LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Jim Runestad on Thursday announced he has introduced legislation to prohibit critical race theory, the 1619 Project and anti-American academic theories from being included in public school curricula.
“Critical race theory is blatant indoctrination,” said Runestad, R-White Lake. “These inflammatory lesson plans go well beyond educating students. They seek only to confuse and divide students based on race or sex and influence them to hate their heritage and their country.
“It’s completely unaccountable and unnecessary.”
Critical race theory teaches that America is a white supremacist country founded on slavery, racism and the exploitation of minority groups. It condemns its founding documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, as inherent white supremacy and advocates for the complete condemnation of America’s history.
Critical race theory also teaches young white children that they suffer from unconscious bias, that they are inherently oppressive and that they bear collective guilt because of their skin color.
Runestad said his legislation is designed to remove destructive and divisive ideology from public schools.
“My bill would prevent students from being force-fed the claim that America is a fundamentally racist country,” Runestad said. “These lessons ignore the founding values of America and place sole emphasis on dividing people into separate, immutable categories. I don’t see a value in teaching young students they are inherently part of a ‘bad class’ or have a higher likelihood of success or failure based on their skin color.”
Senate Bill 1147 will be formally read into the Senate during the next scheduled session date.
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Editor’s note: A copy of Runestad’s SB 1147 is attached to this email for your review.
