Between 2021 and 2023, 40 legal restrictions were placed on educator speech in 21 states|PEN America
A new report from free speech watchdog PEN America estimates that around 1.3 million public school teachers and 100,000 professors at public colleges and universities are under “educational gag orders.”
What is that?
The educational gag orders are bills passed by states restricting educators from discussing race, US history and any text related to LGBTQIA+ with students.
The laws disproportionately affect the transfer of knowledge to students on topics like sex education, racism, gender identity, sexual orientation, and antisemitism, among other issues, says the report.
In 2023 alone, 110 bills seeking such restrictions were introduced, out of which 10 became laws. Between 2021 and 2023, 40 legal restrictions were placed on faculty speech in 21 states.
The report expects bills preventing teachers and students from interacting on sensitive yet essential subjects will only continue to increase in 2024.
