Mississippi legislature passes bill banning Critical Race Theory in schools

A bill outlawing teaching that any sex, race or religion is superior in Mississippi is sitting on the governor’s desk.

Gov. Tate Reeves, who has been outspoken against teaching Critical Race Theory in the state’s schools, will determine the fate of Senate Bill 2113. The bill would go into effect upon the governor’s signature.

The bill would call for public universities and colleges, community colleges, and public and public charter K-12 schools from teaching students that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin is superior to any other.

The bill passed the Senate by a 32-2 vote, but with 18 members absent when the vote took place. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a 75-43 vote, with three absent and one present but not voting.

Doug Carswell, president and chief executive officer of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, called the vote a victory.

Delighted to see the bill on Critical Race Theory that @mspolicy authored being voted through the Mississippi House today.— Douglas Carswell (@DouglasCarswell) March 4, 2022

The Center for Public Policy, which authored the bill, said in a news release, “Our bill is 100% consistent with Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of an America in which people are judged on the content of their character, not the color of their skin.”

Under the bill, if enacted, individual students are not to be adversely treated due to their sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin and provides that no distinctions, or classifications, are to be made on account of race, other than for the required collection or reporting of demographics.

In addition, the bill would provide “that no course of instruction shall be taught that affirms such principles.”

Another facet of the bill is that the Department of Education would be prohibited from releasing funding to entities under it’s jurisdiction, including school districts, charter schools, and community colleges, universities and colleges, boards of trustees, and the Mississippi Community College Board for any violations of the act.