CRT Act

This bill would block federal funds from going to any K–12 school or college that promotes certain race-based ideas, or that pressures teachers or students to agree with them in a way that discriminates by race, color, or national origin. It targets the use of school money, not what people say outside of school. It also allows students and teachers to study these ideas for research or class discussion, as long as the school makes clear it is not endorsing them.

Key points

• Who is affected: Public and private elementary schools, high schools, and colleges that receive federal funds.
• What changes: Federal money could be withheld if a school promotes certain ideas, including that one race is superior or inferior; that the United States or its founding documents are fundamentally racist; that a person’s moral worth is set by race; that people are inherently racist or oppressive because of their race; or that someone is responsible for others’ actions because of their race, color, or national origin.
• What remains allowed: Personal speech outside school; access to materials for research or independent study; and teaching about these ideas in context, if the school clearly does not endorse them.

In short, schools that push these specific race-based ideas risk losing federal funding, while students and teachers can still learn about and discuss them in a non-endorsing, educational way.