Two recently filed bills would allow for state funding to be withheld from schools and colleges offering courses or activities dealing with race, gender and other social groups.
Back up: What kinds of courses and activities count under the bills?
House Bill 1231 would prohibit the use of public school funds to teach The 1619 Project curriculum, a set of materials based on a 2019 special issue of The New York Times Magazine addressing the legacy of slavery in the U.S.
• Under House Bill 1218, courses would be banned if they:
• Promote the overthrow of the United States government
• Promote division between, resentment of, or social justice for a race, gender, political affiliation, social class or particular class of people
• Are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group
• Advocate the solidarity of, or the isolation of, a group of students instead of treatment of students as individuals based on a particular characteristic
• Violate state or federal civil rights laws
• Negatively target specific nationalities or countries
The bill makes exceptions for instruction on the Holocaust; instances of genocide; and the historical oppression of a particular group of people based on ethnicity, race or class.
Both bills’ lead sponsor Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, said he planned to amend the bill to make it clear that it would not prohibit teaching about events such as the civil rights movement and the 1919 Elaine massacre.
He said it would not impact optional extracurricular groups such as Girls Who Code.
What would be the consequences for a school in violation?
The legislation would allow the state to withhold a maximum of 10% of the monthly distribution of state foundation funding to non-compliant schools.
The state attorney general would have the power to direct that money be withheld from higher education institutions that have those types of activities in their curriculum.
What do proponents say?
Lowery said the legislation is aimed at "indoctrination that undergirds the teaching" and school activities he'd heard about that were "humiliating" for students of all backgrounds.
He also said he believes the proposed legislation doesn't aim to hamper the teaching of history, including about events such as the civil rights movement.
What do opponents say?
Opponents, including Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, say the legislation would prevent the teaching of accurate history, particularly the contributions of and abuses of Black people and others.
While he said he hadn't yet read the bills closely enough to say whether he'd support them, Sen. Jim Hendren, R-Sulphur Springs, said he sees HB1218 as "prohibiting legitimate discussions about Arkansas' history with race and civil rights issues."
For full details on the bill, read more from Capitol reporter Rachel Herzog.