CRIER
fe b . 25, 2022 volume 58 issue 7
munster high school 8808
columbia
ave. munster, IN
46321
BATTLE FOR THE “They don’t want kids to really learn about things and to think critically. They just want us to babysit them, and that’s all they care about.”
FUTURE OF
AMERICA PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY HENRY HOFFERTH
Students and teachers discuss the implications of House Bill 1134 ALISON LEE & JOSEPHINE MITTELBERGER
deadline manager & business manager
If House Bill 1134 is passed, life in school can change as we know it. Teachers will leave, books will disappear from shelves and curricula will change. HB 1134, currently being voted on by the State Senate, proposes that all public school curricula must be accessible by parents and that a curriculum advisory committee could be adopted if requested. If a committee is set in place, lessons and materials could be omitted if found “inappropriate” or “biased”— neither words are defined and both are left open to interpretation. English classes, history classes and libraries are at most risk. “The politicians and legislators who are trying to push these bills through really need to become part of the public school setting to understand what teachers and students deal with on a daily basis,” Mrs.
Brook Lemon, English teacher, said. “I think if they understand then they can make some suggestions to help us. Coming up with some ideas and writing new laws in without resolution will only hurt public education. Unfortunately, if this passes many teachers will quit the teaching profession and public education is in real trouble.” Legislators and supporters of the bill argue that it provides curricular transparency. According to Representative Tony Cook in an interview with WBIW, the bill empowers parents by allowing them to change school curricula. According to Bill Thorner, junior, he believes the general idea of the bill has potential pros. “It’s up to the people who pay the taxes,” Bill said. “It’s up to the parents, they pay for this, they should decide. I think the students should be given the facts
and the opportunity to form their own opinions based on them, with regards to many of the issues this bill plans to cover. I think to some extent this bill intends on stopping teachers and schools from imposing their own viewpoints on students, but I could also see it being somewhat harmful in many cases.” Those in opposition to HB 1134 argue that neutral stances are not what an education always needs. Their argument is being able to have students’ ideals tested and new theories brought to the table is what makes a well-rounded person and prepares students for the real world. Therefore, educators who oppose the bill are anxious to think how future generations may be affected with this form of teaching. “Part of being
a well-rounded student is having a belief tested and seeing if you can defend your beliefs or if you have to change, and education is all about change,” Mr. Ryan Ridgley, President of the Munster Teachers Association, said. “I don’t know if this bill is going to necessarily do that. I think it’s going to limit what students can be exposed to and what they can actually then grow from.” Although original language was removed that required schools to be impartial when teaching historical events and the entire curricula of a class will not have to be posted, censorship may still be prevalent in classes.
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