The Utah House and Senate have called for “extraordinary sessions” to pass resolutions urging the State School Board to ban critical race theory in public schools.
State legislators organized the move for Wednesday afternoon after the Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox decided not to include critical race theory (CRT) in the day’s special session agenda. Cox argued that the issue “would benefit from more time, thought, dialogue and input,” according to the Deseret News.
BREAKING: The Utah state legislature is moving to ban critical theory indoctrination from public schools. Legislators have organized an extraordinary session and are expected to pass the resolution. pic.twitter.com/Wj555cCY1k
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) May 19, 2021
Senate President Stuart Adams of Layton told the Deseret News that he disagreed with the governor’s choice, arguing that he’d rather talk about the issues and “put it behind us and move on.”
Speaker Brad Wilson of Kaysville issued a statement on the matter, saying that the extraordinary session will “discuss policy to ensure our public schools teach the important issues surrounding race in our country in a respectful, appropriate and open-minded manner … Utahns — not federal bureaucrats — must remain in control of what is taught in our schools to ensure students understand both positive and negative events in American history, and their duty to be engaged, respectful members of society.”
“Similarly, constitutional rights should not be subject to the whims of executive orders. We are committed to working on legislation that reaffirms and safeguards the constitutional right of Utah citizens to keep and bear arms,” Wilson added. (RELATED: ANALYSIS: 4 States Are Leading The Charge Against Racial Indoctrination In Public Schools. How Are They Doing It?)
State School Board member Natalie Cline also chimed in, saying that critical race theory is “the antithesis of the American way of life.”
“When they say we have systemic racism, that means the only way to fix that is to destroy the system, to tear down the system they say is racist … That is the American way of life. That is the Constitution. It is faith, family, freedom,” she said, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
Idaho was the first state to ban teachers compelling students to adopt CRT in the classroom as well as compelling them to adopt certain beliefs about racism. The bill does not ban teachers from teaching CRT, only from forcing the students to participate. The Tennessee State House has also passed a similar bill banning CRT altogether, stating that the legislature will withhold funds from schools that teach the curriculum.
CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet it teaches students to view every social interaction and person in terms of race. Its adherents pursue “antiracism” through the end of merit, objective truth and the adoption of race-based policies.