Currently the N.H. State House is controlled by the Republican Party, which has taken measures to restrict topics regarding race in U.S. history classes in N.H. The N.H. GOP passed the “Right to Freedom from Discrimination in Public Workplaces and Education” Act in June, barring teachers from teaching students certain topics on race, racism, sexism and gender issues. The language of the bill is vague, forbidding teachers from teaching “divisive” concepts and there are no guidelines which explicitly state what can or can’t be taught.
Teachers caught discussing topics related to critical race theory can be reported to the New Hampshire Department of Education through a complaint site made specifically to lodge complaints about discrimination in class. Teachers’ educator’s licenses could potentially be revoked as a result of the site.
Following the creation of the whistleblower site and the passage of the law barring the discussion of “divisive topics” in N.H. classrooms, a local N.H. conservative group placed a $500 bounty on teachers caught discussing topics related to critical race theory .
“We’ve got $500 for the person that first successfully catches a public school teacher breaking this law,” Moms for Liberty N.H. said on their Twitter page. “Students, parents, teachers, school staff… We want to know! We will pledge anonymity if you want.”
Moms for Liberty N.H. a conservative chapter of the national Moms for Liberty chapter which claims to “ fight for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government”. The N.H. chapter of Moms for Liberty has expressed their support for the the “Right to Freedom from Discrimination in Public Workplaces and Education” Act that was passed in June.
Despite signing the “Right to Freedom from Discrimination in Public Workplaces and Education” Act into effect, Gov. Sununu expressed his disapproval with the statement made by Moms for Liberty NH regarding their tweet targeting the state’s educators.
In an email to an NBC news station in Boston, a spokesperson for Sununu said the governor “condemns the tweet referencing ‘bounties’ and any sort of financial incentive is wholly inappropriate and has no place.”
Moms for Liberty N.H. has yet to make a comment in response Sununu’s statement of disapproval.
The Lancer Spirit will continue to update this story as more information develops.
Abigail Carey
Dec 22, 2021 at 8:53 pm
I am so glad to see NH State politics covered in LSO! The NH ACLU is currently suing the state because this law is unconstitutional. It “disallows students from receiving the inclusive, complete education they deserve, and from having important conversations on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity in the classroom” ACLU NH Legal Director Gilles Bissonnette said. How can we expect our students to be college and career ready if they are not prepared to have these difficult conversations?