The New Hampshire chapter of Moms for Liberty, a conservative organization that has campaigned against school curriculums that mention LGBTQ+ rights, race, and discrimination, announced that it would pay a $500 bounty to the first person to catch a teacher breaking a new law that bans specific kinds of teaching about race, racism, and gender.
The legislation, formally the Right to Freedom From Discrimination in Public Workplaces and Education, was signed into law by Republican Governor Chris Sununu in June.
The Moms for Liberty Twitter account said it would even "pledge anonymity" to anyone who requests it while reporting an abuse of the law.
We've got $500 for the person that first successfully catches a public school teacher breaking this law.
Students, parents, teachers, school staff... We want to know! We will pledge anonymity if you want. https://t.co/hA7fqvj62u
— Moms for Liberty NH (@Moms4LibertyNH) November 12, 2021
Moms for Liberty noted that donations for the reward fund should be made via PayPal with the note "CRT Bounty."
PayPal us at M4LHILLSBOROUGHnh@gmail.com and mark 'CRT Bounty's in the notes :)
— Moms for Liberty NH (@Moms4LibertyNH) November 12, 2021
A pushback against literature and curriculums deemed subversive has dominated the culture wars as of late, becoming a flashpoint among the far-right amid a campaign by Republicans to energize conservative voters, particularly in school board elections.
That Moms for Liberty exists reflects the current phase of popular conservative thought.
The group was founded by Tina Descovitc and Tiffany Justice, two Florida Republican women who ran for school board seats and gained notoriety for railing against COVID-19 restrictions in schools, including mask and vaccine mandates.
The New Hampshire chapter's announcement and support for the law comes amid a conservative backlash against critical race theory, which the new law attempts to curtail.
False claims schools have been teaching critical race theory to young children have also inflamed hostilities among the right-wing, particularly since the publication of The 1619 Project, which repositions the consequences and legacy of slavery as elements vital to the historical narrative.
Critical race theory is a body of legal and academic scholarship that aims to examine how racism and disparate racial outcomes have shaped public policy via often implicit social and institutional dynamics.
Although critical race theory is just one branch of an incredibly varied arena of academic scholarship, it has nonetheless galvanized critics and threatened to obfuscate nationwide discussions about racial reconciliation, equity, and justice.
The group's announcement has been harshly condemned online.
Nothing says "Liberty" like banning teachers from saying things you don't like amirite? https://t.co/u4s9p8f28J
— Hoodie Phil (@phsizemore) November 16, 2021
What is wrong with you women? Don't you want to teach your children right from wrong? It's so sad and strange how threatened you are by history. PS critical race theory isn't taught until college. https://t.co/5hoDpJOg6w
— RK (@Rebecca70420747) November 16, 2021
Trash. But I'll never be in this trash state anyway. https://t.co/9igRV3ksdH
— Sour (@11ggs) November 16, 2021
The downfall of education. https://t.co/GVijnAyIZF
— Realman (@realman476) November 15, 2021
Look at this white supremacist bullshit. It would be terrible if their website was flooded with "reports"... https://t.co/7BnGtqGN3Q
— RG | 15six : Professional pain in the ass (@the15six) November 15, 2021
These are the 'Idiot Moms for Stupidity'.
If they are so damned smart, why are they sitting on their butts and not teaching their own kids? https://t.co/iVgBoY6Ffy
— EYKIS - Fully Vaccinated & Boosted by Moderna (@Eykis) November 15, 2021
When Karens get liberty wrong.🙄 https://t.co/vOdELyRhDJ
— Meet Joe openly Black (@JerseyJoeWallop) November 15, 2021
Look at these absolutely trash people going hunting for a Boogeyman by putting a bounty on teachers. https://t.co/RU4fHOn3kv
— Sequester Grundelplith M.D. (@BarkTwain) November 15, 2021
The news out of New Hampshire is only the latest example of the conservative crusade to reform school curriculums.
School board politics in Fredericksburg, Virginia bring to mind passages from the late author Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian novel about a society where books are outlawed and "firemen" burn any found.
Two members on the Spotsylvania County School Board have proposed burning books containing "sexually explicit" material the board this week unanimously voted to ban from high school libraries.
The controversy erupted after the parents of a Riverbend student objected to the inclusion of "LGBTQIA" fiction that was made available upon accessing the library app.
Meanwhile, the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, Texas, found itself at the center of a controversy of its own after a top administrator advised teachers to present "opposing" viewpoints if they're going to assign books about the Holocaust.
The same school district also found itself in the news last month after board trustees voted 3-2 to reprimand a teacher who had assigned an anti-racism book to her class.
The book, This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell, was at the center of a complaint filed by parents who voiced their opposition after their child brought a copy home from school.
