A group of Senate members looked at a television screen Tuesday as a three-minute, sepia-toned video tracked the growth of a single cell into a baby with fingers and toes in the womb.
The “Meet Baby Olivia” videosponsored by anti-abortion activist group LiveAction, would need to be seen in eighth- and tenth-grade classrooms in federal public schools under the U.S. government Senate Bill 468which passes through the Senate.
“The life and protection of the unborn is very significant to me, [this] “I thought, ‘I don’t want to force an opinion on anyone, but I want our children to be informed and educated so they can make a decision,'” said Sen. Amy Grady, a public school teacher and chair of the Senate Education Committee.
Lawmakers are addressing education issues given critical needs in West Virginia’s public schools: a dire teacher shortage, deficient math and reading skills Scoresa lack of mental health resources and Challenges in student behavior.
In the third week of the legislative session, several education bills in the Republican-controlled Legislature focused on curriculum requirements or changes related to conservative views.
Sen. Charles Trump, R-Morgan, expressed concerns to his fellow lawmakers about a political nonprofit appearing in a classroom education bill. Kentucky has a similar billthe “Baby Olivia Act,” which could require the same video to be shown in its classrooms.
Grady and his co-sponsor, Senator Patricia Rucker, both coordinated in favor of the state a comprehensive ban on abortionnoted that the legislation would limit the anti-abortion group’s involvement in the curriculum to providing the free video showing a baby’s growth in the womb.
“This isn’t political,” said Rucker, R-Jeffreson. “There is no mention of politics or abortion. It’s simply about human development, which we already teach in our schools.”
Matthew Stead, a He said lawmakers were blurring the line between politics and education.
““I am a Christian and hold broadly similar moral beliefs to most members of the Senate Education Committee, but I also want to keep the culture wars out of the classroom and stick to the facts,” he said.
A measure also sponsored by Grady, Senate Bill 280would allow — not require — teachers to do so discuss scientific theoriesincluding clever design, with students. The Senate approved this bill on Tuesday.
“We should not teach children what to think, but how to think. I think this is so important,” said Grady, R-Mason.
Fred Albert, president of the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia, said any legislation that mandates certain teaching methods “ties teachers’ hands” and stifles creativity in the classroom.
“It’s another thing that they feel like they’re being told what to teach, how to teach and how to teach it,” he said.
Grady said her bills were crafted largely based on the wishes of voters and the priorities of her fellow senators.
She rejected the idea that she was tying teachers’ hands, pointing out that state law already dictates what educators can teach.
Stead, a teacher with more than 20 years of experience, emphasized that the Meet Baby Olivia legislation comes with a mission.
“The teacher’s option is taken away,” he said.
He said recent education legislation is “the exact opposite of what true conservatism is about.”
“It’s quite a change from local control and ‘let teachers teach,'” he said.
Teachers unions oppose bill on obscene materials
Teachers’ unions have spoken out against it The invoice in the House of Representatives, sponsored by Del. Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh, which would open school and public libraries to allegations of criminal offenses to display or distribute obscene material. The legislation does not define what could be obscene.
During a public hearing on the bill on Wednesday, advocates argued that school libraries should not contain books that depict immoral content, including sexual acts.
Albert told lawmakers he had not heard from teachers about the issue. He stressed that this would leave schools vulnerable to costly lawsuits.
West Virginia EduCation Association President Dale Lee also spoke against the bill, saying there is 1,705 teaching positions without certified teachers in public school classrooms this year.
“If this law passes and you are prosecuted, that number will increase tenfold,” he said. “What do we do?”
That’s what Del said. Mike Pushkin, a Democrat who serves on the House Education Committee The The bill could potentially ban The Diary of Anne Frank due to its broad content. He pointed out that Republicans in the Senate are now introducing a bill SB 448This would require public schools to provide age-appropriate lessons on the Holocaust.
“There’s a lot of hypocrisy in this building right now,” said Pushkin, D-Kanawha. “[Republicans] want to be involved in every aspect of our lives, and that’s not what the Republican Party used to stand for.”
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