KENTUCKY — There is a growing group of lawmakers around the United States who say they are troubled by a new way some schools are teaching history.
As of June 2020, throughout the country, 29 states filed types of legislation either mandating how critical race theory (CRT) is taught in schools or some have banned it altogether.
Florida has become the latest U.S. state to ban the teaching of critical race theory, which examines the ways race and racism intersect with politics, culture and the law.
Kentucky State Rep. Matt Lockett, R-Nicholasville, is the main sponsor of BR 69, which is one of two pre-filed bills that would ban CRT from public school and post-secondary education curriculums.
"The crux of the bill is not singling out one race over the other. There's a lot of different things here, but not singling one out over the other. I believe that our country has made great strides over the last decades when it comes to race and race relations. We don't want to go backwards. We don't want to go backwards and teach in our schools that America is racist. We don't want to go back and teach in our schools that a particular race is an oppressive race or a particular race is oppressed and so therefore there's just certain things you can't do. And all of those things, I believe, again, with I believe the vast majority of parents on our side, just don't want that in our schools. So the first part is K through 12. The second part is the post secondary unit, which are the colleges and universities," added Lockett.