Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little signed a bill Wednesday that prohibits public schools and universities from introducing Critical Race Theory (CRT) instruction if it compels students to view others through the discriminatory lens of race, numerous sources reported.
House Bill 377, entitled “Dignity And Nondiscrimination In Public Education,” prohibits public schools and universities from compelling students to “affirm, adopt, or adhere to” teachings often found in CRT instruction.
Christopher Rufo, who has reported numerous whistleblower accounts of CRT instruction in public institutions, said the bill’s passing makes Idaho the first state in the nation to “ban critical race theory indoctrination in public schools.”
VICTORY: Idaho becomes the first state in the nation to ban critical race theory indoctrination in public schools. Governor Brad Little signed the bill into law, which will prohibit schools from promoting race essentialism, collective guilt, and neo-segregation. A historic win! pic.twitter.com/Df4f3SiFg2
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) April 29, 2021
CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet teaches individuals 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.
While the Idaho bill does not prevent CRT from being taught, it prevents teachers or other facilitators of the instruction from forcing students or other school staff to adopt the ideas in CRT. (RELATED: The New Left’s Institutionalized Racialism Is ‘Everywhere.’ In Medicine, Education, Even In Government Labs. Here’s How It Happened)
The bill prohibits schools from forcing students to adhere to the belief that “any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior,” or that “individuals should be adversely treated” because of these characteristics.
It also prohibits schools from compelling students to adopt the belief that people with certain racial, religious, or sexual characteristics are “inherently responsible for actions committed in the past” by other members of those same groups.
“The claim that there is widespread, systemic indoctrination occurring in Idaho classrooms is a serious allegation,” Little wrote in the bill’s transmittal letter addressed to Republican House Speaker Scott Bedke, according to the Associated Press (AP).
“Most worryingly, it undermines popular support for public education in Idaho.”
Numerous public and private schools across the country have implemented CRT instruction for both students and teachers.
Reports have shown that CRT instruction often has a pattern of compelling students to adopt the presented ideas, or potentially face reputational consequences. Paul Rossi, a teacher at a New York City private school, wrote in April that students were apprehensive about challenging the premises of CRT and “antiracism” instruction at the school out of fear of repercussions.
CRT also has reportedly focused on training white teachers to acknowledge their role in perpetuating racism by virtue of their skin color. In Washington state, the largest public school district told white teachers to “bankrupt their privilege” and explain how they will promulgate racial justice in the classroom.
The lesson also reportedly prompted teachers to acknowledge they are meeting on “stolen land, taken from Indigenous people.” Reports showed that a similar “land acknowledgment” had been presented to teachers at San Diego Unified School Districts in California.