MINNEAPOLIS — While Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz continues his rise in national politics as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, his record as governor remains in the crosshairs of the Democratic ticket's political opponents.
One topic in particular — new teaching licensure guidelines — is again making the rounds on social media and causing concern for some voters.
THE QUESTION
Are teachers in Minnesota banned from practicing their respective faiths to be licensed?
THE ANSWER
False.
WHAT WE FOUND
The allegation stems from updated guidelines for Minnesota teachers, which are set to go into effect in July 2025. The new requirements state:
"The teacher fosters an environment that ensures student identities such as race/ethnicity, national origin, language, sex and gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical/developmental/emotional ability, socioeconomic class, and religious beliefs are historically and socially contextualized, affirmed, and incorporated into a learning environment where students are empowered to learn and contribute as their whole selves."
While it isn't the first time these new regulations have been used as right-wing talking points, one of the most recent examples comes from conservative media outlet The Federalist, in which the story's author claims, "Gov. Tim Walz will ban practicing Christians, Jews, and Muslims from teaching in public schools."
The updated guidelines actually state teachers must:
- Communicate verbally and nonverbally in ways that demonstrate respect for and responsiveness to the cultural backgrounds and differing perspectives learners bring to the learning environment
- Understand and support students as they recognize and process dehumanizing biases, discrimination, prejudices, and structural inequities
Further, because the bill's language requires teachers to undergo state-mandated Cultural Competency Training and "utilize tools to mitigate their own behavior to disrupt oppressive systems," The Federalist author goes on to argue, "Faithful members of the world’s largest and oldest religions cannot in good conscience 'affirm' non-heterosexual sexual orientations and gender identities. Christians who do so publicly deny their faith ..."
Because the law does not contain any language banning teachers from practicing not only Christianity but any religion, KARE 11 found the claim to be false.
