A bill permitting untethered instruction was reined in by the legislature.

 

House members defeated House Bill 1270, which protects teaching of certain scientific information, on a 21-46 vote. The bill had previously been passed by the House Education committee on an 8-6 vote.

 

ASBSD opposed the bill.

 

ASBSD Director of Policy and Legal Services Gerry Kaufman testified during the bill’s committee hearing that it would allow teachers to teach whatever they wanted in the classroom.

 

“That is inconsistent with what this state stands for, with what local control stands for,” Kaufman told committee members.

 

Rep. Isaac Latterell told his fellow Representatives on the House floor that HB 1270 was about “examining the strengths and weaknesses of scientific information in an objective manner.”

 

An insinuation Rep. Jess Olson disagreed with.

 

“You’ll protect teachers who express their beliefs, not the curriculum,” Rep. Olson said.

 

For updates on legislative session, check the ASBSD Blog, Twitter feed, Facebook page and Bill Tracker.