Legislation Prohibiting Anti-Semitic Concepts In Tennessee Schools On Its Way To Senate
Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A bill prohibiting the teaching of anti-Semitic concepts in Tennessee schools passed the House on Monday and now heads to the Senate.
House Bill 2673 (HB2673) sponsored by Representative Jerry Sexton (R-Bean Station-District 35) and its companion Senate Bill 2684 (SB2684) sponsored by Senator Paul Rose (R-Nashville-District 32) requires the governing body of each school district to adopt a written policy concerning the teaching of anti-Semitic rhetoric by teachers and administrative staff and requires that the policy be distributed or made available to each teacher and staff member at the beginning of each school year.
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An Amendment to the bill states that if a state governmental entity or an LEA receives a complaint from a person alleging that antisemitism has occurred on school grounds then the state governmental entity or LEA should “consider the working definition of antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) on May 26, 2016, including the “contemporary examples of antisemitism,” in determining whether the alleged act was motivated by antisemitic intent.” This guidance is for all schools that serve grades K-12 and also for colleges and universities.
Representative Sexton gave examples on Monday of what would be considered antisemitic, which included “symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism” and denying the Jewish people their right to self determination. “In other words, by claiming the state of Israel is a racist endeavor,” he said.
The bill passed on the House floor 95 to 0 with one Democrat, Representative Barbara Cooper (D-Memphis-District 86) present and not voting.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
Thank you for acknowledging this bill and the legislators’ efforts in this regard. With the help of the Israeli-American Council for Action, Rabbi Dr. Mark Goldfeder, Esq. is Special Counsel for International Affairs at the ACLJ, Nashville Rabbi Mark Schiftan, Bernie Pargh and Joanne Bregman from the Nashville Jewish community, this bill is on its way to becoming law in Tennessee.