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Arizona Bill To Bar Teachers From Pushing Views Onto Students

With the introduction of a new bill into Arizona Legislature, teachers would be prohibited from pushing their political and religious views towards students.

At the direction of House Bill 2002, the State Board of Education would construct a teacher code of ethics that keeps them from “engaging in political, ideological or religious advocacy in their classrooms.”

Teachers would also be prohibited from endorsing political candidates, elected officials, legislation or judicial action while working.


Along with that, they would also be restricted from discussing “controversial issues” with their students or blame a group of students for “the suffering or inequities experienced by another racial group of students.” 

AP government and politics teacher Michael Baser at Mesa High School is unfazed by the bill. 

“Honestly, I think that it is unethical for a teacher to push a political ideology or a religious ideology on their students,” he said.

Baser believes the bill “is mostly a solution in search of a problem” since there aren’t isn’t a current issue with teachers pushing their views onto students.

“Teachers that I know, they don’t want to tell their kids what to think about something,” he said. “They just want to help the students learn how to think critically for themselves and to do that, we will need to discuss current events, political things, even religious issues as long as we are not pushing a certain ideology,” he added.

Those associated with the #RedForEd movement say Arizona law already prohibits the practice and that the bill is trying to address a problem that doesn’t exist.

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Mark Finchem, disagrees, saying that he introduced HB 2002 in response to conversations he had with parents and teachers.

“I have good friends who are teachers and they tell me that although they do not promote political agendas in their classrooms, some of their peers do,” he said. “A code of ethics prohibiting political activity in the classroom shouldn’t be an issue if that behavior isn’t presently happening.”