PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Supporters of a bill moving through the Pennsylvania legislature would increase transparency in education. Opponents argue its only goal is to politicize education.
The bill passed the state House and has now cleared the Senate Education Committee on party-line votes.
It would require schools to post curriculum, textbook titles, a syllabus, and other educational materials on public websites.
State Representative Andrew Lewis (R-Dauphin County) said while schools are already required to provide the information, there is no standard.
“[It would] ensure that information that's being taught to students in schools is available to parents online," said Lewis about the legislation.
He wrote on social media earlier this year that it would give parents more control over a child’s education avoiding the teaching of, in his words, “anti-American socialism.”
“It's my hope that this legislation will actually begin to heal some of the rifts that we see, not only across Pennsylvania but across the country," State Senator Michele Brooks (R-Crawford, Erie, Mercer and Warren counties) said during the committee hearing.
Senate Education Committee Minority Chair Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny County) argued numerous points against the bill, besides what she called another financial burden on already cash-strapped schools.
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“This is also part of a larger movement to pit the public against teachers and politicize education while undermining the teaching of accurate history and racial and cultural competence," said Williams.
If it passes the Senate, it’s likely headed for a veto.
During a debate on the House floor earlier this month, Representative Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny County) argued it has nothing to do with transparency.
“Bringing the fights that get started on Fox News to the kindergarten classroom near you," said Frankel.
Gov. Tom Wolf’s spokeswoman calls it “a potentially harmful means to incite further resistance to ensuring all learners have access to accuracies in history, and exposure to content reflecting multiple student identities.”
The spokeswoman added that kids in Pennsylvania “require the ability to learn about others and their experiences. That should not be a political discussion, if we are truly honoring human dignity.”
