State House News

I am here to express AFT-NH’s strong opposition to HB 1830, which would require firearm safety education in all public schools.

HB 1830 imposes a one-size-fits-all statewide mandate with no opportunity for local community input. Public schools already follow an extensive set of academic requirements under RSA 193‑E:2‑a, which defines the substantive educational content of an adequate education. This bill adds another unfunded, state‑ordered curriculum mandate—and for a non-academic subject—further eroding local control and pulling limited instructional time away from core academics.

I am here to express AFT-NH opposition to HB 1122.

HB 1122 is, plain and simple, a state mandate. It requires every school district to offer—and every high school student to take—a course in hunter education, wildlife management, and firearm responsibility. Public schools already operate under extensive statutory requirements for adequate education, and this bill piles on yet another unfunded, state‑imposed mandate that pulls time and resources away from core academics.

We strongly support SB 463—a bill that would prohibit knowingly carrying a firearm in a safe school zone. As educators and school staff, our members take on two profound responsibilities every day: to help students learn and grow, and to make sure that everyone – children and adults alike – returns home safely at the end of the day. That is the basic promise families expect from their public schools and our members take that responsibility deeply to heart. Allowing firearms in schools undermines that promise and puts both learning and safety unnecessarily at risk.