Indiana lawmaker tries to curb CRT teaching in schools, accused of suggesting ‘impartiality on teaching Nazism’

Lawmaker opposed to critical race theory in schools says teachers’ job is to present facts, not ideology.

By World Israel News Staff

An Indiana lawmaker apologized on Monday for remarks he made during a committee hearing about a bill which was aimed at curbing the teaching of critical race theory in public schools.

State Sen. Scott Baldwin had introduced a bill which would prevent teachers from promoting ideology within classrooms that teach that “any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, or political affiliation is inherently superior or inferior to” any other.

The language of the bill also forbids teaching “that an individual, by virtue of the individual’s sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, or political affiliation, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, or political affiliation.”

Baldwin’s bill comes as a response to lessons throughout the country which have scandalized parents, including those teaching white children that they are responsible for slavery and other historical injustices and pressuring them to make amends to their classmates who are non-white, simply because of their skin color.

But critics of Baldwin’s bill charged that its language is too broad and would prevent teachers from being able to teach about the Holocaust and other genocides triggered by racist ideology.

In response, the lawmaker replied that teachers can simply present the facts about Nazism, slavery, and other historical injustices impartially and children can draw their own conclusions about why such phenomenon were bad for humanity.

Baldwin had said “Marxism, fascism, Nazism, I’m not discrediting any of those ‘isms’ out there.” He said that he believes teachers should not imbue students with a particular ideology; rather, educators “need to be impartial” and “just provide the facts. The kids formulate their own viewpoints.”

After backlash over his comments, Baldwin released a statement in which he said he regretted his choice of words.

“Nazism, Marxism and fascism are a stain on our world history and should be regarded as such, and I failed to adequately articulate that in my comments during the meeting,” he wrote in an email to the Indy Star.

“I believe that kids should learn about these horrible events so that we don’t experience them again.”