Research shows new laws have increased risk of race and sex-based harassment in schools
(BCN) — The adoption of discriminatory censorship laws in public schools has prevented conversations about racism and gender inequities in classrooms, a report published Thursday in the National Education Policy Center found.
These laws also increase the risks of race and sex-based harassment, while exposing educators to “formal sanctions and social ostracization,” according to “How Discriminatory Censorship Laws Imperil Public Education,” written by Jonathan Feingold, from Boston University School of Law and Joshua Weishart, from West Virginia University College of Law.
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So far, at least 21 states and 145 school districts or local governments have passed discriminatory censorship laws, the report said. It’s affecting more than 1 million educators and about 25 million students — roughly half of those of all public school students — across the country.
The report said discriminatory censorship laws pose two threats to public education: an increase in hostile learning environments and the spread of miseducation.
“This dynamic fosters a climate of fear and anxiety that effectively coerces teachers to shun critical inquiry related to targeted topics,” the report said. “The result is a curriculum that rejects comprehensive, culturally attentive content and promotes whitewashed and heteronormative narratives of American history and culture.”
Although censorship laws are spreading, evidence shows there isn’t broad public support, according to Feingold and Weishart’s research. But that hasn’t been able to protect educators or students from the impacts.
Feingold and Weishart recommend Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, state legislatures, state and local school officials and advocacy groups to counter discriminatory censorship laws by coordinating a response “that safeguards the promise of public education and empowers educators and institutions to pursue inclusive classrooms and curricula.”
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