According to the bill, which was passed by the Texas State Senate, public school teachers will no longer have to tell students about the Ku Klux Klan or that the concept of white supremacy is «morally wrong.»
In the Republican-controlled state, there are two dozen educational programs that were once mandatory in public schools — such as teaching Martin Luther King’s «I Have a Dream» speech, the achievements of Cesar Chavez, the writings of Susan B. Anthony and Native American stories are no longer considered necessary elements of the curriculum.
The bill passed last Friday appears to be a response to the critical Racial Theory (CRT) and, in particular, the controversial New York Times project 1619.
As previously reported, CRT is an academic concept based on the fact that race is a social construct, and the US legal system is inherently racist. Project 1619, created by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicole Hannah-Jones, is an attempt to » rethink the history of the country, placing the consequences of slavery and the contribution of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative,» according to the NYT.
According to the new Texas rules, teachers cannot be «forced» to discuss current events or «controversial aspects of public policy or social problems» — and if they do, they cannot «express any position».
State Democrats say that this measure » ties the hands of teachers.»
«How can a teacher discuss slavery, the Holocaust, or mass shootings at a Walmart in El Paso or at a Sutherland Springs church in my neighborhood without giving preference to any point of view?» asks state Senator Judith Zaffirini.
