Arizona bill would prohibit teachers from advocating political views
A committee in the Arizona House has approved a bill that would prohibit any instructor in a public school or college from advocating or opposing a political candidate or one side of a social, political, or cultural issue that is part of a partisan debate. Supporters of the proposed law believe it will allow students to disagree with instructors without fear of retaliation. But college students and education advocates worry it would discourage teachers from leading discussions and debates on controversial topics. "In any class, any issue could be discussed as long as the instructor is neutral on the issue and not telling you what your conclusion should be." responds Arizona Senate Majority Leader Thayer Verschoor, who authored the bill. In an example of the type of behavior he is targeting, Sen. Verschoor said one of his granddaughters' elementary teachers required the class to write letters to a lawmaker opposing a certain bill. He said he would not have a problem if the teacher asked students to form their own opinions about the bill and then write a letter accordingly. Sen. Linda Gray asked whether a teacher who asks students to write a letter of encouragement to a soldier would cross the line by supporting the Iraq war. Sen. Meg Burton Cahill added that in a class discussion about global warming, the bill seemingly would require teachers to include information to support the argument that global warming does not exist. Jennifer Daily, a lobbyist for the Arizona Education Association, said the bill is "so broad," and individual school districts already have policies that forbid political behavior from teachers in the classroom.
Arizona Republic
By Jessica Coomes
[Full story]
[Editor’s Note: Information on other recent controversies involving teachers voicing their personal viewpoints, one from each end of the political spectrum, is available starting at each of the links below.]
[NSBA School Law pages in Mayer v. Monroe County Cmty. Sch. Corp.]
[NSBA School Law pages on Gull Lake compromise]