Georgia Moves to Block Teaching Critical Race Theory in Public Schools

Georgia’s Board of Education on Thursday passed a resolution that seeks to stop teaching what members called ”divisive ideologies” in public schools.

The resolution doesn’t specifically mention critical race theory, but the ideology was only discussed by the board during the hour-long meeting.

Critical race theory is the concept in which race is a socially constructed category ingrained in American law intended to maintain social, economic and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites. It holds that the U.S. society is inherently or systemically racist.

The resolution, which passed 11-2, prevents teachers from being forced to teach individuals that their worth or sense of shame should be dependent on their race or sex.

It reads, in part: “[C]oncepts that impute fault, blame, a tendency to oppress others, or the need to feel guilt or anguish to persons solely because of their race or sex violate the premises of individual rights, equal opportunity, and individual merit underpinning our constitutional republic, and therefore have no place in training for teachers, administrators, or other employees of the public educational system of the State of Georgia.”

Gov. Brian Kemp praised the move.

”I applaud the State Board of Education voting today to prevent Critical Race Theory (CRT) from being taught in our classrooms,” he tweeted. ”This dangerous, anti-American ideology has no place in Georgia schools.”

Lisa Morgan, president of the Georgia Association of Educators, called the move an “unnecessary political overreaction” prompted by Kemp’s letter to Georgia’s Board of Supervisors in May calling critical race theory a ”divisive” and ”anti-American agenda.”

“This resolution will not only impact the teaching of America’s complete history, but overall world history,” her statement reads in part. “Under this resolution, our teachers’ abilities to apply appropriate instructional decisions for their students will be severely limited.”

Dr. Natasha Johnson, an expert in education, said the resolution leaves out students.

“We don’t ignore what our young people are telling us. We always talk about them as if they are the future. Well, they’re very much here today,” she told 11Alive. 

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