Legislation To Ban Forced “Implicit Bias Training” For TN Teachers Stalls Out In Committee

Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov

The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –

Legislation that would have prohibited Tennessee schools from requiring teachers to complete or participate in “implicit bias training” was “placed behind the budget” in a House Committee this week.

House Bill 0158 (HB0158) brought by Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville-District 14), defined “implicit bias training” as “a training or other educational program designed to expose an individual to biases that the training’s or educational program’s developer or designer presumes the individual to unconsciously, subconsciously, or unintentionally possess that predispose the individual to be unfairly prejudiced in favor of or against a thing, person, or group to adjust the individual’s patterns of thinking in order to eliminate the individual’s unconscious bias or prejudice.”

State educators, local education agency employees, and those employed by a public institution of higher education would have been given the choice to opt out of this training and would have been further protected from adverse licensure and employment actions taken as a result of refusing to participate in it.

On Wednesday, Rep. Zachary explained his reasoning for the bill in front of the House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee.

“In 2021, Knox County educators were required to attend implicit bias training,” he said, “and within that specific training, they were told if they were a white male, they were an oppressor, and if they were a part of the Southern Baptist denomination, they were a part of a denomination that was steeped in slavery and racism.”

The representative also told the subcommittee that since the bill was originally drafted, he had received numerous emails from Tennessee educators with similar stories, specifically from those in Williamson County. 

“It doesn’t ban the ability to host the training, but it bans it from being a requirement for educators.” Rep. Zachary stated in closing.

Unfortunately, the representative’s efforts did end up coming to a major standstill when the subcommittee placed HB0158 “behind the budget.”

Whenever a bill is “placed behind the budget” it means the legislature has killed the bill in favor of other budgetary items.

According to the fiscal note, this legislation would have created an additional $94,300 in annual ongoing expenditures for the state. 

Now why would it cost the state so much money to simply allow educators the decision to opt out of a training that stems from critical race theory?

Well currently, 28 out of 44 Educator Preparation Programs (EEPs) participate in the National Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation’s (CAEP) comprehensive review. 

Since CAEP standards address personal biases in a way that might conflict with this legislation, the idea is that EEPs would have to participate in a comprehensive review managed by the state of Tennessee instead.

The handbook for this state-managed program, which currently meets requirements for the CAEP, would have to be revised to omit any references of implicit bias present in the text. 

All of that to say, this recurring estimated $94,300 expenditure, would supposedly end up going towards the salary and benefits of a new Department of Education employee whose job it would be to oversee the new Tennessee Comprehensive Review (TNCR).

Ultimately, it seems that HB0158 and corresponding Senate Bill 0102 (SB0102) sponsored by Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10), have officially been taken out of the running for this year’s legislative session.

About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.