Georgia legislature’s schooling agenda is escalating tradition wars

To get a glimpse of this chilling effect, look at states like Florida, which already limit what schools can teach about race. Lisa McNair, a civil rights activist and sister of Denise McNair, one of the four little girls killed in the 1963 bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Alabama, was on a speaking tour in Florida last month. A school district turned down her offer to speak to students about her family’s history, fearing she was breaking Florida law. Another school allowed her to speak but forbade student questions because of the same concern.

In their final hours, the legislature passed an amendment that will create an oversight committee for the Georgia High School Association. That committee will likely question whether trans girls can play on female high school teams, a decision now left to schools. Robin Hines, the association’s executive director, said the board of trustees could take up the issue in the coming months.

“It is clear that this provides a way forward for potential restrictions on who is allowed to play sports in our state. But much is still unknown about the impact of the bill,” said Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality. “We continue to hope that the Oversight Committee and the Georgia High School Association will ensure that no harm is done to transgender children in Georgia who simply want the opportunity to play sports with their peers.”

Despite Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s assertion that these bills give priority to students, their votes were ignored by the legislature. Jalen Connor was one of dozens of high schoolers who came to the Capitol to oppose the divisive Concept Law. She signed up in advance to testify and traveled four hours from her home in Savannah. But the committee chair decided there was no time to hear from her or the other students.

The 18-year-old later shared what she wanted to tell lawmakers: “HB 1084 silences the voices of the students you’re supposedly protecting. But what exactly are you protecting them from? The bill talks about banning the teaching of divisive concepts in the classroom when those concepts don’t actually exist.”

Georgia Tech student Alex Ames spoke at several hearings to remind lawmakers that there was real work to be done. “Right now, there are Georgia students who attend schools named after Confederate generals. There are classrooms without enough teachers or textbooks to get them through the year, and hundreds of thousands of children study in poverty. To neglect these issues while rewriting the history that brought us here is a shame,” she said.

Another bill pitting parents against teachers is Kemp’s Parents’ Bill of Rights, which reaffirms the right of aggrieved parents to complain about oversight, transparency and educational materials. Since parents already have this right, this bill was more of a political theatre.

The legislature recognized her need to redeem herself to the teachers and approved a $2,000 pay rise. The pay rises are meant to show that Kemp and other world leaders value teachers, but legislation enacted at this session makes it clear they don’t trust them.