Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) on March 14, 2022, signed a bill into law to prohibit teaching critical race theory in public schools. Senate Bill 2113 passed by a 75-43 vote in the House and a 32-2 vote in the Senate.
The bill does not reference critical race theory directly but prohibits public schools from directing “students to affirm that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion or national origin is inherently superior.”
In a caption to a video of Reeves signing the bill, he wrote, “In too many schools around the country, Critical Race Theory is running amok. It threatens the integrity of our kids’ education and aims only to humiliate and indoctrinate. In Mississippi, we’re taking a strong stand against this progressive fundamentalism. That’s why today I was proud to sign legislation that will help keep Critical Race Theory where it belongs – out of Mississippi classrooms.”
Opponents of the bill argued that it would create confusion about what educators are allowed to teach about U.S. history. Mississippi School of Law Professor Yvette Butler responded to the bill in a Twitter thread on March 9, 2022. Butler argued that the bill “has nothing to do with Critical Race Theory” and creates problems because it “is broad, vague and allows the State to strip funding from schools for violating it,” according to Mississippi Free Press.
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