Earlier this year a parent in my district let me know about concerns she was having with her child’s 2^nd grade teacher. She was concerned about some of the discussions and imagery supporting a particular viewpoint and lifestyle in the classroom that this parent felt was inappropriate in a school setting and particularly in second grade. The parent had approached the principal with her concerns, but the principal didn’t feel that there are adequate standards of conduct in order to correct or discipline the teacher. She heard similar hesitancy from Jordan District officials.

When I heard of these concerns, I was shocked that the school administration or district felt that they didn’t have enough justification to put limitations on these types of discussions, even around topics related to sexuality. Since then, I’ve met with other parents who have shared similar experiences which leads me to believe this is not an isolated case. This isn’t a problem in just one class, one school or one district. I don’t believe it’s happening in every class but it’s widespread enough to require better rules statewide.

There has been increased scrutiny in recent years about what is and is not appropriate in our school curriculum and library materials. Things that used to be generally understood as being clearly inappropriate in school settings have somehow in recent years become accepted and even endorsed. More and more parents are raising the alarm about things their children are bringing home and about what they are hearing and being told in their classrooms.

We have many wonderful teachers in our state and yet somehow viewpoints, worldviews and ideologies that some parents find objectionable are finding their way into classroom discussions. It’s leading to more heated hearings in School Board meetings and eroding trust in our public education system. I don’t believe that teachers have ill-intent, but some feel the need to advocate for sincerely held beliefs that without fully understanding that some parents may find that objectionable.

Our schools aren’t the place to push one’s personal beliefs or worldviews onto our children regardless of any good intention or what those beliefs happen to be. Parents are responsible to teach values to their children but at times they feel undermined by what their children have learned at school.

In response to these concerns, I drafted and introduced HB550 in this year’s legislative session. This bill simply said that topics of sexuality are completely inappropriate for younger grades and must be age appropriate in middle school and older. I received a great deal of feedback, both positive and negative about this bill, especially when it was compared in the media to Florida’s wrongly named ‘don’t say gay’ bill. Because of the amount of feedback and the lateness in the session I chose to put that bill on hold and to make sure to get it right I promised to work on it over the summer to bring a more comprehensive bill back in the 2024 session.

Since then, I’ve been listening to parents, educators and others as I prepare legislation to keep our schools focused on teaching essential subjects free from inappropriate discussions related to sexuality or advocacy of particular worldviews or ideologies that are counter to the values parents want to teach their children.

When I introduced HB550 I heard from many educators that they felt overwhelmed by the laws being introduced around curriculum and especially the move to fund scholarships for private or home schools. They feel underappreciated and under attack. I sympathize with these concerns and appreciate the difficult work teachers do. It’s interesting that both parents and teachers have told me they feel under attack. Why is that and how do we stop the cycle of reaction and defensiveness? I believe that what we need is open dialogue and clear guidelines.

This legislation is not an effort to attack teachers but to equip them, school administrators and school districts with easy-to-follow guidelines that will help avoid some of the issues we’ve seen. My hope is that this effort will lead to greater trust in our education system. It’s a big challenge, but a critical one, and one I am committed to working through.