Forcing schools to publish every detail of their curricula online are more likely to stifle instruction than to shield students from controversy, say superintendents in states where such legislation is gaining momentum.
Among this wave of so-called “parents bill of rights” proposals is Michigan’s House Bill 5722, which would require each district to make its full curriculum public by the first day of school. Districts would be required to list every class offered along with all “textbooks, literature, research projects, writing assignments, and field trips.”
Failure to publicize the information would result in state funding cuts of much as 5%.
The Public Schools of Petoskey’s curriculum is readily available on its website but complying with the new law would likely be virtually impossible due to the sheer amount of additional information being requested, Superintendent Christopher Parker says.
And the bill could bring an end to the spontaneous class discussions that are vital to K-12 instruction and hamstring teachers’ from covering breaking news snd current events, such as day-to-day developments in presidential elections. “The art of what teachers do is knowing their classes and being able to incorporate things that are current and that get kids talking.”
Such restrictions would also likely worsen teacher shortages. “I don’t think there’s any surprise that we can’t find people to go into the teaching profession,” Parker says. “No matter how many bonuses you add, it would be a hard sell when people look at school boards and listen to what teachers are enduring.”
Michigan proposal is also flawed on a more fundamental level because it is sponsored solely by Republicans, says Jeff Thoenes, superintendent for Comstock Public Schools. “Democracy functions best when legislators collaborate together to produce win-win outcomes and work with all stakeholders to find ways to unite rather than divide,” Thoenes says, adding the bill appears to be the proverbial solution in search of a problem. “Parents already have full access to our curriculum, course outcomes, and syllabi. Our teachers and administrators consistently work collaboratively and proactively with parents and families if any curricular issues or concerns arise.”
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The overly burdensome bill also threatens to be unnecessarily punitive without altering the level of information available to parents and families. “They are as involved as they wish and we welcome and actively seek parent and family engagement in our schools,” he says. “The research is clear—students are the clear winners and beneficiaries when parents and families actively engage with the school.”
One of the most extreme proposals, Kansas House Bill 2662, could put educators at risk of criminal charges. The bill makes it a misdemeanor to present, display or distribute to minors “any material that is harmful to minors.” It would also require districts to create a “parent transparency portal” that includes:
- All academic and social-emotional learning materials, activities and curricula used for instruction in all district schools.
- A copy of each test, questionnaire, survey or examination that will be conducted, along with an explanation of how such test, questionnaire, survey or examination benefits student learning and academic achievement.
- A list organized by the school, grade level and area of instruction of all professional development courses, training materials and related activities provided to any licensed teacher or administrator.
- A link to the catalog or a list of the documented inventory of the resources available to students in each school library.
- Information and guidance on how a person may request and be given the opportunity to review and inspect any of the materials, activities and information that is required to be provided on the school district’s parent transparency portal.
A coalition of Kansas faith leaders and education advocates this week urged legislators to abandon the proposal. “This conversation about race or critical theory, whatever the right is calling it, is being used as an excuse to undermine support for public schools,” Rabbi Moti Rieber, executive director for Kansas Interfaith Action, said, according to the Kansas Reflector. “We need to reach out to kids from across different spectrums, bring them into the conversation and center the experience of people not often centered in our history books.”
But in Indiana, the state senate this week dropped a bill that also would have also required districts to post all educational activities and curricular materials on their websites. The state’s teachers, among others, had rallied against the bill. “If our jobs are to create people who think critically and discuss complex issues, I don’t see how we’re moving closer to that goal if we’re moving in the direction of limiting our options,” says Parker of The Public Schools of Petoskey.
