TN Legislators Vote To Prevent Forced Implicit Bias Trainings For Teachers
Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
State legislators are sending a bill that would prevent school employees from being forced to sit through implicit bias trainings to Governor Lee’s desk.
House Bill 0158 (HB0158), sponsored by Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville-District 14), does not prohibit school systems or institutions of higher education from offering the trainings, but the legislation allows employees to opt-out and prevents them from being penalized for doing so.
Prior to discussion of the bill, Senate Bill 0102 (SB0102) was substituted for the companion House bill. SB0102 is sponsored by Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10).
The legislation passed in the House with only Democratic representatives voting against the measure, after arguing that the training is needed to bring awareness to implicit bias and to provide teachers with tools to learn how to respond to those biases.
Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville-District 52) claimed that the bill was “based off of white fragility” while Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis-District 86) argued that banning such trainings “prevents important conversations from happening.”
The bill was also passed in the Senate with 23 senators voting in favor and 4 voting against.
Sponsors of both bills counter that some of the trainings previously held in the state moved beyond making teachers more self-aware and instead became presentations of ideology that itself was based on biases.
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
