Lawmakers nix ethnic studies classes in final hours of session after Trump administration threat
Just before 9 p.m. on the last night of Indiana's legislative session, a massive bill intended to deregulate the state's education system narrowly passed the Senate, with some new language that the public had never provided testimony on.
The amended House Bill 1002 was released hours before the vote, removing a 2017 requirement for high schools to offer an optional racial or ethnic studies course. One of the bill's co-sponsors, Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, said the amendment came from a request from the Trump administration, which has threatened to revoke education funding from states thought to be promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in schools.
The administration sent a Feb. 14 letter to all states' education secretaries that said schools needed to provide an environment free from discrimination to keep receiving vital financial support. Currently, Indiana receives a bit under $2 billion in federal funding for education.
The feds' missive cited discrimination against white students and said teaching "that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not" propagates stigma.
The contentious legislation, which was criticized by both Democrats and Republican, moved forward by a margin of two votes in the Senate - one of the closest votes this session. It passed the House by a 61-25 vote earlier that day.
Sen. Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, was infuriated by the last-minute change.
"This is bull crap," said Young, who doesn't caucus with Republicans. "You've got a 116 page bill. You've got 30 minutes to read it. We should have more time than that."
Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, pointed out that the letter didn't reference racial or ethnic studies curricula, and that it warned of a potential, not certain, loss of funding.
"There are a lot of qualifiers in there that would make me seek legal opinion before taking action," Hunley said.
Earlier on Thursday, Reuters reported that federal judges in New Hampshire, Maryland and Washington, D.C. blocked the federal government from following through on the funding cuts threatened in the February letter.
More: Republican lawmakers split over massive education deregulation bill. What the bill does
Even before the last-minute changes, lawmakers had voiced frustration that the book-length bill's broad scope makes it difficult to explain to constituents. Among more than 65 additions to Indiana's legal code, the legislation cuts teacher training requirements, allows schools to charge parents for curricular materials, and removes the requirement for the state's secretary of education to have a background in education or to have lived in Indiana for more than two years prior to being appointed.
Supporters, meanwhile, said the bill would streamline Indiana's educational code and offer school districts more flexibility.
If the law passes, students could see classes such as African Studies, Comparative Religions and Ethnic Literature disappear from their course catalogs.
Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, wrote the 2017 bill that the new law will nullify. He told colleagues on Thursday night that there's never been a requirement to take the ethnic studies classes — only for schools to offer them.
"There are many ethnicities out in this audience today," Taylor said. "And you're going to tell me that we are not brave enough to hold pat on an elective course for kids because the federal government says, 'We could cut your funding?'"
There was no opportunity for public comment on the version of the bill that now awaits Gov. Mike Braun's signature.
The Indiana Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lawmakers nix ethnic studies classes after Trump administration threat
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