Bill To Ban Teaching Critical Race Theory In Wyoming Filed

A bill that would prohibit the teaching of Critical Race Theory in Wyoming classrooms through 12th grade and in workplace training for public employers has been filed in the Wyoming Legislature.

You can read House Bill 205 here. It applies to state agencies as well as preschool through 12th-grade classrooms.

The legislation specifies that teaching that members of any race are inferior or superior would be banned from Wyoming classrooms or workplace instruction.  Likewise, teaching that members of any racial group are responsible for acts committed in the past by members of that group would be banned.

 The bill would also prohibit teaching that the United States is an inherently racist or oppressive nation.

A large number of U.S. states either have banned the teaching of Critical Race Theory in public or are considering doing so. Perhaps the best-known CRT ban is in place in Florida, where the teaching of the theory is banned in both schools and work training.

That law was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April and is currently the subject of a lawsuit by colleges and universities in that state.

Supporters of such bans say CRT is little more than an attempt at political indoctrination and is inherently racist even while being presented as anti-racist. Many conservatives cite CRT as an example of "woke" ideology, which they say is infiltrating American society and threatening freedom of speech and thought in the U.S.

Opponents argue that CRT is not taught in K-12 schools, and is generally only discussed in advanced college-level courses. Some opponents also argue that such laws interfere with teachers' rights to freedom of speech and an honest discussion of American history.