The House version of the bill was authored by Rep. Anthony Cook, R-Cicero, who was a teacher and administrator for 42 years.

“It provides a duty of the school and its employees to remain impartial in teaching curriculum or conducting educational activities, ensures that students are free to express their own beliefs and viewpoints concerning curriculum materials and educational activities without discrimination, and allows for in a reasonable time, place and manner,” Cook said. “And very importantly, ensures against any confusion by explicitly stating that this may not be construed to discourage the teaching of historical injustices.”

Unlike the Senate version of the bill, the House version establishes a complaint process for teachers that can lead to license revocation. The Senate version encourages civil suits against school districts rather than individual teachers.

Concerned Parents

Parents arrived at the Statehouse Monday morning expressing concerns about materials shared in classrooms encouraging teachers to teach students about anti-racism.

Kyle Taylor, a Westfield parent previously included in a WRTV story about books on gender identity, testified in favor of the legislation. Taylor said the Indiana Department of Education is training educators to teach students how to be anti-racist.

“So you do not support the idea of teaching members of what appears to be a majority how they might need to be sensitive?” said Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis.

Taylor said he did not think there was a need to train students on how to treat others.

Dawn Lang, a Fishers’ parent, said she was concerned with teachers giving social and emotional instruction.

“I want to specify that I’m very concerned with putting teachers in the role of therapists. So we’ll be talking about social-emotional learning,” Lang said. “There’s a lot of touchy, feely great fundamental things about it, but at the end of the day, we are now shifting teachers into the role of a therapist.”

Social-Emotional Learning

According to CASEL.org, social-emotional learning involves self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness.

“It does not address any of those concepts,” Cook said. “[Critical race theory], [social-emotional learning], any of that in the bill as it says. It talks about … promoting behaviors or slanted things from the teacher’s pulpit.”

Washburn also thought many become teachers to help students with “developing personal awareness” and becoming citizens, and the bill may deter people from pursuing the profession. Justin Ohlemiller, executive director of Stand for Children Indiana, agreed that the bill could worsen the teacher shortage in the state.

Rep. Chuck Goodrich, R-Noblesville, said teachers have testified in other education committees that they don’t have time to teach academics because they have to focus on other concepts such as SEL, suggesting the bill could actually help the shortage.

An Additional Burden On Teachers

Teachers opposing the bill came forward with many of the same concerns that were shared during the hours-long hearing on SB 167. The bill would add new burdens for educators and create fear when teaching certain topics, and the broad language could limit materials, they said.

Christianne Bebe, an elementary school teacher from Brownsburg, said HB 1134, by allowing parents to opt children out of materials or activities, would encourage parents to opt out without talking with the teacher. She said sitting down and discussing the issue usually alleviates parents’ concerns.

Bebe believes the bill would lead to parents opting their children out of classes and lessons without a good understanding and force teachers to come up with alternate ways of learning for students. Students that opt-out will still need an education, which is an issue for her because she can’t be in two places at once, she said.

“Asking me to be able to facilitate a lesson with these kids while at the same time providing an equivalent level of instruction with one or two students who have opted out, I’m not sure logistically what that looks like,” Bebe said.

She also expressed concern that teachers would not be able to share all materials with the curricular materials advisory committee or curricular portal on top of the duties teachers already have. As an elementary school teacher, she teaches multiple subjects and uses over 70 materials a week.

Cook said as a former teacher, he understands some of her concerns and added that the bill was still going through modification.

The bill language currently prohibits materials that include or promote any of the eight concepts labeled as divisive. Bebe said the use of the word “include” in the bill language could prevent teachers from using materials that discuss difficult topics. Bebe said the words of Osama Bin Laden would be an important part of teaching about the Sept. 11, 2001 attack, but under the bill she would not be able to cite them.

​​”I would personally not promote those things in my classroom, but I include them in various resources that I use all the time because otherwise, that’s how we do teach,” Bebe said.

Ohlemiller agreed on behalf of Stand for Children, saying these materials and ideas are necessary for teaching history.

The committee will amend and vote on the bill Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.