A group committed to equity in schools—the Missouri Equity Education Partnership—posted a list of bills that have been filed for the 2022 session of the Legislature. The group makes no judgment about the bills. If you scan the list, you will see that the general trend is to clamp down on discussions of racism and to guarantee “parent rights.”
The first bill listed is HB 1457, which “prohibits the use of the 1619 Project in public schools.”
Several other state legislatures have already banned this book. Why should the State Legislature have the power to prohibit the use of a specific book? This is censorship. I have read The 1619 Project, and I think it is excellent course material for high school students. As I have written previously, teach the book and teach the criticism of the book, and let students debate the controversy. It will encourage them to think.
Apparently the thought of students reading about racism frightens GOP legislatures. perhaps even more frightening is the idea of students thinking for themselves. Thought control—which this is—should be banned.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Republicans do not want a thinking electorate. That explains it all.
Nailed it!
and the less a populace knows, the easier to manipulate its voting
“I love the uneducated.” –Donald Trump
Unfortunately Missouri Governor Parson is likely to sign any destructive education bill that the legislature passes. Some readers of this site may have seen some of the national coverage of his wanting to prosecute the St. Louis Post Dispatch for letting the state know that there was a security problem with the social security numbers of teachers on the state website. The FBI said that not crime was committed by the newspaper that experienced “no good deed goes unpunished”. Even one of the conservative legislators publicly stated that Gov Parson was being given bad advice on the computer security situation.
Janelle O’Day has a great tweet about the whole saga. She tweeted praise for the person that submitted the comment “and in a related note, Parson says he still believes Noah loaded a whole bunch of dinosaurs onto the ark.”
Shhhh … don’t tell … BANNED Books are READ by many.
Let’s hear it for “FREE advertisement” re: 1619 Project.
“I have read The 1619 Project, and I think it is excellent course material for high school students. As I have written previously, teach the book and teach the criticism of the book, and let students debate the controversy. It will encourage them to think.”
Good idea. Now find a place for this discussion in the existing curriculum. Outside of my fellow teacher’s Contemporary Issues elective, this material would not be treatable within the framework of the history we teach in High School. The Sullivan County teacher who was dismissed was teaching the same sort of class.
The rest of us are not going to get to that idea. We can, however, find room to discuss European Imperialism (I just got done with that) Between the Boxer Rebellion, genocides in East and West Africa that foreshadow the Holocaust, and massive disruption of traditional society in order to exploit natural resources during the industrial expansion of the Nineteenth century, there is plenty to make anyone with a brain uncomfortable. I am obviously not doing much of a job. Most of my students are oblivious to the implications of what we are studying.
Students will not be able to understand the implications of policy unless the story is personal. This is true of Covid just as it is true of the Herero rebellion. If you do not identify with the people in the story, it is lost on you. What has always amazed me is that so many of the students can read of one atrocity after another and have no reaction to it.
Missouri is still a solid RED state and even today, Trump’s approval rating is 52%, down 11% since January 6th.
The governor, lt. governor, secretary of state, treasurer, both U.S. Senators, and 6 R vs 2D in the U.S. House — The GOP totally rules this state.
State Senate: 24R vs 10D
State House: 114R vs 49D
In today’s malignant political climate, Missouri might as well be on another planet located in the Klingon Empire.
Case closed.
As I sit here in Boone County in the center of the Show Me State (taking care of my son’s pitties while he visits his sister in Seattle), I find it hard to disagree. No doubt we have our share of xtian fundie nutcases (and yes, Linda, there are too many Catholics included in my statement) including the ones you mention. But there are also any number of those who are rationo-logical thinkers. While the latter don’t, and I might say can’t or hardly ever can, have political power we still have a voice-see someone like Cori Bush at present.
Case ain’t closed. Missouri isn’t quite the total malignant place as some may think.
I’ve been to Missouri twice this year. It feels more like Texas every time I go back.
Please don’t insult us like that!
They drive us crazy.
The Governor is in favor of anything that allows people do whatever they want when they want – if it it breaks a law or is uncivil. That has been the case for decades – except now things they all said only at dinner tables and the back rooms are expressed boldly in public… l
He and the Expres have created and validated this “no one is going to tell me what to do” culture. And it is spreading regardless of politics. If you don’t get caught – it’s ok.
Even the legislature that cares less about civility and respect – including holding a hearing on CRT with only white invitees.
The latest is a child bringing a gun to school paired with the Michigan case. Blame the parents everyone says. Well – in Missouri, there is no law (they tried) requiring that guns be locked up in homes.
Then there’s masks! The attorney general sued every school district with a mandate and Republican judges supported it. The governor hid a scientific report that illustrated masks do save lives and severe illness. And the list goes on and on.
JH, what did you mean by the word Expres? Experts?