A new school bill is on the verge of being passed. The bill would ban schools from including 13 concepts regarding race theory and racism in school curriculums. The bill also includes the eradication of conversations about systematic racism. If passed, this bill will significantly affect the future of education in the state of North Carolina.
NC House Bill 187 forbids schools from educating students about “privileges because of their race or sex, that the United States is a racist or sexist country, or teaching that one race or sex is superior.” This isn’t the first time that lawmakers have tried to influence the academic curriculum in classrooms. Two years ago, a similar bill, House Bill 324 was passed by the NC General Assembly and sent to Governor Roy Cooper, but was ultimately vetoed. Republicans strengthened their legislative majorities in the November elections, making it more difficult for General Assembly Democrats to uphold any future vetoes. This brings into focus a local issue that is controversial nationwide.
Sponsors insist they’re not looking to shut down discussions about the history of racism and sexism, because the bill has a handful of exceptions. This includes one to allow “the impartial instruction on the historical oppression of a particular group of people based on race, ethnicity, class, nationality, religion or geographic region.” Despite the bill’s multiple supporters, educators argue that the General Assembly is trying to limit critical dialogue in schools. They believe this will have a significant impact on the future of education by not equipping students with important knowledge needed to succeed in life.
Furthermore, opponents of the bill believe that NC lawmakers are not only limiting the academic curriculum, but also the ideas to which students are exposed and harming their ability to engage in real world issues. NC State Senator, Natalie Murdock states “They’ll [teachers] be afraid of teaching the full history, they’ll be afraid to talk about structural racism and systemic racism—barriers that persist to this day.” She and other supporters believe that critical education encourages students to think independently, question assumptions, and challenge the status quo. They argue that students may become passive learners who accept what they are told without questioning it.
In addition, the implementation of critical education in academic curriculum has proved to help students develop important skills such as problem-solving, communication, and collaboration. Studies have shown that these skills are essential for success in the 21st-century workforce. Opponents argue that by limiting critical education, students risk being left ill-prepared for future challenges.
Gaston County Rep. John Tobertt sponsors House Bill 187 states that he doesn’t believe in the eradication of the conversations of controversial topics in classrooms and he says he does not advocate for historical concepts to be avoided simply because they portray negative aspects of US History. Instead, he says his intention is to shape the approach used to present such topics and keep certain points of view from being “promoted” over others. He states “This bill[HB 187] does not change what history standards can and cannot be taught.” The argument that the bill is targeted more at how such topics are presented rather than historical facts themselves is supported by another Republican, Rep. David Willis of Union County, who said, “We know as a nation we have good, bad, and ugly. And I want my children to understand all of that…We’re asking not to politicize this, but to un-politicize this.”
Although it is not explicitly stated, House Bill 187 ties into the aspects of critical race theory that have come up in public discourse for several years now. Seven other states have chosen to ban the teaching of topics related to critical race theory (CRT), and sixteen other states are in discussions to potentially ban CRT.