The American Bar Association’s policymaking body is poised to take a public stand on Monday against laws that bar teaching about race or gender, as well as bans on books that cover those subjects.
Nearly a dozen ABA entities have jointly submitted a resolution, opens new tab opposing any federal, state or local laws or policies that “restrict the teaching and inclusion of studies on the experiences, roles, and contributions of any individual or group” on the basis of their race, gender identity, sexual orientation or religion, among other identifiers. The proposed resolution, which was submitted to the ABA’s House of Delegates, also opposes restrictions on books or other school resources that address those topics.
The House is slated to vote on the proposal on Monday, the final day of the ABA’s Midyear meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.
A report by the resolution’s sponsors asserts that efforts by lawmakers across the country to curtail teaching about race “threaten students’ freedom to learn and receive a comprehensive, truthful education providing them with the tools for navigating and addressing future societal issues.” Such teaching bans also deny students a sense of belonging that comes with seeing their history reflected in their education, according to the report.
Read more
