Blog

By: Taifha Natalee Alexander

Newly released CRT Forward Tracking Project data has revealed new anti-CRT national, state, local, and content-specific trends. These trends have revealed the following: (1) with only one month remaining in 2022, the total number of introduced anti-CRT measures in 2022 is on pace to exceed the total number of combined, introduced anti-CRT measures in 2020 and 2021; (2) the number of enacted measures have grown by nearly 10% in the past two months while pending, withdrawn, and rejected measures have remained stagnant or grow at an incremental pace; (3) newly identified anti-CRT measures in Congress aim to limit student loan forgiveness and funding to protect children against gun violence; and (4) school districts in Georgia, Virginia, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina have enacted the most anti-CRT measures at the local school board level.

(1) Anti-CRT measures introduced between January 2022 and November 2022, have already exceeded the number of introduced anti-CRT measures from the same timeframe last year.

Based on data made available through the CRT Forward Tracking Project, CRT Forward Researchers have found that the number of anti-CRT measures introduced in 2022 is expected to exceed the total number of introduced anti-CRT measures in 2020 and 2021 combined. During 2020, only three (3) anti-CRT measures were introduced. Each of those anti-CRT measures were introduced in September. During 2021, the number of introduced anti-CRT measures grew exponentially. Between January 2021 and November 2021, 251 anti-CRT measures were introduced. While news reports about anti-CRT activity has dwindled in the past few months, the number of introduced anti-CRT measures increased by 5% during 2022. In November 2022, 263 anti-CRT measures were introduced since the beginning of this year. As 2022 draws to a close, CRT Forward Researchers anticipate anti-CRT measures to be filed in state legislatures and introduced through local school board officials.

(2) Enacted anti-CRT measures account for 42% of the entire CRT Forward Tracking Project database.

As of November 23, 2022, at least 548 anti-CRT measures have been introduced across 49 states at the local, state, and federal levels. 234 anti-CRT measures have been enacted. The 234 enacted measures include: 78 policies; 63 statements; 39 resolutions; 33 legislation; ten (10) executive directives; seven (7) regulations; and four (4) attorney general letters. As this CRT Forward Tracking Project data demonstrates, 60% of all enacted CRT measures are policies and statements. These enacted anti-CRT policies and statements overwhelmingly impact students with 70 of the 77 policies being introduced at the local school board level and 62 of the 63 statements targeting K-12 education.

(3) Two pending Congressional measures, The Student Loan Reform Act of 2022 and The Reduce Gun Violence Act of 2022, are among newly identified anti-CRT measures.

The most recent CRT Forward Tracking Project data includes 26 newly identified anti-CRT measures. Of the 26 newly identified anti-CRT measures, 17 have been enacted - ten (10) policies, three (3) resolutions, one (1) regulation, and three (3) statements. The newly identified anti-CRT measures were introduced in states all across the country. From Gainsville, Georgia to Richland, Washington, anti-CRT measures have been introduced and, in most cases, enacted.

However, two (2) pending anti-CRT measures in Congress are of particular interest - the Reduce Gun Violence Act of 2022 and the Student Loan Reform Act of 2022. Both introduced measures outline funding allocation based on "divisive concepts," or distorted descriptions of systemic racism and efforts to dismantle it.

The Reduce Gun Violence Act of 2022, HR 9001, was introduced to propose increased Congressional authorization of funding for the establishment of a task force to reduce gun violence in schools, cyber monitoring, physical security to stop school violence, and mental health guidance counselors in K-12 and institutions of higher education. However, none of the funds would be used to increase access to truthful information about CRT or to provide gender affirming care.

The Student Loan Reform Act of 2022, S. 4897, was introduced into Congress to amend a section of the Higher Education Act of 1965. In addition to the proposed amendment, this higher education-focused, introduced measure also outlines the prohibition of funding to institutions of higher education that provide access to truthful information about race, systemic racism, and Critical Race Theory as a tool to dismantle racial inequities.

More information about the pending anti-CRT measures, The Reduce Gun Violence Act of 2022 and The Student Loan Reform Act of 2022, can be found on the CRT Forward Tracking Project interactive map by navigating to federal measures and selecting HR 9001 or S. 4897 in the activity pane.

(4) School district officials in Georgia have enacted the most anti-CRT measures across different school boards, followed by Virginia, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.

During Summer 2022, Georgia HB 1084 went into effect. To establish compliance with HB 1084, school districts across Georgia promulgated policies outlining a "Divisive Concepts Complaint Resolution Process." Of Georgia's 34 introduced state and local anti-CRT measures, 22 target K-12 education. Of those 22 anti-CRT measures, 18 are a direct result of HB 1084 and all 18 have been enacted. To be clear, the surge in anti-CRT activity in Georgia is due to a state-mandated requirement for each school district to promulgate a policy in alignment with anti-CRT measure HB 1084, an official Georgia law.

Other school district officials across the country are not compelled to promulgate policies to reach compliance with a specific anti-CRT law. However, Local Virginia school board officials have enacted 11 different anti-CRT measures. Similarly, local school board officials in Texas and Florida have enacted 9 anti-CRT measures each while Pennsylvania and North Carolina school board officials have enacted 8. Local school board officials in California, Colorado and Ohio have each introduced six measures each across different school districts.