Gov. Brian Kemp and Republican lawmakers are targeting critical race theory in schools in the opening days of this year’s legislative session.
Education was the first topic Kemp mentioned in his State of the State speech at the Gold Dome on Thursday morning. And before he even started talking, a North Georgia lawmaker had introduced a bill against critical race theory in schools.
Kemp first addressed money. He will ask lawmakers for a $2,000 teacher pay raise plus bonuses for them and for support staff. He will also ask for an additional $425 million toward school budgets.
Next, he waded into the culture war being fought in school districts across the country.
It is wrong and dangerous to divide students along political lines, Kemp said, adding it is occurring “from the classroom to the ballfield.” He said he will work with lawmakers to stop the “divisive ideology” of critical race theory in schools. He will also support efforts to keep “obscene” materials out of school libraries. And he will back a parental bill of rights.
By the time he took to the microphone, Rep. Brad Thomas, R-Holly Springs, had already introduced House Bill 888.
The Cherokee County lawmaker announced at a raucous school board meeting there in May that he was writing legislation to keep critical race theory out of schools. An angry crowd had assembled at that meeting to speak against the academic theory, even though the school administration insisted it was not being taught in classrooms.
HB 888 would prohibit curriculum that could be considered racially discriminatory. The 18-page bill also would prohibit teaching that “the United States is a systemically racist country.” It would require that school boards adopt a complaint resolution process to address alleged violations.
Thomas based the legislation in part “on the legal foundation of the First Amendment,” according to a written statement from the House of Representatives.
Lisa Morgan, president of the Georgia Association of Educators, said after Kemp’s speech that she appreciated the money he was committing to educators, support staff and school budgets. But she was also troubled by his foray into cultural issues. She hadn’t yet read HB 888 but said her group was concerned about its intent.
Students have a right to discuss difficult topics and teachers are trained to guide them, Morgan said. She worries that lawmakers want to discourage that. “We believe that all of our students deserve to have an education that includes accurate and honest instruction in our state, world and national history,” she said.
Kemp offered no details about his plans to support a parental bill of rights, but such legislation has proved controversial in other states. Morgan worries it could lead to teacher firings in Georgia “and could truly be chilling” in classrooms.
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