Protests have cropped up at the state Capitol over Republican-backed education bills. (Sam Gringlas/WABE)
Georgia state lawmakers are taking up several education-based measures in public schools. Those measures include limiting transgender students’ participation in sports, banning attempts to enforce a mask mandate, making it easier for parents to get books banned in libraries and forbidding educators from teaching certain race-based curricula.
“A teacher should not tell a child that because of their race, skin color or ethnicity that they should feel guilty,” said Bo Hatchett the bill’s sponsor.
The bill would also ban teachers from saying the U.S. and the state of Georgia are fundamentally or systemically racist. The bill allows students to get an incomplete history that impacts them now, opponents of the bill said.
Democrat Kim Jackson questioned how a teacher would explain racial inequities like maternal mortality rates.
“How is she supposed to explain to students the reasons behind the inequality in our country and our state, not the historical inequalities, but the ones that are happening now?” said Jackson.
After three hours of debate, the bill passed along party lines 32-20. It will soon move to the House.
Young at 90…
Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, above, recalls Rev. Joseph Lowery as being a true warrior during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. (AP Photo)
Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young turns 90 years old on Saturday. The former United Nations ambassador and Congressman had a week of celebrations in Atlanta, including a peace walk, sermon and other gatherings. He spoke with both WABE’s Lisa Rayam and Jim Burress this week.
Atlanta’s construction industry is ripe for new workers…
Erin Jones is a project manager for the hotel being built near the Georgia World Congress Center. (Emil Moffatt/WABE)
The construction industry, like many professions in Georgia, is looking for more workers. One source of labor that could help fill the void is women, who currently make up only about 10% of the industry.
