OPINION: Idaho’s education system is overburdened with needless rules
Idaho’s culture warriors can’t resist micromanaging the public school system. Each year they propose bills to prohibit or require numerous actions by our teachers. Bans against teaching subjects such as gender identity, racial history, climate change and a host of other things are on the books. Even posters that welcome all students are prohibited due to irrational claims of indoctrination. Bills requiring Bible readings and classroom displays of religious texts are common fare.
In the overall scheme of things, a bill introduced by Rep. Bruce Skaug is fairly mild, but symptomatic of the legislative compulsion to micromanage public education. House Bill 623 requires a minimum 60-second moment of silence at the beginning of each day. A suggestion to allow the silent moment anytime during the day was opposed by Rep. Tony Wisniewski, who proclaimed: “If we leave it up to the teacher, and if a teacher is not in agreement with this principle, what could happen?” I can picture those villainous teachers holding the moment of silence at noon, when the kids are in the lunchroom, or in the late afternoon, when everyone has gone home. It just seems to be an article of faith with the MAGA crowd that Idaho teachers are not to be trusted.
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