The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill to ban critical race theory (CRT) in public schools.
Gov. Bill Lee already made it known he will sign the bill when it hits his desk.
Tennessee’s House and Senate had two different bills. It went to a conference committee on Wednesday.
Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) proposed additions to the bill:
Since the House and Senate versions had differences, the legislation went to a conference committee Wednesday. That’s where Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, proposed multiple additions, including forbidding teaching students that “the rule of law does not exist, but instead is a series of power relationships and struggles among racial or other groups.””That is the very definition of critical race theory,” Kelsey said after reading the line aloud. “I was subject to this teaching 20 years ago in law school and know it very well, and that is the very definition of it.”
Republican Sen. Page Walley voted against the bill. He mentioned “the large number of African American people in his district and the need to ensure everyone’s stories are told.”
Except CRT isn’t about telling everyone’s stories. I’m all about teaching actual history. It ticks me off that the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre isn’t well-known.
No, CRT is meant to teach white students that they are racist because of their skin colors. No matter what they do they are racist and responsible for all white people who came before them. It’s disgusting.
The Tennessean reported the assembly “cited an anecdote involving an anonymous 7-year-old whose mother said the child came home from school asking if she was a racist.”
The Tenessee Department of Education has not received any complaints about CRT. It also does not know of any school that teaches or sneaks CRT into the curriculum.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 377 to officially ban aspects of CRT in public schools.
Tennessee is now not that far behind Idaho. It joins other states, too.
Oklahoma’s House of Representatives advanced its bill to ban CRT in public schools, including colleges and universities, to Gov. Kevin Stitt.
The Texas legislature has two bills to ban CRT: Senate Bill 2022 and House Bill 3979.
The House bill bans “teachers from teaching ‘anti-racist’ material, and from receiving private funding or material for teaching the controversial 1619 Project.”
Texas state Sen. Brandon Creighton (R) is the chief sponsor of the Senate bill:
“To prepare the next generation, Texas public schools should inspire a love of learning, foster students’ natural curiosity and provide a strong foundation to understand history from a balanced approach and navigate current events, not require educators push a political agenda,” Texas state Sen. Brandon Creighton (R), the chief sponsor of his state’s measure, said in an email.His bill, he said, “will hold the line in Texas to ensure civics courses teach traditional history, focusing on the ideas that make our country great and the story of how our country has risen to meet those ideals, not that any race is inherently superior or place political requirements on students.”
Arizona’s State House passed its bill to ban CRT. The bill contains the same sentiments as those in Idaho, Tennessee, Texas, and Oklahoma. But this one still needs to get approval from the Senate.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY