Wyoming

Elected officials in Wyoming have made strong public statements against CRT and the 1619 Project, proposing several legislative concepts to fight back at the K-12 and higher education levels. In September 2021, the state superintendent, speaker of the House, and Senate president held a press conference in which they declared their intention to make Wyoming a national leader in keeping CRT and the 1619 project out of schools.

K-12 Education

Although officials have said no district in Wyoming incorporates CRT into history or social studies, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow announced in September 2021 her intention to propose legislating banning CRT and the 1619 Project in public schools. She cited evidence that Marxist teachings had crept in, including a 5th grader’s notes on what was being taught.

Balow said her evidence of the threat includes notes regarding classroom lessons that “lead students to make conclusions that support Marxism in the absence of any comparison to other theories or other concepts.” (source)

She announced her support of legislation, which will be introduced to the legislature in February 2022, that will “prohibit funding for teaching critical race theory and the 1619 Project in schools.” The legislation would also mandate full transparency for all lessons taught in Wyoming public schools. (source)

Some legislators would like to see that ban on funding extend to the university level as well. (source)

Higher Education

The higher education system does not currently have mandates for CRT or anti-racism training for students. Some legislators have expressed support for a ban on funding for any such training or curriculum.