Recently elected Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a piece of legislation Thursday that would have prohibited public K-12 schools from teaching tenets of Critical Race Theory (CRT), according to a press release.
Senate Bill 1305 would have fined Arizona public schools up to $5,000 if they were teaching that one race “is inherently morally or intellectually superior” to another. The legislation passed the state house in a 31-29 vote and the state senate in a 16-12 decision before making its way to Hobbs’ desk. (RELATED: ‘Cripple Children’: Parents Protest Against Gov. Katie Hobbs’ Move To Scrap Key School Choice Program)
“It is time to stop utilizing students and teachers in culture wars based on fearmongering and unfounded accusations,” Hobbs said in a press release. “Bills like SB1305 only serve to divide and antagonize. I urge the Legislature to work with me on the real issues affecting Arizona schools: underfunded classrooms, a growing educator retention crisis, and school buildings in need of repair and replacement.”
CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist and teaches people to view social interactions in terms of race. Its adherents pursue “antiracism” through the end of merit, objective truth and the adoption of race-based policies.
Though SB 1305 does not explicitly name CRT, though Arizona lawmakers described it that way, Tuscon.com reported. The legislation would have prohibited schools from teaching that one’s moral character is determined by their skin color or that an individual, because of their race, “bears responsibility” for the actions of others in the same ethnic group.
Attendees interact while holding signs supporting Governor-elect of Arizona Katie Hobbs at a rally to celebrate Hobbs’ victory on November 15, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. Major news organizations announced her win over Trump endorsed republican candidate for governor Kari Lake. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
Across the country, red state governors have made moves to prohibit the teaching of CRT from public school classrooms; on her first day of office, Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders signed an executive order banning such lessons and preventing “indoctrination.” In Oklahoma, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt’s administration lowered the accreditation of two public schools that were found in violation of the state’s CRT ban.
“[Hobbs’] action today is a slap in the face to parents who came forward with serious concerns about the racism being taught in their children’s classrooms,” State Republican Sen. J.D. Mesnard told 12 News.
Hobbs did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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