AP: “As middle school teacher Brittany Paschall assembled a lesson plan on the history of the Negro Baseball Leagues, she wondered how she might have to go about it differently next year under a new Tennessee state law that prohibits teaching certain concepts of race and racism. The unit was about baseball, but more importantly, it was about segregation and racism in America. ‘I kept thinking, in light of this bill, if this were next year, how would I teach this to my students?’ said Paschall, an English teacher in Nashville. ‘Do we teach students to ignore tough subjects?’ Laws setting guiderails for classroom instruction on race passed this year in Republican-controlled states have left some teachers worried about how they will be enforced. Particularly in districts with large numbers of people of color, educators say they worry everyday discussions about students’ experiences could land teachers in hot water.”

“In response to a push for culturally responsive teaching that gained steam following last year’s police killing of George Floyd, Republican lawmakers and governors have championed legislation to limit the teaching of material that explores how race and racism influence American politics, culture and law. The measures have become law in Tennessee, Idaho and Oklahoma and bills have been introduced in over a dozen other states. Professional teachers associations and some school boards have blasted the laws as disrespecting teachers’ judgment and opening the door to censorship. ‘This is an assault on the craft of teaching,’ said Paschall, who is Black. ‘It’s asking me to show up and ignore parts of my own identity.’ The Tennessee law that takes effect July 1 allows the state education commissioner to withhold funds from any school found to be in violation. Among other things, Tennessee’s teachers can’t instruct that ‘an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously.’ The law still permits ‘impartial discussion of controversial aspects of history,’ but teachers are uncertain how to square that with the main thrust of the legislation, as state officials begin working on finalizing rules on how to implement the new law.”