Iowa AG Leads Coalition Defending Arkansas Anti-DEI Law in Court

Iowa is leading a coalition of 14 states in a legal brief defending an Arkansas law that aims to prevent the teaching of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) in K-12 schools. On Thursday, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in response to a district court’s decision in May that partially blocked enforcement of the law. Arkansas’ LEARNS Act, which was enacted on March 8, prohibits teachers from promoting CRT. CRT holds that racism is systemic in the United States and that its institutions function to maintain the dominance of white people in society....