Support for the statewide broadcast of the state of Ohio comes from medical mutual, providing more than one point four million Ohioans peace of mind with a selection of health insurance plans online at Medda Mutual.

Com slash Ohio by the law offices of PorterWright Morris and Arthur LLP.

Now, with eight locations across the country, PorterWright is a legal partner with a new perspective to the business community, Morad PorterWright Dotcom and from the Ohio Education Association, representing 100 24000 members who work to inspire their students to think creatively and experience the joy of learning online at O H E A dot org, Gov.. Mike DeWine signs a controversial bill and vetoes another one.

And there are two bills in the Ohio House that would ban the teaching of divisive concepts and critical race theory in Ohio schools.

One sponsor explains his reasoning while an opponent pushes back on his claims.

All this weekend, the state of Ohio.

Welcome to The State of Ohio, I'm Karen Kasler.

Governor Mike DeWine is signed into law, a bill that includes an amendment prohibiting public K through 12 schools, colleges and universities from requiring staff and students get covered vaccines or any vaccine that doesn't have full approval by the FDA.

That prompted outrage from people who are hoping he would veto it since he's pushed vaccinations and even launched the vaccine, a million incentive contest, DeWine said in a statement.

The bill's primary purpose was worthy to enhance educational opportunities for children in military families.

But DeWine added, quote, We are confident these vaccines, proven repeatedly to be very safe and very effective, will be approved by the FDA, thus rendering this issue moot.

That bill was signed the same day the Ohio Department of Health did a briefing urging covid vaccines, saying the highly contagious Delta variant is on the rise and less than 60 percent of eligible Ohioans are fully vaccinated.

And the doctors pushed back on disinformation and false claims made about covid vaccines, including some in testimony on a bill at the state House that would ban all mandatory vaccines.

The simple truth is the risks of these vaccines are tiny.

The risks of covid-19 are vast.

I think those who expressed concerns about the vaccine have a ship that tracks their whereabouts or that magnetize is them.

I think those are disinformation, which is beyond unfortunate.

It's it's disturbing.

This bill signing comes a few days after twined vetoed another bill to allow people to set off fireworks they've purchased in Ohio State law says they can't use here.

DeWine said it's a public safety issue and will make Ohio, in his words, one of the least restrictive states in regard to fireworks laws.

But the bill passed by a veto proof majority, so an override is possible.

Seven states have passed bills that would restrict how public school kids are taught about racism and public policy, and another 20 are considering it, including Ohio.

Backers say they want to ban the teaching of what they call critical race theory.

That's a four decades old academic concept that recognizes that race is a social construct or something that only exists because humans set it up and that it's embedded into legal systems and public policy.

Critical race theory is taught at the graduate level in law schools and not typically in K through 12 schools.

There are two bills in Ohio that would prohibit what they call the teaching, advocating or promoting of divisive concepts in schools.

Neither uses the phrase critical race theory.

Supporters say kids are being taught to be ashamed to be American and to label people based on race, which is inherently racist.

Some of the concepts are rooted in communism that a lot of the issues surrounding race and policy have been fixed through legislation and court decisions and that parents are upset about all this.

There have been some public displays of that anger at school board meetings, including this week with some people who want to testify at the State Board of Education.

But we're told the board was only accepting written testimony on this matter.

One of the sponsors of the bill is banning divisive concepts is former state school board member, now Republican Representative Sarah Arthur Fowler, or joint sponsor is Republican Diane Grendell.

But opponents of these bill, say there's evidence that systemic racism has played a role in American policy, for instance, in the racial health gap and racial wealth gap, not to mention Jim Crow laws, the Indian Relocation Act and Japanese internment camps.

Its students should have honest, age appropriate facts about historical events that all children will benefit from a diverse approach to education.

That critical race theory isn't taught in K through 12 schools.

So these bills are targeting any teaching that challenges the dominant narratives about US history that these bills are based on fear and misinformation.

Republicans have been aggressively promoting this issue, a recent Morning Consult political poll shows.

While less than half of Americans have a strong opinion on critical race theory, twice as many people oppose the teaching of it in public schools that support it.

Former President Trump.

It issued an executive order banning diversity training in the federal government before he lost reelection.

His former strategist, Steve Bannon, has said he thinks Republicans could pick up 50 seats in Congress next year if they stay focused on this issue.

I talked to two state representatives about this issue.

Recently, Republican Don Jones introduced a bill to prohibit critical race theory and K through 12 education as his bill is described by his office on the same day as the bill from Grendell and Arthur Fowler.

I have nothing against history.

I think we need to teach history.

But whenever we start to try to impress upon our young people in our schools that they should feel guilty because of their situation, that's that's 100 percent wrong.

And I hate the fact that we want to use race or gender or anything to try to figure out or try to blame race or gender on our own situation or current.

Societal issues, you know, that's that's my biggest concern.

I mean, you know, I think we need to teach history.

I think we need to teach, you know, what Marxism is, what socialism and communism is and, you know, capitalistic values.

I mean, that's what our country has been built on, teach all those issues.

But we need to let our kids we need to teach our kids how to think for themselves and not what to think, but give them the facts.

And I don't want to see us start pushing information onto kids.

I don't want teachers to be forced to to to push information that they don't believe or don't don't want to teach because of someone that says, oh, this is how it really is when it really is not.

Now, you're not saying that history should be taught from a U.S. perspective, that there is still the place to examine difficult things like slavery, the treatment of blacks after the Civil War, things like this that it's not you're not teaching.

I mean, I could see how some people would say, well, you're saying that this is know Marxist.

Other people would say what you're trying to push is, is nationalism.

Well, I think what I'm pushing is, is the capitalistic society that we live in.

And it could be nationalism.

I mean, we live in the United States of America.

We live in it.

We've been called the melting pot by for so long because we welcomed people from all over the world to come to our country.

I mean, and, you know, and that's what made our country great, was our diverse background and in the people that we had in it.

But you know, why all of a sudden are we saying, oh, wait a minute, this isn't working, you know, whenever it really has been working.

And and I guess that's my frustration.

Is is.

What changed?

Why did we go from being the melting pot and the place that people desire to come to, to now we're the worst place in the world.

But, you know, again, we can have a lot of conversations about about those reasons and again, call it nationalism or whatever you want to call it.

But I mean, I'm proud to live in the United States of America.

And you know what?

I will say this.

I mean, you know, slavery was a huge part of our of our of our history.

And you know what I mean?

Let's get real.

I mean, it's one of those things that I don't look at a person and say because of the color of their skin or their sexual orientation, that they're this or they're that.

I look at them as an individual person and I hope that they've got potential that we can with that they can succeed.

I mean, that's how I look at things.

I maybe look at things a little bit more simplistic than a lot of others.

And that's that's OK.

But I'll have that conversation.

So you don't believe that there's any inherent white privilege.

For instance, you referenced white privilege in your statement pointing out that you don't believe that there's any inherent white privilege or no.

What privilege do I have because I'm white?

I mean, you know what?

I'm going to say this.

I live in Appalachian rural Ohio.

There's a lot of poor white people here in Appalachia.

I mean, I can take you to homes where people are living in storage buildings with without any water and septic.

I mean, again, white privilege is something that that, again, our society has said, well, this exists.

And my question is, is why what you know, and this is this is a conversation I had with with with Taylor there last evening.

And it's crazy that this is this is just how full circle things come here.

I remember a class I had at university whenever I was in college, and believe it or not, the class was race and ethnic relations and I had taken my first test and thought I'd done pretty good.

And I got my blue book back and my teacher gave it back to me and I got a C on that first exam and he had the same thing written on every one of my answers.

He had a question mark and he said, Why?

And it really made me stop and think and think about things we know, certain things we know and we have our opinions.

But my deeper question is, is why?

And that goes back to that that class.

I mean, that professor, you know, he said, Don, I know what you know, but why do you know that or why do you think that or why do you believe that?

And, you know, we can have that discussion.

I think with and I welcome that discussion with anybody.

I want to see us rise up past this and get through this because we are the greatest country in the world.

You know, we're falling apart.

I mean, I've got I've got people that have called me in the last three days and represent Jones.

Thank you.

Because we're really seriously concerned about the future of our country in the middle of our state because we're just getting outside of of what is right.

I mean, we need to get people back to work.

We need to get you know, and here's I think the biggest problem, Karen, when it comes to a lot of our issues in our society is the breakdown of the family structure at home.

You know, I'm not saying that single parents are doing a good job, I'm not saying that by any means.

But, you know, our kids are growing up in a tough society.

They're growing up in a tough world.

Technology has really changed our kids in our society, getting off topic a little bit.

But we don't read books.

We don't read books anymore.

I mean, our kids are attached to a phone.

They're attached to an iPad or or whatever.

I mean, I see kids.

It's a babysitting tool for for young parents.

And, you know, it's just it's sad because they believe what they see.

And I mean, they see it.

They see a lot of things that are probably not factual, you know.

So that bothers me.

One more final question here.

Most of your your list is straight from former President Trump's executive order on divisive concepts, which President Biden's now rescinded.

So is this really getting overly political for a conversation about education?

Well, Karen, you're the first person that has ever said or mentioned President Trump about this bill.

And I'm going to tell you right now, there was no influence on that.

I work with a gentleman that has worked with other states to address this issue.

And you know what?

There was nothing about the former president or administration.

But you know what?

Those beliefs that that was in there, those are the beliefs of a lot of people that I represent and I think a lot of people in the state of Ohio.

But here's, I think our bigger problem that we have to also recognize.

There are a lot of people that are fearful to speak up and say anything because they don't want to be labeled as a racist or as as a homophobe or whatever because of what they believe.

And that's bothersome to me.

To you know, just because you agree with with our former administration doesn't make you wrong.

And it does.

And this bill has nothing to do with the former administration.

This is a bill that Don Jones and his aide and others worked on for the state of Ohio.

And I think the problem is, is why or why are people afraid to speak up?

You know, I mean and I know I've told my family, I said, you're going to you're going to hear some lots of nice things about your husband and your dad.

I am not racist.

I mean, I grew up in the 80s and 90s in Appalachia.

You know, we didn't have these conversations.

We went to school with with kids from different backgrounds.

I mean, we were there were rich kids, poor kids, white kids, black kids.

We had some some kids.

They had some Hispanic.

I think in their background.

We didn't care what we worked together.

We played sports.

We did our games.

We learn to get along with each other.

And, you know, and I look back, I think I don't I just don't know that I realized how valuable that that upbringing really was.

But I think we've made.

People are afraid to say anything today because they don't want to be labeled as racist or or any of those other terms.

And, you know, and I said, well, it's not just you, it's the whole system.

And again, show me show me where our system is racist, you know?

And again, I welcome that conversation.

I mean, and we need to have the conversation, I mean, I you know, I am not afraid to have that conversation with anyone.

I mean, as you can tell, I mean, I'm very passionate, also very passionate about opposing Jones bill.

And this concept is Democratic Representative Thomas West.

Well, first of all, this piece of legislation is dangerous.

It's dangerous to our students, is dangerous to our families.

It's dangerous to our history, American history.

And as we look at black history and as we look at racism and sex all across, we need to unshackle teachers, allow teachers to educate legislators, need to do their job by staying out of the classroom.

And what this bill does is it starts themselves into the classroom, which is not OK.

This bill will potentially help help to brush under the carpet, if you will, our African-American history or our when we talk about Juneteenth, you know, Juneteenth years ago, I didn't even know what it was.

Right.

But that's now kids are little kids now are learning what Juneteenth is all about.

Right.

And that's beautiful.

It's about race and it's about a population of people that live here in Ohio that should be excited.

And we should celebrate the freedom of African-Americans from slavery.

Right.

That's something that we should know in classrooms.

When we start looking at, you know, the civil war.

We are we have to.

Are they not allowed to talk about that?

Are they not allowed to talk about January six insurrection?

I mean, these are issues, real issues that happen in American history.

And when it comes down to race or sexual orientation, it's important for kids to know at a younger stage, especially when their minds are developing.

I'm asking our legislators to stay out of that process, allow teachers to teach in the classroom and talk about culture, talk about race and constructive ways so that we can grow as a nation, not just be stifled.

You were quoted in a press release from the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus saying, teaching our kids about race and racism is not divisive.

It is critical to ensuring they understand and value the diversity of our state and our nation.

We should be teaching them about how racial equity provides opportunities for all of us to thrive in this environment.

How can teaching about race and racism not be divisive when we hear the legislature?

First question is why is this even brought up OK?

And is it brought up to divide us?

Is it brought up to disrupt the classroom?

And I believe the answer is yes.

There's no reason this bill should be before the House.

And this time especially it got dropped during the George Floyd anniversary.

What is up with that?

Why is this before the Ohio House?

That's very it's divisive in its very nature.

So if we want to end the divisiveness, let's have a serious conversation about race.

Let's have a serious talk about sex.

Let's talk about the issue so that people can be educated and learn for themselves.

This is something that stifles free speech.

OK, this bill does.

And this is the group that always says, hey, free speech, we're all for it.

I'm calling on my legislator, my legislative body, to stand tall and let's get real about race in Ohio, in America, and let's put an end to all the divisive tactics that has been coming before the schools.

There are obviously racial inequities in this country.

There's a racial wealth gap.

There's a racial health gap there arguably policies that are based in racism.

But there's still an insistence that we're in a post-racial society, that we should be striving for colorblindness, that we should be judging people on the content of their character, and that we've fixed a lot of these problems and basically anybody can become anything and achieve the American dream.

And so there's this dichotomy, I think, between critical race theory for some people and the idea of they love this country.

Can those two things exist?

Can critical race theory and patriotism and loving your country exist?

You know what?

First of all, I'm not a critical thinking is something that always should be in a classroom.

We should not try to stifle critical thinking in our classrooms and teaching.

When you when I heard them quote Martin Luther King about how we should not be judged by the color of our skin, by the content of our character, what they forget to say is that during that time also it was very divisive.

Race was an issue and he was calling for this to happen today.

I'm calling for that very thing to happen.

So it still exists.

Brushing it under the carpet is not going to address the issue.

Talking about it, let's working together across the aisle to get things done can address the issue.

So from my standpoint, to be a patriot is to make certain that all voices in Ohio are heard, all cultures are understood, and therefore we are accepting and embracing education at its highest level and not being afraid of it.

And there are elements of Martin Luther King's story of a lot of things that have happened in history that we don't know the full details of.

I mean, you were just mentioning Juneteenth, that this is something that you were even learning about now compared to what you knew about it before.

Yeah, I mean, and that's that's the beauty of this.

And being here at the legislature, you learn so much.

You know, Senator Thomas has a House Senate concurrent resolution to take the word slavery out of our Constitution.

Why has that not happened?

Right.

You have racism as a public health crisis right here before the legislature that we're having a hard time passing when all the cities across the state have already done so.

This time for us to move forward, it's time for us to embrace education and learn more about Juneteenth, learn about the Buffalo soldiers who went into Galveston, Texas, when that's something that's on the on the floor today, the pass that resolution that's happening right here at the state House.

But now this bill would not allow teachers to talk about the Buffalo Soldiers.

This bill would not allow teachers to talk about Juneteenth.

Right.

To me, I think that's that's a travesty and we're not teaching at his highest level and culture is a big part of that critical race theory has been around for about 40 years.

Former President Trump brought attention to it after the essay that opens the 16 19 project, won the Pulitzer Prize in twenty nineteen.

And indeed, much of Representative Jones's bill has lines that are exactly from former President Trump's executive order that banned diversity training and critical race theory from being taught to federal employees and subcontractors.

Why do you suppose all this attention on critical race theory is happening right now?

Well, what I do know and what we do know is that this has been going around the country and they're putting it in schools.

And I don't know the reason or the rationale behind it, but it is a carbon copy from other states.

Ohio needs to get original.

We are the heart of it.

All right.

I grew up with that notion that we are the heart of it all and we should not be following other states or Donald Trump or anyone else.

But we should look to Ohio and the citizens that we have here in this state and make certain that they are the best that they can be, that each and every one of our citizens have an opportunity to thrive, not just survive.

And supporters of restricting critical race theory say history can still be taught that this is not about not teaching history.

Is that your view now?

Both of these bills are so broad and what you're doing is you're having the teachers that are in our classrooms questioned whether they should bring something.

That one of the things that I think is beautiful about this whole notion is we every year it seems like I learn something new about our history.

We see hidden figures, right.

African-Americans who've done wonderful things.

But it was brushed under the carpet.

And then now 20, the movie about the women that worked at the Black Women worked.

And that's exactly that was something we didn't know.

But that was something we should be rejoicing and celebrating in the classroom.

Right.

Help John Glenn get to the moon.

What are we not why are we hiding that?

And if you want to talk about Black History Month, that's the that's the kind of that's the time when teachers are like, you know, at their top of their game.

This bill will stifle that and tell teachers that, listen, this is not something you can do and therefore some teachers won't even bring it up because they're afraid of what may happen to them as a result of it.

That's why I think it's dangerous and I think the legislature needs to stay out of the classroom.

Let me ask you, there's gender identity in Representative Jones bill as well.

Is that a separate issue or do you think that's part of the overall teachings about critical race theory, that gender identity and sexual orientation is part of that?

Yes, I believe it all is a part of it.

It's we all need to make certain that our kids that are growing up is they understand the movement of all of these different cultures and for us not to allow individuals to teach it in the classroom.

And they also brought up religion.

That's a new added version to it or amendment, right.

Again, we need to allow the teachers to teach and the legislature needs to be a legislative body and do what they do best.

You know, why is this bill in state and local government?

Why is it in not in education or secondary education?

There's something wrong with this picture.

And they are playing games with this.

And we don't I don't believe it's right.

And the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus is going to be as adamantly opposed to this.

And we're going to continue to fight.

And all the teachers across the state, I hope they stand with us and fight as well as families.

I've gotten a number of calls on this bill from the Urban League's across the state, and they're very concerned.

I've gotten calls from teachers very concerned.

So when teachers and organizations that are out here that obviously operate in that space, that's when the legislature should listen to the constituents.

And at this point in time, they seem like they're not listening to none of us.

And it's time for us to correct that and fulfill the promise that we give to all Ohioans.

All right.

And that is an opportunity to learn in their schools without these attacks on their system.

Both of these bills have been assigned to a committee, but haven't had a hearing yet.

And that's it for this week for my colleagues at the Statehouse News Bureau of Ohio Public Radio and Television.

Thanks for watching.

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