NASHVILLE – A Tennessee House effort to bar public schools from teaching concepts related to systemic racism to their students triggered a fierce floor debate Tuesday over America’s past, with Democrats charging GOP colleagues are ignoring a history that lives to this day.
Following the lengthy debate, the Republican-dominated chamber approved the measure, which as amended restricts the teaching of history and social issues largely to the state’s official curriculum, on a mostly party line 69-23 vote. Public schools and public charter schools risk the loss of state funds if they don’t follow the guidelines, should the measure become law.
But there’s a wrinkle: Representatives were amending a Senate education catch-all measure, Senate Bill 623. The Senate version, sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Mike Bell, R-Riceville, is a 12-page clean-up bill addressing multiple issues ranging from K-12 education reporting requirements to student testing and advanced placement procedures as well as higher education matters.
While those 52 bill sections remain in the bill, the Republican-led Senate later Tuesday afternoon refused go along with the House’s new Section 51, the provision containing House Republicans’ effort to ban certain teachings about race and cultural hot-button issues OK’d earlier this week by the House Education Administration Committee.
The bill is now headed to a conference committee to iron out the difference as lawmakers try to wrap up their annual session on Wednesday.