NAACP DeKalb County branch calls to reverse ‘protects students’ act’

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - One by one, members of the NAACP DeKalb County branch sounded off one year later about the “Protect Students First Act.”

Critics have spoken out against it, calling it a “direct attack on Black people and history.” They spoke in front of the DeKalb County Board of Education on Monday night.

“The NAACP is with you, as long as you’re teaching the truth, we’re behind you. We know you did not create this law but you would have to implement it and monitor it, said NAACP DeKalb County Branch President Lance Hammonds. “We believe this new law hampers teachers from telling the complete truth about Black history.

It bans divisive concepts from being taught in schools in Georgia. This includes any lessons referencing Georgia or the U.S. as racist.

“The Georgia House Bill 1084 is a continuation of that schizophrenic personality. This law, more accurately titled protects the white students act. Makes it illegal to discuss these important points about the foundation of America,” said Albert Fields of the NAACP DeKalb County History Committee. “We opposed HB 1084 and we want you to oppose it also.”

We spoke to a DeKalb county u.S. History teacher about how he felt when he first read the bill and he didn’t agree.

“I felt as though somebody was saying that my culture isn’t worthy of academy discipline or that my culture isn’t worthy of being even studied,” said DeKalb County U.S. History teacher Christopher Andrews.

House Bill 1084 is so vague teachers don’t know what they can and cannot say in the classroom so they exercise caution to save their jobs.

So, critics continue fighting.

Hammonds added “our next step is to take it to our legislators to say this is a bad law and repeal it.

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