“Tennessee aims to levy fines starting at $1 million and rising to $5 million on school districts each time one of their teachers is found to have ‘knowingly violated’ state restrictions on classroom discussions about systemic racism, white privilege, and sexism, according to guidance proposed by the state’s department of education late last week. Teachers could also be disciplined or lose their licenses for teaching that the United States is inherently racist or sexist or making a student feel ‘guilt or anguish’ because of past actions committed by their race or sex. The guidance received immediate backlash from advocates of students of color in the state who say it would have a disproportionate impact on already underfunded, majority Black and Latino school districts.”

“‘There’s also a fear for young students of color who are in districts that are majority white and now there’s no protection for them and their white student peers in learning about truthful history and racism,’ said Cardell Orrin, the executive director of Stand for Children Tennessee, a group that advocates for historically disenfranchised students. The new guidance lays out the complaint process that a current student, parent, or employee can initiate against a district if they believe an educator has violated the law, but it does not elaborate on what specifically school districts are banned from teaching, as many teacher advocates had hoped. Instead, it cites 11 broad concepts that teachers can’t teach or use materials to promote. For example, students can’t be told that they are ‘inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously,’ or bear responsibility for past actions committed by members of their race or sex. Experts have called the language of these laws vague” – Education Week.