The Georgia Senate passed a bill Friday requiring that school curricula only teach kindergarten through high school students that all races are equal, banning the concepts of Critical Race Theory (CRT) that teach students that races in America are inherently unequal.
SB 377 says schools cannot teach “divisive concepts” to school children. It mandates the same for government agencies.
The term “divisive concepts” is clearly defined in the bill. The bill specifically bans the following teaching practices:
- One race or ethnicity is inherently superior to another race or ethnicity; The United States of America and the State of Georgia are fundamentally or systemically racist;
- An individual, solely because of his or her race, skin color, or ethnicity, is inherently racist or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously;
- An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race, skin color, or ethnicity;
- An individual’s moral character is inherently determined by his or her race, skin color, or ethnicity;
- An individual, because of his or her race, skin color, or ethnicity, bears responsibility for actions committed by other individuals of the same race, skin color, or ethnicity, whether past or present;
- An individual should feel demeaned or caused to feel guilt by a teacher because of the individual’s race, skin color, or ethnicity;
- Performance based advancement or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or were created by individuals of a particular race to oppress individuals of another race;
The bill specifically notes that schools and agencies can discuss the “divisive concepts,” but simply not in a way where one race is blamed or scapegoated.
SB 377 also bans all forms of “ethnic scapegoating,” defined as “assigning fault, blame, or bias to a race or ethnicity or to an individual of a particular race or ethnicity because of his or her race or ethnicity.”
The bill says that by July 1, all school districts must create a policy for handling potential breakages of the new law if parents report an issue.
The bill is sponsored by 30 Republican state senators and Friday passed by a majority vote of 32-20, with one senator not voting and three abstaining.
Furthermore, SB 377 prohibits government agencies and contractors whom they might hire from forcing employees to take any form of CRT-style training.
“The head of each state agency shall … [e]nsure that all agency diversity and inclusion training, workshops, programs, and other efforts encourage agency employees not to judge each other based on race, skin color, or ethnicity;” the bill says.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
