Lawmakers in the new legislative session will once again be pushing for legislation to introduce ethnic studies curriculum in Vermont’s schools.
Last year’s iteration of the bill was championed by Kiah Morris, whose decision not to run for re-election last year, in part because of racial threats, drew national headlines.
The legislation, labeled H.3, would create a working group to recommend how the state should update curriculum standards to “recognize fully the history, contributions, and perspectives of ethnic groups and social groups.”
Lawmakers in the House proposed ethnic studies legislation last year, but it was stalled in conference committee and never made it to the governor’s desk.
This year, sponsors of the legislation have put a bill on the table early, hoping they will be able to build a tripartisan coalition to make the proposal a priority in the 2019 session, which begins on Wednesday.
“I think that the fundamental idea is that there’s a lot missing from the history books,” said Rep. Kevin “Coach” Christie, D-Hartford, who is one of the bill’s sponsors.
“And in the time when we’re trying to be more inclusive as a state, people need to understand what has happened historically that hasn’t been actively shared in the classroom,” he said.
The legislation would also require the State Board of Education to publish school data on hazing, harassment, or bullying incidents separated by student group including race, poverty status, disability status and gender.
According to Christie, Sen. Anthony Pollina, D/P-Washington, plans on introducing a bill in the Senate mirroring the House’s ethnic studies legislation.
The issue of racism has come to the forefront of political discussions in Vermont.
In August, Morris, a former representative from Bennington who was one of the lead sponsors of last year’s ethnic studies legislation, dropped her re-election bid after facing racially motivated threats and harassment.
Christie said that Morris’ resignation “opened everybody’s eyes” and provides an opportunity to address racial justice issues in Vermont.
“In a way, we here in Vermont have an opportunity to really be a leader in racial justice, and our brave little state is at a juncture,” Christie said. “And hopefully we’ll be able to lead the rest of the country like we have with other things.”
Last session, the Legislature passed a bill aimed at combating systemic racism in state government. The bill created the five-member Racial Equity Advisory Panel and a cabinet-level executive director of racial equity tasked with identifying and combating racism in state institutions.
The panel is made up of Andrea Brett, a member of the Abenaki Nation; Judge Nancy Waples;
Stephanie Seguino, a UVM professor; Karen Richards, the former head of the Vermont Human Rights Commission; and Clarence Davis, vice president of the UVM Foundation. The state is currently hiring for the executive director position.
At the time the racial equity bill was signed into law, some racial justice advocates said they wished the Legislature had passed additional policy proposals aimed at improving racial equity that had been on the table last session.
These included provisions that would require the state to collect and distribute data about police use of force during traffic stops and require law enforcement agencies to adopt use-of-force, de-escalation and cross-cultural awareness policies.
The ethnic studies bill is one of 13 legislative proposals that are slated to be introduced in the upcoming session.
Among the proposals are a bill that would ban companies from making employees sign non-compete clauses, legislation requiring minors under the age of 16 to wear bicycle helmets while riding, and a bill to place Vermont on year-round daylight savings time.
