Missouri bill would ban critical race theory in schools

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri House lawmakers on Tuesday debated bills that would ban critical race theory in K-12 schools and give parents and guardians more control over what their children learn, an issue that likely will dominate this session.

One bill, considered in the House education committee, would prohibit Missouri schools from teaching critical race theory, a framework for examining the effects race and racism have on the nation's institutions.

The theory was popularized in The New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project, a collection of essays on race that first appeared in a special 2019 issue.

“This bill in no way is trying to stop kids from thinking,” Republican bill sponsor Rep. Nick Schroer said. “It’s trying to prevent educators (and) prevent institutions from flooding kids with a certain train of thought (and) teaching them this is the only way to think about these situations.”

Opponents of critical race theory argued Tuesday that it teaches white students to feel ashamed or guilty in the context of learning about the nation’s history of racism and slavery. Proponents say it elevates voices that are often downplayed in American history and exposes children to a broader range of perspectives.

Under Schroer's proposal, schools would be banned from using any curriculum that “identifies people or groups of people, entities, or institutions in the United States as inherently, immutably, or systemically sexist, racist, biased, privileged, or oppressed.”

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers questioned the practicality of sweeping curricula bans.

“Couldn’t you conceive that those curriculums could include certain general claims or views or facts that might be entirely appropriate to teach in a public school, and then what happens when a public school...