Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill into law on Monday prohibiting public schools from teaching critical race theory in the Volunteer State.
Lee didn’t make any comments when signing the bill, but when the General Assembly passed it earlier this month, he said schools should teach "the exceptionalism of our nation,” not things that “inherently divide” people.
Among the 14 tenets are: that an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex; that the state or the United States is fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist; and that the rule of law does not exist, but instead is a series of power relationships and struggles among racial or other groups.
The bill further requires that the commissioner of education withhold state funds—in an amount determined by the commissioner—from a public school that “knowingly violated” the law.
However, the bill states that it doesn’t prohibit an “impartial discussion of controversial aspects of history” or “impartial instruction on the historical oppression of a particular group of people” based on race or ethnicity.
The law will take effect on July 1.
Republicans across the nation are trying to prevent the teaching of critical race theory in classrooms.
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