Members of the Senate Education Committee listen to the committee's general counsel explain a bill that would address prohibitions and restrictions on concepts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. (Photo courtesy of WV Legislative Photography)
CHARLESTON — With just two days left to introduce legislation before Wednesday's key legislative deadline, lawmakers on a West Virginia Senate committee are moving ahead with a controversial bill targeting multiple culture war issues. decided to pass. The Senate Education Committee recommended passage of Senate Bill 870 on Monday. A motion was filed late Monday giving the bill immediate consideration and reading the bill for the first time before allowing it to continue in the Senate Judiciary Committee for further consideration, before the Wednesday deadline for the bill to pass. I made it possible to pass it. and was sent to the opposite room. SB 870, the Sanity Restoration Act, would prohibit the teaching of certain concepts related to race and gender identity in K-12 education and higher education. The bill prohibits statements that one race, ethnic group, or biological sex is physically or intellectually superior to another. That they are responsible for past actions by members of their own race, ethnicity, or biological sex. This bill would prohibit characteristics such as academic achievement, meritocracy, or work ethics from being racist, sexist, or because a particular race, ethnic group, or biological sex oppresses others. It is prohibited to classify it as something that has been created. However, this does not prohibit discussing theories involving race, ethnicity, or biological sex in relation to history, as long as other theories are included in the course. The bill includes complaint and reporting procedures for K-12 and higher education institutions that violate the bill. Other provisions of the bill protect public school and charter school faculty from being required to use pronouns that do not match a student's biological sex, and protect public school and charter school faculty from being required to use pronouns that do not match a student's biological He also says he cannot sue for what he did. . Students are also protected from adverse employment action by supervisors for not using the student's preferred pronouns. Similar protections are afforded to county school boards and charter school boards. As for higher education, public universities would be prohibited from establishing and funding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) departments. This does not affect academic programs or research, student organizations, mental health services, contracts with federal agencies, or other exceptions. The bill also prohibits the use of her DEI statement by students or for employment purposes in education. Many of SB 870's provisions are similar to a 2022 effort by Republican lawmakers. House Bill 4011 and Senate Bill 498 both addressed education and discussion of topics derived from critical race theory. The bill was watered down over time as it made its way through the session, resulting in hours of lengthy debate before the gavel dropped at midnight in the last second of the final day of the 2022 legislative session. The proposal was scrapped. A similar bill was introduced in 2023, but the process was never completed. But while part of a larger national trend, SB 870's provisions targeting DEI programs and higher education specifically are new to West Virginia. Nine states have passed legislation targeting DEI offices at public universities, and 12 other states, including West Virginia, are currently considering similar legislation, according to Axios. Opponents of the DEI initiative view it as a systemic problem in American society, contrary to the beliefs of some conservatives, such as transgenderism, microaggressions against other races and genders, anti-racism, and social justice. They see it as a way to enforce racial discrimination and acceptance of the LGBTQ community. Proponents see DEI as a way to support minority and marginalized communities with a history of bias and discrimination, while also supporting conversations and efforts to move beyond these issues.
Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.
