AFT-NH Testimony Opposing HB 1132
From Debrah Howes, President AFT-NH
April 8, 2026
To Chairman Pearl and members of the Senate Executive Departments and Administration Committee:
My name is Debrah Howes, President of the American Federation of Teachers–NH. I speak on behalf of our 3,500 teachers, paraeducators and school staff who work in preK through grade 12 public education, in public services, and in private and public universities across the Granite State. We are taxpayers and citizens of New Hampshire, and many of us are parents or grandparents of public-school students.
AFT-NH opposes HB 1132 because it harms students by interfering with the ability of public school school staff to create warm, welcoming school communities that acknowledge all students and their families. Schools are not just places of instruction. They are places where all children need to feel safe, seen, and respected. Visual symbols such as flags and banners have meaning to students, to families and to communities: whether they are for pro-sports teams, states, countries, causes or beliefs. Limiting which students and families can be recognized and how sends the not so subtle signal that some are not welcome in our public schools.
HB 1132 also unnecessarily limits the educational use of flags, banners, and symbols when they are not tied to a narrow, specific lesson. Learning does not only happen during a defined unit or class period. Hallways, libraries, counseling offices, and common spaces are part of the learning environment. Educators should be trusted to use age appropriate materials that support learning, connection, and school culture without fear of punishment.
This bill represents yet another state intrusion into the teaching materials and school environment of local schools. New Hampshire consistently fails to provide adequate state funding for public education, forcing local communities to make up the difference from local property taxes. Yet instead of addressing that responsibility, the state continues to seek to impose rigid controls on what schools can display and how educators do their work. If the state is unwilling to fully fund education, it should not demand an outsized say in daily classroom and school decisions that belong at the local level.
HB 1132 is also open to arbitrary and uneven enforcement. The complaint driven process invites disputes based on personal or political objections and places school staff at risk of discipline for subjective decisions. Laws that are vague and inconsistently enforced are likely to face legal challenges, which would cost taxpayers time and money and further distract schools from their educational mission.
Public schools serve all students. Educators and school staff deserve trust, professional respect, and the ability to create inclusive environments that support learning. HB 1132 does not improve education. It creates harm, conflict, and risk.
I urge you to reject HB 1132.
Sincerely,
Debrah Howes
President, AFT-New Hampshire