Idaho looks to be heading toward a full ban of “critical race theory” — an academic movement that examines U.S. law and how it deals with racial issues — from its schools, according to CNN.
Is Idaho banning critical race theory?
Idaho lawmakers recently advanced a bill that would prohibit public schools — including public universities — from including any teachings that say “any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior.”
- The bill would also prohibit teachings that suggest “individuals, by virtue of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin, are inherently responsible for actions committed in the past by other members of the same sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin.”
- The bill suggests critical race theory and other similar academic practices “exacerbate and inflame divisions on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, or other criteria in ways contrary to the unity of the nation and the well-being of the state of Idaho and its citizens.”
What’s critical race theory?
According to the American Bar Association, critical race theory recognizes “that race is not biologically real but is socially constructed and socially significant.”
- The theory also acknowledges “that racism is a normal feature of society and is embedded within systems and institutions, like the legal system, that replicates racial inequality. This dismisses the idea that racist incidents are aberrations but instead are manifestations of structural and systemic racism.”
Per CNN, critical race theory has been criticized for being “based on Marxism and a threat to the American way of life.” Other experts suggest the theory “explores the ways in which a history of inequality and racism in the U.S. have continued to impact American society today.”
What’s next for Idaho?
The bill passed Idaho’s House last week and then the Senate earlier this week. It awaits Gov. Brad Little’s signature to become law.