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Academic Freedom Code For K-12 Schools
(A Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility for Educators in K-12 Public
Schools)
Whereas the purpose of public education in America is to produce knowledgeable
and competent adults able to participate as informed citizens in the democratic
process;
Whereas this purpose is best served by offering students a curriculum that is non-partisan and non-sectarian;
Whereas it has been established through testimony at legislative hearings that many teachers in K-12 classrooms are abusing taxpayer resources and abusing their ability to speak to captive audiences of students in an attempt to indoctrinate or influence children to adopt specific political and ideological positions on issues of social and political controversy;
Whereas public school teachers are public employees who have been hired for the purpose of teaching their subjects and not for the purpose of using their classrooms as a platform for political, religious, anti-religious, or ideological advocacy;
Whereas it has been established that some teacher training institutions, teacher
licensing agencies, state education departments and professional teacher organizations
have condoned this behavior under the guise of “teaching for social justice” and
other sectarian political doctrines;
Whereas time spent on political or ideological indoctrination takes time
away from instruction in the academic subjects taught by public educational
institutions including the foundational subjects of mathematics, science,
English, history, and civics and prevents students from receiving the best
possible public education as funded by the taxpayers of this state;
Whereas parents and taxpayers have a right to expect that taxpayer resources will be spent on education, not political or ideological indoctrination;
Therefore be it resolved that this state’s [board of education or other
relevant regulating body] will promulgate clear regulations for appropriate
professional and ethical behavior by teachers licensed to teach in this state;
that these guidelines shall make it clear that teachers in taxpayer supported
schools are forbidden to use their classrooms to try to engage in political,
ideological, or religious advocacy.
At a minimum, these regulations shall provide that no teacher is permitted
during class time or while otherwise operating within the scope of employment
as a teacher in a public educational institution to do the following (these
provisions do not apply to the students themselves):
(1) Endorse, support, or oppose any candidate or nominee for public office
or any elected or appointed official regardless of whether such official is
a member of the local, state, or federal government;
(2) Endorse, support, or oppose any pending or proposed legislation or regulation
regardless whether such legislation or regulation is pending, proposed, or
has been enacted at the local, state, or federal level;
(3) Endorse, support, or oppose any pending or proposed court litigation regardless
of whether such court case or judicial action is at the local, state, or federal
level;
(4) Advocate one side of a social, political or cultural issue that is a matter
of partisan controversy;
(5) Endorse, support, or engage in any activities that hamper or impede the
lawful access of military recruiters to campus; and
(6) Endorse, support, or engage in any activities that hamper or impede the
actions of state, local, or federal law enforcement;
The regulations promulgated pursuant to this act shall apply to all teachers
at public educational institutions, tenured and non-tenured. Moreover, the
regulations shall contain clear guidelines for enforcement and provide penalties
for violations, up to and including termination. The state's [board of education
or other relevant regulating body] shall provide written notification to all
teachers, parents, and students of their respective rights and responsibilities
under the regulations promulgated pursuant to this act and shall provide at
least three hours of annual continuing teacher education instruction to teachers
to instruct them regarding their responsibilities under said regulations.
Moreover, we call on the state’s professional teacher organizations and
unions to voluntarily adopt an educators’ code of ethics and professional
responsibility that incorporates the above principles and specifically prohibits
teachers in K-12 schools from using the classroom for political indoctrination.