The House Education Committee voted against a bill intended to force schools to post their teaching materials for public review. The goal was for members of the public to be able to see what materials were used to teach civics issues, but opponents say the information could be used against teachers and schools.
Bill sponsor Ogden Driskill said the problem is that it’s hard for parents to find out what materials are being used in the classroom.
“Go see your teacher, go to the administrator, if you don’t get that go to the superintendent, if you don’t get that go to the school board,” said Driskill. “Does that sound like an easy way to be transparent to you?”
Driskill added that it shouldn’t impact how teachers teach, but he said it could lead to more balanced discussions on subjects like the holocaust.
But teachers say the policy would be cumbersome and parents can learn everything they need to know by visiting schools. Ten Sleep Teacher Dale Weaver said posting all his materials would take a lot of his time.
“So if you think about this I use a minimum of two resources per class. I teach six classes or 12 resources per week. I teach 175 days, that is 2100 resources,” said Weaver.
The bill was defeated on a 5 to 4 vote.
