Georgia removes references to 'equity' and inclusion' from teacher program standards
The commission removed references to 'diverse' and 'diversity' last month
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Words like "equity" and "inclusion" will be stripped from Georgia's teacher preparation standards after the state's Professional Standards Commission unanimously voted for their removal on Thursday.
The change comes on the heels of a vote last month to eliminate references to "diversity" and "diverse" from the standards and replace them with the terms that are allegedly easier to understand.
Chairman Brian Sirmans said the changes followed the University System of Georgia's request to have clarified expectations for incoming teachers, according to The Rome News-Tribune.
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Georgia will replace words like ‘diverse, diversity, equity and inclusion’ in its teacher preparation standards after the state's Professional Standards Commission unanimously voted for the change. (Charlie Creitz/Fox News)
Additionally, the report said Sirmans claimed USG officials said such words had become difficult to interpret over time since they can "mean different things to different people."
Multiple reports noted that the removal is not intended to "reduce educational opportunities" for students belonging to racial or ethnic minority groups, a concern explicitly stated by some in the diverse state. Instead, the goal is to clarify training instruction by omitting the allegedly convoluted terms.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We still expect to prepare educators who are well-prepared to meet the needs of all of the students they encounter," Sirmans said, according to the Tribune.
A change to Georgia's teacher preparation standards is raising concern among some teachers, parents and civil rights groups who argue it could leave teachers less prepared to handle a diverse student population. (iStock)
Still, some remain concerned that removing such language leaves incoming instructors ill-prepared to handle the diverse student population and, by proxy, foster an inclusive educational environment for all students, particularly as emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion-based training and curriculum become more common.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Aireane Montgomery, president and CEO of Georgia Educators for Equity & Justice, told the outlet removing the references to DEI-based terms is "horrible."
"To erase diversity, equity and inclusion is to ignore and minimize marginalized communities," she said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Additionally, Georgia teacher Tracey Nance told FOX 5 Atlanta that the increasingly diverse population of Georgia's students necessitates instruction to ensure teachers better understand their identities.
"I cannot imagine thinking that teachers should go into a classroom not having an understanding of how important their students’ identities are," she said.
The report explained that the terms "diverse" and "diversity" will be replaced by the word "different."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital reached out to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.