Georgia Senate passes bill banning some teaching on race

Georgia state Sen. Bo Hatchett, R-Cornelia, speaks to reporters on Friday, March, 11, 2022, in Atlanta, after the state Senate passed a bill to ban the teaching of "divisive" racial concepts in Georgia public schools. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

Georgia’s public school teachers must be prevented from preaching racial guilt to students, Republican lawmakers argued Friday as the Senate passed a bill banning the teaching of “divisive concepts,” despite arguments from Democrats that the proposal would stifle honest discussion of lingering racial disparities in American society.

Senate Bill 377 passed by a 32-20 vote and now moves on to the House, which passed a similar measure last week.

The measures ban teaching a list of items originally listed in a now-repealed 2020 executive order by former President Donald Trump. Republicans are reacting against critical race theory, a term stretched from its original meaning as an examination of how societal structures perpetuate white dominance to a broader indictment of diversity initiatives and teaching about race.