AFT-NH President Deb Howes testified in opposition to HB 1206, the "Education not Indoctrination" bill which was heard in the House Education Committee. President Howes testified, in part, as follows:
"HB 1206 is a proposal that does nothing to help our public school students learn, grow and thrive. With its Orwellian name “Education not Indoctrination” and through its text, the bill creates the misleading impression that our public schools are engaging in indoctrination. That is patently offensive to the many hardworking teachers, paraeducators, counselors, administrators and other school staff who work hard every day to educate Granite State students, for a lot less money than they could make in private industry. And they do it because they care about helping students learn, grow, and thrive. Teachers work hard to show students where to look for information, how to find primary sources, how to observe and note scientific data so students can form their own conclusions. This bill is based on a misunderstanding or misrepresentation of what we do in public schools. It creates yet another vague and ill-defined standard that will interfere in public school classrooms and keep students from getting the robust education that is their constitutional right in New Hampshire."
You can read the full testimony here:https://nh.aft.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2024/AFT-NH%20testimony%20on%20HB%201206.pdf