PEN America says ‘educational gag orders’ have increased 250% since 2021 with focus on race and LGBTQ issues
According to PEN, 137 of the gag orders, which it defines as “state legislative efforts to restrict teaching about topics such as race, gender, American history, and LGBTQ+ identities in K–12 and higher education”, have been introduced in 36 states so far this year. In 2021 the organization recorded 54 gag order bills in 22 states.
“Attacks on education, on educators, have got more coordinated and more dangerous. Escalation is the word that defines what we’re seeing. This is a series of increasingly vitriolic and dangerous attacks on teachers, educators and the educational system.” There is also an increased focus on punishments for discussing banned topics, with severe fines proposed for schools, universities and teachers themselves.A minority of the 137 educational gag order bills have been passed into law. But the backdrop of conservatives jostling for classroom censorship, and the threat of potential punishment at some point in the future can still serve as a looming threat for teachers and school administrators.
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