Georgia's Senate passes bill aiming to limit race discussions in schools

Lawmakers in the state of Georgia sent a bill that will increase parental oversight of schools over to the desk of Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature on Friday.

House Bill 1084 bans the teaching of "divisive concepts" on race in Georgia public schools, as WABE reported. At the center of the bill are Republican concerns over the teaching of critical race theory (CRT), even though, as WXIA reports, CRT isn't mentioned in the legislation's language.

Georgia Republican Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller said, “CRT is wrong, it’s destructive and it views American history through a racial lens.” Miller said, “It’s a filter that focuses on victimhood, not triumph, and we have triumphed in this country. It is driven by identity politics; it promotes racial identity over American identity and is a recipe for chaos and division. We don’t defeat racism with racism.”

The legislation says that it 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,” according to a tweet from the state's Senate.

As CNN reported, a similar bill, Senate Bill 377, passed the state Senate last month and was sent to Georgia's state House for consideration in Georgia's Republican-controlled legislature.