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Tennessee Officials Propose How They’re Going To Enforce The New State Law That Limits Teaching Of Race In Schools

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The Tennessee Department of Education put out proposed rules Monday on a new state law that limits teaching race in schools. It spells out how people can file complaints, and what enforcement of the vague law will actually look like.

The law passed this spring by the General Assembly doesn’t even mention the words “critical race theory”, though that’s how many of them were known as they passed in a slew of states. Instead it prohibits teaching any concepts that might make a student feel “discomfort, guilt, anguish or another form of psychological distress” because of their race or sex.

The rules released by the state Department of Education call for people to report potential violations to their local district to investigate. And Not just anyone can file a complaint — they must have a current connection to the school district, whether that be students, parents or employees.

Then the district has 60 days to investigate and rule. People who aren’t satisfied can appeal to the department of education, and districts that break the law can be fined up to $1 million for every violation.

The Department of Education’s proposed rule is available here, and any feedback must be submitted by August 10.

Paige Pfleger, Criminal Justice Reporter

Paige Pfleger covers criminal justice for WPLN News. She has investigated guns and juvenile justice as a fellow with ProPublica's Local Reporting Network, and her investigation into domestic violence and firearms dispossession won a regional Edward R. Murrow award and was a finalist for an Investigative Reporters and Editors Award and a Livingston Award. She previously covered criminal justice and addiction in Ohio and was named the state's reporter of the year by the Associated Press. Her work has appeared nationally on NPR, The Washington Post, Marketplace, and PRI's The World, and she has worked in the newsrooms of The Tennessean, Michigan Radio, WHYY, Vox and NPR headquarters in DC.

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