Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed several controversial education bills that, among other things, restrict discussions of race in classrooms and allow the exclusion of transgender athletes from sports, reflecting a nationwide push by Republicans to redefine American schools.
Kemp said the bills increase transparency and give parents more say in their children’s education. But critics said the new laws would weaken public schools and leave them vulnerable to the whims of politicians.
The measures signed into law include one that imposes sweeping restrictions on how teachers approach so-called “divisive concepts” such as race and racism in the classroom, including saying that the U.S. is “fundamentally racist.”
The same measure, called the Protect Students First Act, also gives an athletic oversight board the authority to ban transgender children from high school sports.
Speaking at the Forsyth County Arts and Learning Center on Thursday, Kemp said the bill protects “academic freedom” and ensures the “Georgia High School Association has the authority to protect fairness in school sports.”
“It ensures that the full history of our state and our nation is taught accurately, because here in Georgia our classrooms will not become the playthings of those who indoctrinate our children with their partisan political agendas,” he said.
Andrea Young, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, said at a video news conference Thursday morning that the organization’s legal teams “stand ready to defend the constitutional rights of students and educators when this law restricts their ability to learn and teach.” .” ”
“We want to hear from educators, students and families about the impact of these laws,” she said.
Among the measures signed into law is a “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” which establishes the “fundamental right of parents to determine the upbringing and education of their children” and states that information about a child’s education will not be withheld from parents should.
It also allows for the removal of “harmful” books from school libraries and forces local school boards to implement a “grievance resolution process” for parents who dispute library materials.
Republican lawmakers and activists across the country have targeted curricula and called for the removal of books that address racism or sexuality, most of which feature LGBTQ characters and themes.
School districts in 26 states have banned or investigated more than 1,100 books. That’s according to a report this month from PEN America, a literature and free speech advocacy organization that compiled data on such bans from July to March.
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Kemp said the state government has “put students and parents first by keeping vigilant politics out of the classroom and off the ballfields.”
“Advocating for the God-given potential of every child in our schools and protecting the teachings of liberty, liberty, equal opportunity and the American dream in the classroom should not be controversial,” Kemp said Thursday of the bills that drew ire and criticism from Democrats, advocates and teacher groups.
“Ensuring that parents have the ultimate say in their child’s education should not be controversial,” Kemp said.
Other bills signed by Kemp allow retired teachers to return to high-need areas, ensure financial literacy is taught in schools and increase tax credits for private school scholarships.
The ACLU of Georgia as well as other advocacy groups and school community members spoke out against the bills during a video press conference Thursday morning.
Jalaya Liles Dunn, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Learning for Justice Project, said the bills set “a dangerous precedent that allows our democratic government to dictate, hide and censor accurate information with which it is not familiar.” agree.”
“These bills should distort the truth and sanitize history at a time when awareness of systemic racism is growing,” she said.
Mitzi McAdam, a Forsyth County parent, said, “Many parents are feeling helpless right now in the face of this wave of legislation that limits the effectiveness of our public schools and exploits our children’s learning to the whims of partisan extremism.”
“The idea that certain parents with a certain belief system have the ability to oversee what is being taught to students across the state is absurd,” she said.
Aryani Duppada, a senior in the district, asked, “Why is teaching actual history that real people experienced so controversial?” Why are politicians so afraid of students learning about real events that happened in our country? “
“These are critical times and Black and brown students need to be supported and nurtured,” she said.
