FOLLOW US

A Pennsylvania state lawmaker wants to prohibit public school teachers from discussing governmental or political issues in their classrooms.

Last week, Republican Rep. Will Tallman of Adams County sent a memo to his fellow lawmakers regarding his plan to introduce a legislation to create a  “Teacher Code of Ethics.”

Tallman said his legislation will forbid public school teachers from endorsing, supporting, or opposing  candidates or nominees for local, state, or federal public offices while in the classroom.

In addition, it will prohibit teachers from discussing any enacted, pending or proposed legislation or regulation, court cases or judicial actions, and executive actions.

Furthermore, his bill will prevent teachers from supporting or opposing any activities that will hinder law enforcement agencies of military recruiters from doing their jobs in schools. It will also ban the introduction of controversial subjects or any issue that is part of the platform of a political party.

In the memo, Tallman wrote, “Our K-12 school teachers should not be using their classroom time spent on political or ideological indoctrination. Doing so takes time away from instruction in the academic foundation subjects of mathematics, science, English, history, and civics.”

The GOP state lawmaker also stressed that discussing politics “prevents our students from receiving a high-quality public education for careers in the global, high-tech economy.”

“Teachers in violation of this code will be subject to penalties such as probation, suspension, and loss of their teaching licenses,” said the Pennsylvania lawmaker.

Tallman’s proposed “Teacher Code of Ethics” unlikely to get enough support

He is encouraging his colleagues to co-sponsor his legislation. Legal experts believe that his proposal will not receive support in the state’s General Assembly citing the reason that it is unconstitutional. It  is an attempt to curtail free speech, which is a violation of the First Amendment.

David Hudson, a professor at the Nashville School of Law in Tennessee and ombudsman for Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center in Washington, D.C., told The Morning Call, “It runs roughshod over the cardinal principle of academic freedom. In certain classes, political speech and frank discussion is necessary. I mean social studies class, contemporary issues — you need teachers talking about current events.”