Pennsylvania law requires public school districts to give parents and guardians access to curriculum, academic standards, instructional materials and assessment techniques. Many of those districts also post the materials online.
Such disclosure, however, does not stir the political pot enough for some members of the Pennsylvania Legislature.
The Senate Education Committee recently approved a bill, with all seven Republicans in favor and all four Democrats opposed, that would serve no educational purpose while creating a massive administrative burden for districts. It would, however, inspire more of the book-banning and fearmongering that have become far more prevalent at the school district level.
Former Gov. Tom Wolf properly vetoed the first version of the bill after it passed both houses of the Legislature in 2021, which then had Republican majorities. Now, Republicans control the Senate and Democrats have a slim majority in the House. But the new bill is just as bad as the vetoed version.
The bill would require schools to post online an internet link or the title of every textbook used to teach students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Schools also would have to post a course syllabus or written summary of every class offered to students and the state academic standards for each course. Schools would have 30 business days to update the information any time the material changes.
Since parents invested in their children’s education already have guaranteed access to that information, it’s clear that the initiative is aimed at fomenting political controversy rather than enhancing transparency relevant to education.
That matches the objective in 2021, when Democratic state Rep. Dan Frankel of Allegheny County characterized the bill as an effort to “bring the culture wars into our classrooms” by allowing national political activists to access Pennsylvania teaching plans.
If the Senate passes the bill, it likely would have a rockier road through the House Democratic majority than its predecessor experienced in 2021. But if this political grenade masquerading as transparency makes it through the Legislature, Gov. Josh Shapiro should veto it.
— Scranton Times-Tribune
