Georgia’s Republican governor Brian Kemp signed several bills governing education on April 26, including one that bans the instruction of “divisive concepts” seeking to ban “race” concepts from classrooms.

During a press conference, the governor stated: “Today we're here to sign legislation that puts our children ahead of partisan agenda and gets parents back in charge of their kids’ education”, according to CNN.

Among the bills signed was HB 1084, known as the “Protect Students First Act”. “The law defines ‘divisive concepts’ as, among others, those that teach the United States of America is fundamentally racist; an individual, by virtue of his or her race, is inherently or consciously racist or oppressive toward individuals of other races” and “an individual, solely by virtue of his or her race, bears individual responsibility for actions committed in the past by other individuals of the same race”.

According to CNN, “The law is part of a broader movement by conservative lawmakers across the country to limit how race is taught and discussed in schools, with proponents of such measures arguing that the bans are about making sure parents have an ultimate say in their child's education”.

Leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) criticized the governor based on the parents and guardians' desire that children and youth learn “accurate curricula”. The group's executive director, Andrea Young, told CNN that “whether you are white, Black, Hispanic or Asian— most parents want their children to learn about history the way they learn about math— as accurately as possible”.

“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. […] “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”, said Amanda Lee, a parent, educator and president-elect of the Georgia Library Media Association.

Kemp also signed into law HB 1178, known as the “Parents' Bill of Rights”, which provides greater transparency to parents and legal guardians regarding what their students are being taught, and SB 226, which bans literature or books deemed to be offensive in nature from school libraries.

“HB 1084 also sets up an athletic executive oversight committee in the state that has the authority to establish a ban on transgender women participating on sports teams consistent with their gender at high schools in the state”.

School districts in 26 states have banned or opened investigations into more than 1,100 books, according to a report by PEN America, a literary free speech organization that compiled data on these bans from July 2021 to March 2022.