Texas teachers slam law targeting critical race theory

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“What House Bill 3979 does for me is that it essentially takes away my privilege to teach,” said Lakeisha Patterson. “I have open and honest dialogue and conversations with my students. “

Lakeisha Patterson is a teacher in Texas and is just one of many voices opposing a new law that some teachers say is politically motivated and confusing.

Texas Bill 3979 seeks to ban CRT or Critical Race Theory in Texas classrooms. The CRT is an academic framework that examines systemic racism in society. Something educators say is not used in K-12 schools.

The text of the law does not mention the CRT, but it does require teachers to talk about topics such as the Declaration of Independence, the Founding Fathers and the writings of Fredrick Douglass to name a few. The law also places barriers on how teachers can discuss racism and current events in the classroom.

“Even the fact that I’m an elementary school teacher and understand that my kids are younger, these are still hot topics that I think they should be educated about,” Patterson said. “And we should have the opportunity to have open and honest conversations about the historical events that are happening.”

We spoke to Diane Birdwell in July of this year. Since then, she has called on state lawmakers to stop targeting teachers with additional laws proposed in a special legislative session earlier this summer.

Let’s teach without being dominated by the Texas state legislator, ”Birdwell said in a Texas State Senate committee hearing.

Birdwell believes the motives behind the law are political and have nothing to do with what students learn in the classroom.

“When I explain to people what CRT really is and how it’s not taught, they calm down,” Birdwell said. “They relax [but] that’s not what they want, they want an edgy base, and so they’re just going to keep throwing things around until they see what sticks. “

As a world history teacher, she says the new law is unlikely to affect her teaching, but she remains concerned.

“So I just have to have, you know, be aware that everything I teach can now be challenged and not just by the parents of my students. [but] outside the district, ”Birdwell added.

Governor Greg Abbott pledged to target the CRT again in a second special legislative session that began last week. Additional legislation did not progress during the first special session after a group of House Democrats fled the state. HB 3979 is expected to come into effect on September 1.

This story was first reported by Willie James Inman on Newsy.com

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