Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Spencer Cox is content with where the Utah Legislature landed on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Bills seeking to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives received pushback from critics, who said the bills are vague and could encourage self-censorship and deepen existing inequities. Proponents of the bills argue critics are misinterpreting the bills, with one lawmaker claiming "anti-racism is racism."
"Those bills either didn't pass or got changed drastically, and I think that's really important. I always tell people you can judge the Legislature by what gets passed, not by what gets introduced, and so I feel good about where the session ended up," Cox said during his monthly news conference Thursday. "I think it is important that we want to make sure that everyone feels included, but we don't have to exclude people to make that happen. And that's unfortunately what happens with some of these DEI programs."
At least four bills this session targeted diversity, equity and inclusion:
- SB283 (not passed), which originally would have banned diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in higher education before the sponsor opted to push for a study instead.
- HB427 (signed by Cox), which limits how K-12 educators can discuss racism, sexism, ageism and religious discrimination in classrooms.
- HB441 (not passed), which would have prohibited schools and state entities from asking applicants anything about what they've done to further inclusion.
- HB451 (not passed), which would have required schools to create a neutrality policy and crack down on how teachers and other school staff discuss controversial issues.
"There's good diversity and inclusion and there's not good diversity and inclusion," Cox said. "You see a little bit of both of that, unfortunately, and it's too bad that those terms get used differently. I think we talk past each other sometimes. I do think that there are some very extreme versions of that mindset that have led to unfortunately bad policy and terrible divides."
The governor added that he believes it is important to look at diversity, equity and inclusion programs to "make sure they're doing what they're supposed to do — and that is make sure that Utah is a place where everyone feels accepted and everyone has a voice."
He pointed to HB427, which originally would have prohibited educators from having a student "confront a sincerely held belief, value or standard" as an example of how the bills developed.
"So much of what I've seen in that the hostility towards that bill was directed towards the first substitute that, again, was eviscerated and got changed. I would have vetoed that," he said. "What ultimately passed, I think, most Utahns, if they just read the language of that bill, it makes sense to them,"
Cox signed the bill Wednesday despite calls from some educators and the Utah Education Association for him to veto the bill.
"I don't think it will impact 99% of what's already being taught in the classroom," Cox said. "In almost every classroom, we have great teachers. We have an amazing public education system, and so I don't think they need to worry about it. Certainly, I've looked at the curriculum in my kids' classrooms, and I think every parent should have that opportunity, and they do. Teachers love when parents engage. I just don't see any problems with anything that's been taught in any of my kids' classrooms causing any problems at all."
