Utah committee proposes limits on teaching about race

Republican lawmakers said they wanted to ensure that children aren’t being taught that one race is inherently better than another as part of critical race theory. Photo: Tim Mossholder

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah. — A Utah education committee has proposed new rules around how race is taught in K-12 schools.

The committee on Thursday proposed rules that would ensure that children in K-12 schools aren’t taught that any race, gender, or religion is superior to another, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Friday. They would also prevent teaching that could make someone feel guilty for the past actions of individuals of the same group.

The proposed rules align with a resolution state lawmakers passed last week, which recommended that the state review any curriculum that examines the ways in which race and racism influence American politics, culture, and the law.

Republican lawmakers said they wanted to ensure that children aren’t being taught that one race is inherently better than another as part of critical race theory, which highlights how historical inequities and racism continue to shape public policy and social conditions.

Governors and legislatures in Republican-controlled states across the country are moving to define what race-related ideas can be taught in public schools and colleges, a reaction to the nation’s racial reckoning after last year’s police killing of George Floyd. The measures have been signed into law in at least three states and are being considered in many more.

The proposed guidelines will be considered by the full board of education next week.