction that contributes to individuals feeling “blame, or guilt for actions committed by other members of the same race or sex.” It further requires each school to send representatives to a civics training program. Amid the national discussion on classroom content, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has also promoted a Parental Bill of Rights that would require districts and educators to post instructional materials online at the beginning of the semester.
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Restrictions on teaching
With his first executive order, newly elected Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin directed Virginia superintendents to eliminate all policies and instruction that promote “critical race theory” and “political indoctrination” in favor of instruction that is “non-controversial.” The executive order, issued on Jan.15, 2022 instructs superintendents to report back in 30 days any related content or curricula, and instructs them in 90 days to identify necessary legislative or executive actions “needed to end use of all inherently divisive concepts in public education.”
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Lawmakers target 'How to Be an Anti-Racist'
In January 2022, Washington Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that prevents public schools from providing instruction on what they describe as “radical rhetoric.” It also states that administrators cannot compel educators to teach ‘The 1619 Project,’ ‘How to Be an Anti-Racist,’ and a “controversial topic in public policy or social affairs.”
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Ban on teaching "divisive acts"
In January 2022, West Virginia Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that prevents public schools from providing instruction on what they deem “divisive concepts” such as that “the United States is fundamentally racist” or “members of a sex are inherently sexist.” Similar bills introduced in 2021 stalled.
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Teachers must post curriculum
In January 2022, the Wisconsin Senate passed a bill—largely along partisan lines—limiting instruction on institutional structural racism, the myth of meritocracy, and white privilege in Wisconsin public schools. Senate Democrats voted against the bill and all Senate Republicans voted for it except Republican Sen. Howard Marklein, who split from his party on the vote. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is expected to veto the bill.
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