Governor Abbott made no comment when he signed the bill, but said he supported it and would sign it into law.
The bill passed the state Senate last month. Texans firmly reject ‘wake-up’ philosophies that support the superiority of one race or gender over another and promote people as inherently racist, oppressive or sexist because of their race or gender,” said Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. “
“These abhorrent concepts have exploded in our culture and seek to divide us. And unfortunately, these theories are now in teachers in Texas, even in elementary schools.” Dan Patrick added.
House Bill 3979, while not mentioning CRT by name, explicitly prohibits teachers, administrators and employees of state agencies, school districts and open-enrollment charter schools from teaching students theories that one race is inherently superior to another race or gender, or that a person is inherently racist, sexist, or needs to feel oppressed because of his or her race or gender, or that individuals “responsible for acts committed in the past by other members of the same race or gender.”
Teachers and school districts also cannot implement the 1619 Project. The project, published by the New York Times, seeks to view the Atlantic slave trade as a dominant factor in the founding of the United States, rather than ideas such as individual liberty and natural human rights.
The bill also lists a series of historical texts that can be taught in the classroom, such as the founding documents of the United States and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
The bill also prevents teachers and school districts from requiring or praising students for their political activism, also known as “civic action” or “civil disobedience. Critics say such civic education is teaching children to protest and rebel. The bill also prohibits private funding for such related courses.
The bill further protects teachers from receiving training, orientation or treatment for “any form of racial or gender stereotyping or accusation based on race or gender.
“Teachers are at the center of critical race theory,” Texas Republican Rep. Steve Toth told National Review, “and they contacted me and shared examples of how they were threatened that if they didn’t teach critical race theory, they would lose their jobs. they will lose their jobs.” Toth is the lead sponsor of the bill.
The bill will go into effect Sept. 1.
Several states have passed or issued similar laws and executive orders. supporters of CRT call such measures “censorship of discussion” and claim that the theory helps children “think critically “The role that race has played in American history.
Earlier, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law creating the 1836 Project, which will create an advisory board to “promote patriotic education and awareness of Texas values.
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