Near the end of the 89th Iowa General Assembly, the legislature passed a bill, which was then signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds preventing divisive concepts from being included in training and teaching within the classroom.

The new law doesn’t allow someone to teach or train others that the U.S. or Iowa is fundamentally or systemically racist or sexiest, can’t blame someone to bear responsibility, based on their race or sex, for past discrimination that they didn’t commit; or make someone feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on the account of someone’s race or sex. 

Greene County High School American History and Western Civilization Teacher Darren Jackson believes that portions of U.S. history shouldn’t be overlooked, including slavery, which echoes still today. 

“We are a nation that is sort of in a paradox. How do you talk about a nation founded on democracy, but was also founded with slavery too. So this is an interesting concept that I think that should be taught and should be studied, and for a thoughtful class, needs to.”

Jackson continues to challenge his students, based on something else that was written in the Declaration of Independence, which was that “all men are created equal.”

“I tell the kids, when that was written in 1776 that wasn’t true, but it was a promise. Your job, as young people, is to make that circle ever widen, and to include more people. I think that that is a good, general theme of teaching American history. We had flaws in the beginning, we can’t deny those, but we are always moving forward and we are a beacon of democracy for the world.”

Jackson doesn’t believe the new law will force him to change how he has taught social studies subjects to high school students.