Education policy sparks major MN Senate debate

A new bill introduced to the Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate is sparking a major debate in the chamber about the transparency of school curricula — with some Democrats arguing that the legislation is aimed at barring the teaching of diversity and racism.

“It’s a simple bill addressing curriculum transparency,” said Sen. Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, the author of a bill requiring school districts to make curriculum and instruction materials more readily accessible to parents. “As they began to hear some of what was being taught in the classroom they were frustrated because they didn’t feel like they had a voice.”

Republicans say state law already requires the curriculum information to be public. The Gazelka bill requires districts to inform parents they have a right to this information and instructs “each school district to have a procedure for a parent, guardian or an adult student… to review the content of all instructional materials.”

If those parties object to the material, school districts must make “reasonable arrangements” for “alternative instruction.”

“This is literally the version of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic because our schools and our kids have much bigger needs than this and it’s just disgraceful we’re not talking about that every single day,” said Senator Susan Kent, D-Woodbury.

Other senators said the bill seemed aimed at diversity and racism being taught in schools.

“What I’m concerned about is just because you don’t like what your kids are learning doesn’t mean they shouldn’t learn it,” Sen. Jason Isaacson, D-Shoreview, said during an emotional debate. “Things like slavery. Things like white institutional racism. White privilege.”

Other Democrats decried the potential financial burden on school districts and additional workload for teachers.

“Our teachers want things taken off their plates right now,” said Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, D-Eden Prairie, a former teacher. “They’re exhausted. They’re exasperated. They are done!”

Republicans say the fears are overblown.

“This is an extremely reasonable bill,” said Sen. Eric Pratt, R-Prior Lake. “It’s not at all what the opponents have made it out to be.”

Pratt says it simply will instruct school districts to publicize a law already on the books and says it shouldn’t be a burden.

“Putting a phrase and having it signed and returned back to the school saying, ‘parents, you have this right…’ under existing state law is not a time-consuming and costly new mandate,” he said.

The bill passed 37-30 along party lines.

The Senate also unanimously passed a bill banning a requirement for citizens to reveal their home address in order to testify before a local school board.