Georgia’s Divisive Concepts law
A message from the Board of Directors | Sept 30, 2022
Dear GLOBE community,
At Tuesday evening’s Board of Directors meeting, we had an impassioned conversation about state-level legislation that is poised to have a significant impact on our community. HB 1084, also known as the Divisive Concepts law, requires school boards, including charter boards like ours, to develop policies to address complaints alleging violations related to the teaching of divisive concepts. While the law is wide-ranging, it focuses on limiting conversations on race and systemic racism in school classrooms.
Let us be clear: The spirit of this law is in direct opposition to our core mission and values at GLOBE, and it endangers our work in preparing the next generation of global citizens.
Our board is wholly aligned in wanting our students to have the freedom to learn the truth of our history, so they can understand our past, make sense of our present, and build a better future. We want them to engage in difficult but important conversations across areas of difference, and we believe it’s these very conversations that will deepen students’ empathy, foment their cultural fluency, and prepare them to be leaders in a diverse world.
We also want our teachers to feel safe answering students’ questions and developing their understanding of cultural, racial, and linguistic differences. We believe HB 1084 will put an undue burden on these teachers, who will rightfully worry that engaging on any “divisive concepts” could lead to disciplinary action from the state of Georgia.
Our teachers deserve better, and our students deserve better.
Among the other troubling parts of this law is a provision preventing transgender students from competing in high school sports. While this law does not preclude any of our students from participating in our athletic programs, we empathize with transgender members of the GLOBE community who are worried about their future in high school athletics. We are also concerned that the law strips schools like ours of the autonomy that allows us to educate students in a way that aligns with our mission.
We trust GLOBE parents and teachers to have conversations on race and racism with our students in fair, honest, and age-appropriate ways. Indeed, you already do. We also already have processes through which parents can raise concerns to teachers, administrators, and board members about matters relating to classroom instruction. Your voices, even in disagreement, are welcome.
Our board remains focused on this year’s key priorities, including initiating our next strategic plan, launching our master facilities planning process, and investing in our academic programs to ensure student success. But HB 1084 also has our attention. Over the next several weeks, we will be exploring our options with regards to this new law, and we will keep you apprised of any board actions related to it. We will also keep you apprised of any board actions related to two other new laws, HB 1178 (Parents’ Bill of Rights) and SB 226 (Library/Harmful to Minors Bill).
Saludos / Cordialement / 此致敬礼,
Drew Reynolds
Board Chair
Lillian Norton
Vice Chair
Christi Elliott-Earby
Executive Director
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