Coalition Fights Against Restrictive Education Bill

Group says law will prevent accurate teaching about gender, race, and sex in colleges

An advocacy group operating under the umbrella "Tennessee Coalition for Truth in Education" is calling on the General Assembly to reject efforts to further restrict teaching about race, gender, and sexuality on college campuses.

In an email, the group calls out HB2784/SB2501 and says it poses a danger to students at Tennessee's public institutions of higher education.

The new legislation attempts to update the state's current "divisive concepts" law by requiring that institutions of higher education meet strict deadlines for investigating and reporting findings on complaints that professors violated the law. The bill sets forth financial penalties for failing to adhere to the prescribed timelines and also establishes penalties if universities fail to take appropriate "preventive" measures.

In the email, the coalition said it denounces the legislation and further added:

"Suppressing our ability to discuss and understand the role of racism in this country’s history is to conceal racism and defend this country’s history of white supremacy."

Photo byNathan DumlaoonUnsplash