Educators & Parents Condemn Kemp’s Anti-Education Bills

April 28, 2022

This morning, after Brian Kemp signed a slew of anti-education bills into law, including HB 1084, HB 1178, and SB 226, Georgia educators and parents held a press conference condemning the legislation. Speakers discussed how the new laws will pit parents against teachers, attack educators, politicize Georgia schools, and jeopardize kids’ education – all for Kemp’s own political gain.

Download photos and a recording of the press conference here.

“As a parent, with four children having gone through this state’s public school system,  I want the best education for my kids, and I know their teachers have the same goal. Brian Kemp’s statement that teachers want to indoctrinate and divide our students is a blatant — and false — political ploy that pits parents against teachers – and our kids will lose out because of it.” said Angie Darnell, a Forsyth County Schools parent. “His plan to control what’s taught in our schools could limit our kids’ opportunity to learn a complete and accurate history of our country.  It’s outrageous that Brian Kemp is inserting partisan agendas into the classroom just to try and win an election. Because for him, that’s what this is all about. Not parents, not students – just his re-election campaign.”

“My son should be able to go into his school library and find books that reflect what his family looks like, just like every other student in Georgia. Let me be clear, a parent has the right to determine what’s best for their child and only their child. Allowing some parents more of a voice than others, denies students of books they need to learn and grow. And it serves as a reminder to all, whose stories are valued and whose stories are deemed ‘inappropriate,’” shared Amanda Lee, a 20-year Georgia educator, parent, and president elect of the Georgia Library Media Association. “Brian Kemp is signing several bills today that will take away student rights. They will have a chilling effect on education across Georgia and limit the exchange of free ideas which prepare our students for college and careers. HB 1084 will have a detrimental impact on how students learn the fundamentals of history in class. SB 226 will limit access to books offered in school libraries. And HB 1178 will put teachers under the microscope for every instructional material they use in the classroom. It’s shameful that Brian Kemp has decided his re-election campaign is more important than our schools and our kids’ education.”

“From the moves to censor what’s taught in classrooms, to the efforts to make it easier to ban books and to attack the parent-teacher partnership, it’s clear that for Kemp, this is about politics and inserting a partisan agenda into our classrooms,” stated Elaine Padgett, a Forsyth County parent inspired to run for the local Board of Education because of Kemp’s agenda. “These bills send a message to teachers that they’re no longer trusted to teach a curriculum that has been part of their lesson plans for years. Brian Kemp is putting his re-election campaign and partisan politics ahead of Georgia students and their education. If he really cared about education, he would stop attacking teachers for political points and let them do their jobs.”

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