Ohio House Bill 327, introduced by Republican lawmakers State Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur and State Rep. Diane Grendell last year, is one of a number of bills that seek to ban the teaching of divisive concepts about race or gender. Most regard this bill and similar legislation HB 322 as an extension of the furor that blew up last year over Critical Race Theory.
The bills' supporters say they keeps schools and state agencies from issuing “ideological purity tests” that students or employees must pass for grades or jobs. They say that teaching certain topics instills guilt in white students, for example, and blames them for past racism.
Critics of the bill say it will muzzle classroom and other public discussion about the historical context of racial and other issues vital to understanding America today.
Cincinnati Edition reached out to both Reps. Fowler Arthur and Grendell about appearing on the show and neither responded.
Joining Cincinnati Edition to discuss their perspectives on HB 327 are Ohio State Rep. Catherine Ingram, a Democrat who opposes the bill, and Northern Kentucky University Associate Professor of Social Studies Education & History Dr. David Childs.
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