Georgia State Senate Passes Bill To Limit Discussions About Race In School

Georgia is uniting with other states in the country to limit conversations about race in the classroom.

According to CNN, on April 1, House Bill 1084, also known as the “Protect Students First Act,” passed in Georgia’s State Senate in a 32-21 vote.

The Georgia State Senate shared a tweet saying, the bill would “prohibit schools and local school systems from advocating divisive concepts and ensure that curricula and training programs encourage students and employees to practice tolerance and respect and not judge others based on race.”

The bill has received some backlash from a few officials. Maurice Brewton, a US history teacher in Georgia, expressed to AJC, “It’s time for us to be able to have these uncomfortable conversations candidly. We don’t want to continue to push the conversation back and make the next generation have to deal with it.”

Katie Guenthner, a 17-year-old senior at  Decatur High who was boycotting the bill, stated, “Any discussion about race that could perceivably offend anyone would be banned. Imagine what that would do to the quality of education of Georgia’s universities. Professors and students would live in fear of saying the wrong things, stymying free thought and new ideas.”

Similar bills have been passed all over the country. Congresses in over 40 states have initiated other bills to restrict classroom lessons on America’s history of racism, according to ABC.