Kentucky governor vetoes bill incorporating 'anti-critical race theory,' calling it a step backward

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has vetoed a bill that contains elements of an "anti-critical race theory" bill that he says "tries to police classroom discussions on topics such as race."

Beshear vetoed the bill with a veto letter saying, "Senate Bill 1 tries to police classroom discussions on topics such as race. These are discussions our children are having with or without adults in our schools. Prescribing a rigid approach to what must be 'taught' in those discussions will lessen if not erase them."

SB1 states in part that public schools shall provide instructions that align with certain concepts including: "An individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, does not bear responsibility for actions committed by other members of the same race or sex;" and "The understanding that the institution of slavery and post-Civil War laws enforcing racial segregation and discrimination were contrary to the fundamental American promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, but that defining racial disparities solely on the legacy of this institution is destructive to the unification of our nation."