CATHERINEEASTMAN.COM
Clarke County Board of Education members vote on a racism policy in schools
By Catherine Eastman
Clarke County Board of Education members voted on a new policy restricting teaching about racism in schools. This policy, IKBB Policy: Divisive Concepts Complaint Resolution Process, was passed allowing parents to file a complaint if their children are being educated on divisive concepts.
Dr. LaKeisha Gantt answered questions about her personal thoughts on the enactment of the Policy IKBB at a Clarke County School Board meeting on Thursday. “We have a very low threshold for discomfort and a low threshold for truth when it comes to racism,” Gantt said. (Photo by Catherine Eastman)
Clarke County School District Board of Education representatives voted 6-3 in favor of the IKBB Policy: Divisive Concepts Complaint Resolution Process, which limits teaching divisive concepts related to racism on Thursday evening at the Clarke County Board of Education meeting.
Clarke County Board of Education district leaders met for the second time on Thursday evening at the Clarke County School District administrative building to discuss a controversial policy that restricts teaching about racism in the district. The divided discussion led to a 6-3 approval of the Divisive Concepts Complaint Resolution Process policy.
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The Clarke County Board of Education missed the deadline of Aug 1 to approve this policy that was initially proposed on Jul 14. The board postponed the vote to gather public opinion.
The board will face consequences like losing their charter status and losing charter funding if the law fails to pass by Nov. 1, the due date for their monitoring report.
Dr. Mumbi Anderson, a District 6 CCSD board member made a motion to amend the agenda to include the IKBB policy, and Nicole Hull, a District 8 CCSD board member seconded the motion.
According to Anderson, the IKBB policy is a “process in which parents or others can file a complaint if divisive concepts are discussed in the classroom setting.” This is in compliance with House Bill 1084, which prohibits districts from teaching “divisive concepts.”
These divisive concepts include:
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One race is inherently superior to another race.
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The United States of America is fundamentally racist.
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An individual, by virtue of his or her race, is inherently or consciously racist or oppressive toward individuals of other races.
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An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race.
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An individual's moral character is inherently determined by his or her race.
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An individual, solely by virtue of his or her race, bears individual responsibility for actions committed in the past by other individuals of the same race.
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An individual, solely by virtue of his or her race, should feel anguish, guilt, or any other form of psychological distress.
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Performance-based advancement or the recognition and appreciation of character traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or have been advocated for by individuals of a particular race to oppress individuals of another race.
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Any other form of race scapegoating or race stereotyping.
“I can’t read this and say there is no harm here,” said Dr. LaKeisha Gantt, CCSD board president. “It defines divisive concepts for us. And it pretty much does exactly what it is arguing against, right, which is sowing division.”
According to CCSD Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker, who attended his first meeting in his new role on Thursday, 149 districts across the state approved the policy and 11 are still debating.
“I think we have the right educators to teach the right things to our kids,” Hooker said. “The trust comes from us as a board.”
After the prolonged discussion, the board passed the policy 6-3. Gantt, Anderson and District 2 board member Kirrena Gallagher opposed this policy, while the other six board members approved it.
Why I wrote this story
I wrote this story because as an education beat reporter, I wanted to attend a school board meeting to see the behind-the-scenes of the school district in Athens-Clarke County. I wanted to cover the IKBB policy: Divisive Concepts Compliant Resolution Process getting passed and the reaction of the current board of education members as well as the audience. This experience gave me the opportunity to attend a school district board meeting while live tweet reporting and gathering quotes and information.