CRT Ideas, Divisive Race Lessons Would Be Banned By GA Bills

ATLANTA, GA — The controversial State Senate education bill banning educators from “race or ethnic scapegoating” goes to the Georgia House for consideration.

Senate Bill 377, which prohibits the teaching of nine “divisive concepts,” passed the Senate 32-20 along partisan lines last week.

It is one of many bills already passed either the Senate or House ahead of dozens more that will exchange Georgia General Assembly chambers Tuesday on Crossover Day, as lawmakers scramble to meet the deadline to pass bills out of their respective chambers.

Legislation similar to SB 377, House Bill 1084, is poised to head to the Senate after a 92-63 vote — also along party lines — earlier this month.

Among the divisive concepts that SB 377 prohibits are ethnic scapegoating or claiming a member of a certain race or ethnicity “is inherently racist inherently inclined to oppress others,” and assigning blame or responsibility to a member of a certain race or ethnicity “for actions committed by members of the same race, skin color or ethnicity, whether past or present.”

Bo Hatchett, the Cornelia Republican senator who sponsored the bill, told WSB TV that the bill won't stop history lessons about U.S. slavery or the civil rights movement.

“History lessons about slavery, all those can be taught,” Hatchett said. “What cannot be taught is after those lessons, telling a student that because of the color of their skin, they should feel guilty.”

But opponents worry that the bill will stymie lessons about such racially charged issues as slavery and civil rights.

“If I were a teacher, I would feel fearful. I would feel like this was a witch hunt,” state Sen. Nikki Merritt (D-Grayson) told WSB TV. “We’re giving parents kind of free rein to go after teachers now.”

HB 1084 similarly seeks to combat so-called “critical race theory” concepts that purport to teach one race is inherently superior to others and the United States and Georgia are systemically racist. Critical race theory is part of post-graduate-level college curriculum that educators and opponents of these bills say is not taught in grades K-12.

Both these bills promise stiff penalties for school districts found in violation, with the suspension of waivers from laws in one case and withholding of access to state funding. The bills also apply to state colleges and universities and state-run training programs.

Two other similar bills, Senate Bill 375 and House Bill 888, both await votes and could likely be part of the crush of legislation pushed through on Crossover Day.