Two Ohio Republican state lawmakers have introduced a bill inspired by Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” law, better known as “Don’t Say Gay.” However, the proposal also covers a vaguely-defined category of “divisive concepts,” including so-called critical race theory (CRT).
For grades four through 12, the bill would restrict instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity to lessons “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
However, HB 616 goes even further, banning school district boards from adopting textbooks, instructional materials, or academic curricula “that promotes any divisive or inherently racist concept,” and bans teachers from teaching lessons, or obtaining credit for attending seminars that provide instruction on such topics.
“‘Divisive or inherently racist concepts’ include all of the following: (a) Critical race theory; (b) Intersectional theory; (c) The 1619 project; (d) Diversity, equity, and inclusion learning outcomes; (e) Inherited racial guilt; (f) Any other concept that the state board of education defines as divisive or inherently racist,” the bill goes on to state.
The Ohio bill is strongly opposed by the state’s education organizations, including the
Ohio Education Association, the Ohio Federation of Teachers labor union, and the
Columbus Education Association, all of which have issued statements denouncing it.
“This is yet another attempt by Ohio’s legislative majority to sow division in our schools and communities instead of working to solve problems that Ohio students face,” OFT president Melissa Cropper said in a
Tuesday statement.
A law
passed last June in Texas similarly banned the teaching of “critical race theory” and LGBTQ topics, as well as
a long list of books on those topics and others, such as abortion, women’s rights, and Mexican-American civil rights, from school libraries.
South Dakota has its own version of the Ohio bill,
HB 1012, which describes itself as aiming to “protect students and employees at institutions of higher education from divisive concepts.”
Focusing on fighting these lessons became a major focus in the aftermath of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests that swept the United States after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Protesters demanding justice for Floyd and other victims of police and vigilante violence also demanded an end to the
veneration of the Confederacy, a pro-slavery rebellion in the 1860s that sparked the US Civil War and was celebrated by white supremacists long after its defeat.