Critical race theory bill introduced in Wyoming Senate

Originally Published on The Casper Star-Tribune

CASPER —Almost simultaneously, one critical race theory bill died in the Wyoming Legislature on Thursday, while a second moved forward.

A bill that would have explicitly banned critical race theory being taught in Wyoming classrooms failed introduction in the House, while a similar, but vaguer, measure passed in the Senate. The House bill was five votes short; the Senate cleared its version by five votes. Critical race theory is an academic framework for examining how racism is embedded in U.S. institutions and society, and keeping it out of schools has become a right-wing focus in the past year. It is not currently taught in Wyoming classrooms.

The proposed bans have drawn criticism from the Wyoming Education Association, which has questioned their legality and argued that schools should not shy away from difficult subjects.

The House Bill was sponsored by Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Casper. Broadly, Gray’s bill sought to prohibit preschool through 12th grade students from “instruction that presents any form of blame or judgement on the basis of race ethnicity, sex, color or national origin.” It clarified that historical lessons on race should still be taught…