Senate GOP joins fight to limit how race is discussed in Georgia schools

Senate Bill 377 would withhold up to 10% in state funding from violating school systems — half as much as House Bill 888. Critics of the House bill have said it would harm students by cutting funding and by limiting what teachers could say.

The Senate bill also would withhold unspecified amounts of state and federal funding from public higher education institutions that violate its provisions.

It would prohibit espousing that people are inherently superior, racist or responsible for acts by others of the same ethnicity or race, or that the country and state are “fundamentally or systemically” racist.

If the bill becomes law, it would establish a complaint process that starts at a school and can be appealed up to the state Board of Education, which would decide whether to withhold funding.

Conservative politicians across the country have been backing legislation that limits how race is taught, illustrating the way “culture wars” over race and values are often fought in schools.

Gov. Brian Kemp put the topic atop his State of the State address in early January, saying he would work with lawmakers to stop the “divisive ideology” in schools.

Critics say such legislation is being deployed in a strategy to energize voters over “manufactured emergencies” in an election year.

Lawmakers backing these bills haven’t yet publicly cited specific examples of critical race theory being taught in K-12 settings, but say legislative hearings may reveal whether it is widespread or isolated.

Staff writer Maya T. Prabhu contributed to this story.