Kansas Gov. Signs Law Prohibiting ‘DEI-CRT’ in Gen Ed Courses

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The bill was signed into law last week.

Photo illustration by Justin Morrison/Inside Higher Ed | Liudmila Chernetska and narvo vexar/iStock/Getty Images

Legislation signed into law by Kansas governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, will prohibit public colleges from mandating students take “DEI-CRT” courses, Higher Ed Dive reports.

The provision, which was passed last week as part of a larger budget bill, does not define diversity, equity and inclusion; critical race theory; or “DEI-CRT courses” but requires the state board of higher ed do so by the end of July. Then, by July 31, 2028, the state’s public colleges will have to certify that they don’t “require or constrain students to enroll in a DEI-CRT course in order to satisfy the requirements of any academic program.”

Kelly described the overall legislation as a “bad budget that went through a bad process.”

“Despite this being a really bad budget, I will sign it, because the alternative is worse,” she added.

Free speech groups argue that this law could censor curriculum and will cause a chilling effect on classroom discussions.

Amy Reid, director of the Freedom to Learn program at PEN America, a First Amendment advocacy group, warned in a news release that the law reflects a larger trend of crackdowns on campus free speech.

“The passage and signing of this provision as part of Kansas’s budget bill is, sadly, proof of the dangerous normalization of educational censorship, even in a state with a Democratic governor,” she said.