Image: Wikimedia Commons
In a significant win for parents, a federal judge has shot down an attempt by left-wing professors and students to block Alabama’s law cracking down on divisive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in public schools and universities.
U.S. District Judge David Proctor ruled that the challengers, a group of University of Alabama academics and students, failed to prove their case for a preliminary injunction, allowing the law to stand firm as the legal battle rages on.
The law, which took effect last October, prohibits schools from hosting or funding DEI programs that promote radical agendas. It also takes aim at so-called “divisive concepts,” like forcing kids to feel guilty or complicit in historical wrongs based on their race or ethnicity — for example, blaming all white people for slavery.
Judge Proctor determined the law doesn’t muzzle free speech or academic freedom, so professors can still discuss these topics in class, as long as it’s done “in an objective manner without endorsement.”
For example, he noted that if a teacher presents empirical evidence on racism as a potential cause of health disparities, or frames it as just a theory, they’re in the clear.
“If, alternatively, the theory she teaches about is that there is empirical evidence that racism may be a cause for health disparities, or if she frames such teaching as merely a theory, she would not violate SB 129,” the judge wrote in his decision.
The plaintiffs whined that the law violates their First Amendment rights and has forced them to tweak lesson plans to avoid crossing the line.
Fortunately, Proctor wasn’t buying it, ruling they didn’t meet the high bar for halting enforcement while the case plays out. This comes amid a broader backlash against DEI nonsense, with states like Florida and Texas leading the charge to root out taxpayer-funded propaganda in education.
The post Victory for Common Sense: Federal Judge Upholds Alabama’s Ban on Radical DEI Programs and ‘Divisive Concepts’ in Schools appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.