On Monday, the Arizona Senate passed SB1211, a curriculum transparency bill sponsored by Sen. Nancy Barto. The bill passed along party lines, with Republicans voting to support the bill, and Democrats voting against it.
The modest bill has been a victim of misinformation and scare tactics by both teacher union activists and members of the Democratic Caucus. During the debate on Monday, Barto dismissed the oft-repeated claim about the bill, made by opponents, that it requires teachers to post their chosen learning materials online a year in advance. In fact, the bill simply requires the posting of the titles of their lesson plans every week. Contrary to the many claims about the bill, it merely “expands statutorily-outlined requirements providing parent or guardian access to materials used for student instruction. It requires each school operated by a school district or charter school to post on its website a list of learning materials and activities including specified information and according to specified time frames depending on the topic.”
Like many other bills attempting to increase transparency so that parents have a better idea of what their children are being taught, teacher unions and Democrats are fighting very hard to defeat this sort of legislation, even though parents all across the country are sending very strong signals that they want the information and are prepared to take action to get it.
NOW: SB1211 Academic Transparency passes the AZ senate! Now headed to the House. This bill let’s parents know what’s being taught in their kid’s classroom @GoldwaterInst @NancyBarto pic.twitter.com/Or3xi1AYta
— Jenna Bentley (@JennaMBentley) March 14, 2022