New laws steer some teachers away from race-related topics

Matt Hawn faces the former Sullivan Central High School on November 12, 2021 in Kingsport, Tennessee. Hawn was fired from school after school officials said he was using materials with offensive language and failed to take a conservative stand during discussions of the white privilege in his class on contemporary issues, which has since been abolished. (AP Photo / Wade Payne)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – New measures restricting the use of race in classrooms have created confusion and fear among many educators, who in some cases have started pulling books and canceling classes for fear of punishment.

Education officials canceled a contemporary class in a district of Tennessee, removed Frederick Douglass’ autobiography from reading lists in an Oklahoma school system, and in one case in Texas advised teachers to present “opposing” views on the Holocaust.

At least a dozen states have enacted measures this year to restrict teaching in schools on racism, sexism, and other topics. While educators are still waiting to be enforced, the vagueness of some of the measures coupled with harsh penalties, including the possible loss of teaching licenses, is already leading to terrifying conversations about race in schools and, in some cases, likely has ramifications well beyond intention go beyond the advocates of the action.

Matt Hawn, a Tennessee high school social studies teacher, said he has heard from teachers concerned about how they will teach controversial subjects since he himself was fired this spring when state lawmakers put new teaching restrictions.

“It’s sure to be a precaution, like, ‘What if I teach this?’ – because the penalty is so high, ‘”said Hawn.

Hawn was fired after school officials said he was using materials with offensive language and failed to take a conservative stand during discussions of white privilege in his class on contemporary issues, which has since been eliminated.

Education about race and diversity is on the rise, along with wider recognition that racial injustice in America did not end with the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These efforts have sparked a backlash, particularly among Republican voters.

In Virginia Republican Glenn Youngkin won the governor’s race this month, pledging to ban critical racial theory, a term that has become a substitute for concepts such as systemic racism and implicit bias. His democratic opponent has been criticized for saying parents shouldn’t tell schools what to teach.

Some sections of the new laws appear indisputable. Tennessee law prohibits the doctrine that one race or one sex is inherently superior to another race or another sex. But other passages are more grim, apart from teachings that encourage divisions or create psychological stress on children because of their race or gender.

These vague prohibitions have worried teachers that any class on difficult subjects such as slavery or contemporary racism could be interpreted by parents as a violation of the law, said Alice O’Brien, general counsel for the National Education Association.

“These measures are problematic because it is unclear what they mean and very much in the eye of the beholder,” said O’Brien. “I think it’s worth understanding that every state already has fairly comprehensive rules on K-12 for what teachers should teach. And they have to teach the entire history of the United States … not just the parts that we can celebrate. “

Some have cited the new laws to urge the elimination of teaching materials.

In Tennessee, a conservative group of mothers in the Nashville suburb of Williamson County, Moms for Liberty, challenged how schools teach second graders the civil rights movement.

In a letter to the Ministry of Education, Robin Steenman complained that the texts and the accompanying teacher’s manual suggest that “people with color continue to be suppressed (hateful) by an oppressive ‘angry, vicious, scary, mean, loud, violent, (rude)” ) ‘white population. ”The books Steenman cited include“ Ruby Bridges Goes to School ”and“ Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington ”.

In Oklahoma, teachers at Edmond Public Schools said books by colored authors were removed from a list of anchor texts on which English teachers base their curriculum. A lawsuit filed by teachers, students and parents said the district has also removed frequently scholarly texts by black authors from the curriculum, including the autobiography of Frederick Douglass.

A school system spokeswoman Susan Parks-Schlepp said some reading assignments had been made optional as part of an annual review to ensure they were in line with state guidelines.

In Texas, a Republican legislature chaired a committee he chaired to gather information on the use of at least 850 books on topics ranging from racism to abortion.

State Representative Matt Krause, who is running for attorney general, said five Texas school districts removed books “after receiving objections from students, parents and taxpayers.” Two of the districts confirmed they had received copies of the letter and were investigating the matter, but made no further comments.

Clay Robinson, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association, said the letter only added to the confusion teachers have been grappling with since the state passed a law requiring educators to “address both sides” of issues teach.

“Teachers already feel like Big Brother is looking over their shoulders,” said Robinson.

The racial segregation in support of these measures became apparent at an Alabama School Committee meeting in August when the two black members voted against a resolution condemning “teaching to indoctrine students” in ideologies associated with a particular race or race Promote gender while the seven white members voted in favor.

School board member Tonya Chestnut spoke out against the measure, saying that all children deserve to be in an environment where they can feel safe and value their heritage, but the resolution could “put teachers in a position where they feel uncomfortable or even anxious about teaching the class ”. Truth.”

James Copland, director of legal policy at the conservative Manhattan Institute, said deterrent effects are real, but that tailored new laws are needed to show schools what is and what is not.

He pointed out a few episodes, including a teacher from Cupertino, Calif. Instructing elementary school students to “deconstruct” their racial identities, and an elementary school in Philadelphia where students were on an auditorium stage with signs reading “Jail Trump” and ” Black Power Matters “released.”

“We don’t want to deter real discussion and a clear history study,” said Copland. But he said students shouldn’t be forced to join a range of beliefs related to racism and sexism.

Derek W. Black, a law professor at the University of South Carolina and author of Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy, said these measures were unnecessary. The federal citizenship law already makes it illegal to discriminate in the classroom, he said.

He doesn’t doubt that some teachers are teaching poorly about racism and sexism, or that some parents have legitimate complaints, but he said they should deal with “the 1,001 other legitimate complaints.”

“Why is this No. 1? Politics. Correctly. Politics.”

Coronado, who reported from Austin, Texas, is a corps member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a not-for-profit national utility that places journalists on local newsrooms to cover undercover issues.

https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2021/11/20/new-laws-steer-some-teachers-away-from-race-related-topics/