Curriculum restrictions in US public schools hurt teachers and students alike | Stacey Abrams and Randi Weingarten

A number of states have passed laws that force educators to navigate terrifying legal and professional minefields

Students across the country are settling into the new school year, connecting with friends and developing new knowledge and skills. Teachers are also hard at work, but in many places, their lesson plans will be far more complicated than they were last year.

An alarming number of states have passed laws forcing educators to navigate terrifying legal and professional minefields - laws that restrict forthright lessons about history and current events, policies that make it illegal to discuss identity in our schools, and bans on books written by or about people from diverse backgrounds. More than 30 states have passed or introduced more than 100 anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) bills, and 20 states have passed bills banning the discussion of race and gender in the classroom. In these polarizing times, many teachers are racked with anxiety about whether teaching in ways they know to be appropriate could subject them to discipline, harassment or even termination.

Stacey Abrams is the founder of American Pride Rises and former minority leader of the Georgia house of representatives

Randi Weingarten is president of the 1.8 million-member AFT, which represents people who work in education, healthcare and public services