Image Credit: Gov. Lee / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Governor Lee signed legislation on May 25th, 2022 that prohibits the teaching of anti-Semitic concepts in Tennessee K-12 schools, and institutions of higher learning.
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.”
An additional amendment, that was adopted by the Senate, states that “anti-Semitism remains a persistent, disturbing problem in elementary and secondary schools and on college campuses; and… Jewish students are being threatened, harassed, or intimidated in their schools on the basis of their shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, which includes harassing conduct that creates a hostile environment so severe, pervasive, or persistent so as to interfere with or limit some students’ ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by schools.”
House Bill sponsor, Rep. Jerry Sexton, gave examples of what would be considered anti-semitic, 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.
HB2673 passed the Tennessee House with a 95 to 0 vote in favor, with one Democrat, Representative Barbara Cooper (D-Memphis-District 86) present and not voting.
SB2684 passed the Tennessee Senate with all Senators voting in favor of the legislation.
With Lee’s signature, the legislation will now be assigned a Public Chapter number by the Secretary of State making it official Tennessee code.
The text of the legislation states that the Act will go into effect immediately upon becoming law.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
