Texas passes bill banning critical race theory requirement
Texas educators may no longer be required to teach critical race theory in classrooms
The Texas Senate on Saturday passed legislation that would prohibit schools from demanding educators teach or engage with students on the subject of critical race theory, according to The Hill.
The legislation reportedly passed the state’s lower chamber on May 11, but must gain further approval by the state House after changes were made in the state Senate, according to KXAN.
Critical race theory, born of the civil rights movement, is rooted on the grounds that race is socially constructed and intentionally oppressive, and holds that the law and legal institutions actively practice racism by deliberately creating economic, social and political inequities between whites and people of color — specifically Black people.
Read More: How Biden policy is addressing the inherent racism behind the U.S. tax code
“House Bill 3979 makes certain that critical race philosophies, including the 1619 founding myth, are removed from our school curriculums statewide. When parents send their children to school, they want their students to learn critical thinking without being indoctrinated with misinformation charging that America and our Constitution are rooted in racism,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) reportedly said about the passage of the bill.
“Texans roundly reject the ‘woke’ philosophies that espouse that one race or sex is better than another and that someone, by virtue of their race or sex, is innately racist, oppressive or sexist,” he continued.
On Wednesday, 20 state attorneys general sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona arguing their opposition to teaching critical race theory in classrooms, reported The Hill.
“The proposed priorities are a thinly veiled attempt at bringing into our states’ classrooms the deeply flawed and controversial teachings of Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project,” the letter read.
The attorneys general further wrote that critical race theory “supports the idea that America is a fundamentally racist country and that our institutions are inherently systemically racist.”
“Promoting this warped view of American history does not support the teaching of American history as required by [federal] statute, but instead props up an idea based not in fact, but on the idea that the United States is a nation founded on white supremacy, patriarchy, and oppression and that these forces are still at the root of our society,” they also wrote.
Read More: Get the facts: Critical race theory urgently needed in U.S. schools
The bill reportedly requires teachers who engage issues regarding race relations and their implications throughout history to explore points of view “from diverse and contending perspectives without giving deference to any one perspective.”
Many Democrats and education lobbyists, of course, believe to the bill to be a counterintuitive effort to misinform and improperly equip America’s children.
“By telling teachers what and how to teach and ordering TEA to play police, HB 3979 may be one of the most disrespectful bills to teachers I’ve seen the #txlege dignify with debate,” wrote Mark Wiggins, a lobbyist for The Association of Professional Educators, on Twitter.
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