House panel rejects bills restricting lessons on race

By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A state lawmaker’s attempt to set restrictions on what public schools in Louisiana can teach about race has been rejected by a House committee. Some panel members said the legislation needlessly encroached on state and local education officials’ duties. Other critics said the legislation was so broadly written it could squelch classroom debate. Rep. Ray Garofalo, a St. Bernard Parish Republican, said the bills were needed to prevent attempts at “indoctrinating” students with political opinions. One of the measures would forbid teaching that anyone of any  race bears “collective guilt” for past actions by members of the same race or that the United States is “systemically racist.”