Georgia Panel Votes to Cleanse Teacher Lesson Plans as School Culture Wars Rage
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A group of educators and parents gathered in a boardroom in downtown Atlanta on Thursday with a common message: "Words matter." They aimed to convince the Georgia Professional Standards Commission to reconsider its proposed changes to the rules for training K-12 teachers.
The commission had a number of revisions on its agenda, which included replacing terms like "diversity" with less controversial language like "differences."
For instance, one change for elementary school educators would require them to understand the "unique contexts of children and families" instead of their "diverse cultural contexts" as stated in the previous rules.
However, the impassioned pleas from the speakers did not influence the commissioners, who unanimously approved the changes without any discussion.
As the commissioners cast their votes, one speaker exclaimed, "History remembers white supremacists."
Chair Brian Sirmans explained that the requested changes came from the University System of Georgia and were intended to clarify language that had developed unintended negative connotations over time.
He stated, "These proposed rule amendments do not aim to redefine or diminish the importance that education preparation providers place on meeting students’ needs, nor do they dictate how these providers choose to meet program standards. We still expect these providers to prepare educators who are fully capable of addressing the learning needs of all students they encounter in a positive and inclusive learning environment."
However, speakers like Sarah Hunt-Blackwell, a First Amendment policy advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, viewed the changes as more than just substituting words.
She remarked, "I’d like to remind the commission, most of you are educators, that words matter. Therefore, we cannot oversimplify the belief that these amendments merely replace one word with another. Changing language does alter intent. By replacing ‘diverse’ with words like ‘different’ and ‘unique,’ it implies that there is a norm, an exclusion of those who do not conform."
Ruth M. Youn, a second-generation Chinese-Taiwanese-American writer and parent living in the metro Atlanta area, shared her own experiences of feeling like an outcast during her school years. Despite having well-educated teachers and well-funded schools, she felt her heritage, language, and appearance were not accepted, and her community’s history in the United States was never acknowledged.
She stated, "Not only was I marginalized, but I also unknowingly adopted negative attitudes towards other communities. There is a prevailing misconception that teaching about diversity promotes racism and division in the classroom. I argue that by ignoring the existence of diversity and failing to equip educators to teach in a culturally inclusive manner, we create cohorts of educators and student populations who are uninformed, ill-informed, and potentially racist, even if they are unaware of it."
Christopher Andrews, an educator in DeKalb County who has taught social studies and science in middle and high schools, shared his own experience working in Georgia’s most diverse middle school. He emphasized the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion training in building connections with students from different backgrounds.
"Without intentional DEI training, I would have been ill-prepared to serve students from diverse backgrounds and abilities, ultimately failing to acknowledge their true identities and equipping them for the real world," he said.
The changes, set to be implemented on July 1, will affect various positions, including elementary education and reading and literacy specialists up to grade 12, as well as educational leaders like principals and superintendents.
These changes come after another controversial alteration last month, where the definition of diversity was removed from teacher training regulations.
Some teachers expressed dissatisfaction not only with the changes but also with the streamlined decision-making process that did not allow for their input. Commissioners acknowledged receiving numerous emails regarding last month’s changes but admitted to disregarding or filtering them.
Additionally, many interested parties were unable to participate due to the requirement of in-person access to a mostly digital meeting held on a weekday afternoon.
Recent school board meetings across the country have been the stage for heated debates surrounding issues like critical race theory (CRT) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the classroom. Some white parents have expressed concerns that teachers are trying to instill guilt about race in their students.
In 2021, the Cherokee County School District made a significant hiring decision by bringing on Cecelia Lewis, a principal from Maryland, to serve as an administrator specifically focused on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. However, despite her qualifications, Lewis, who is Black, ultimately declined the offer due to opposition from a group of white parents. Many of these parents, without providing any evidence, claimed that Lewis intended to introduce critical race theory to the county.
Critical race theory, which was once a specialized academic term, has now become a broad label encompassing lessons that shed a negative light on U.S. policies or draw connections between historical discrimination and present-day inequality.
In response to the initial uproar, the Georgia Board of Education passed a resolution denouncing several unpopular opinions, such as the belief that the United States is a racist country or that individuals should feel guilt for the actions committed by people of their own race in the past.
Last year, Governor Brian Kemp signed bills aimed at preventing the inclusion of concepts like critical race theory in schools, while also strengthening the rights of parents to review classroom materials.
More recently, the U.S. Department of Education intervened in Forsyth County, where proposed bans on certain books were deemed to have created a hostile environment for certain students. The district has been instructed to develop a plan to address this issue.
Georgia Recorder is affiliated with States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. For further inquiries, please contact Editor John McCosh at info@georgiarecorder.com. Stay updated with Georgia Recorder on Facebook and Twitter.
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