OPINION: Idaho’s education system is overburdened with needless rules

Idaho’s culture warriors can’t resist micromanaging the public school system. Each year they propose bills to prohibit or require numerous actions by our teachers. Bans against teaching subjects such as gender identity, racial history, climate change and a host of other things are on the books. Even posters that welcome all students are prohibited due to irrational claims of indoctrination. Bills requiring Bible readings and classroom displays of religious texts are common fare.

In the overall scheme of things, a bill introduced by Rep. Bruce Skaug is fairly mild, but symptomatic of the legislative compulsion to micromanage public education. House Bill 623 requires a minimum 60-second moment of silence at the beginning of each day. A suggestion to allow the silent moment anytime during the day was opposed by Rep. Tony Wisniewski, who proclaimed: “If we leave it up to the teacher, and if a teacher is not in agreement with this principle, what could happen?” I can picture those villainous teachers holding the moment of silence at noon, when the kids are in the lunchroom, or in the late afternoon, when everyone has gone home. It just seems to be an article of faith with the MAGA crowd that Idaho teachers are not to be trusted.

We hear these same legislators continually bemoan all the health, safety, and other rules and regulations that burden the private sector. There are continual cries to unburden the private sector so that it can flourish. At the same time, these legislators pile on laws, rules, and regulations upon our schools and teachers, expecting them to excel by directing and controlling every aspect of their work.

There are hundreds of pages of statutes, regulations and standards that apply to the public school system. Some are necessary to ensure a proper education for public school students. Still, many are prone to score political points or simply to discredit public schools and their dedicated teachers.

Most of the criticism of public education has been orchestrated by the ill-named Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF), which is dedicated to eradicating public education. As its former head honcho, Wayne Hoffman, put it: “I don’t think government should be in the education business.” The Mountain States Policy Center (MSPC) chimes in with a gentler tone, but it is basically a kissing cousin of the IFF. Both are parented by the billionaire-supported State Policy Network that wants to privatize education everywhere.

The legislative minions of the IFF and MSPC do their best to discredit public schools and teachers to advance their privatization agenda. That includes unfounded claims against teachers of grooming, indoctrination and a list of similar malign activities.

Another tactic employed by the culture warriors is to burden schools and teachers with a myriad of disruptive, unnecessary statutes, rules, regulations and standards that greatly impede the educational process. Passing indecipherable legislation that bans books, classroom decor and instructional subject matter is a substantial impediment to the educational process. Instead of vilifying teachers with unfounded rules and claims, our legislators should thank them for performing an invaluable public service.

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Jim Jones is a Vietnam combat veteran who served 8 years as Idaho Attorney General (1983-1991) and 12 years as Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court (2005-2017). He also publishes at substack.com/@jjcommontater