Latest news with #HouseBill324
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Manchester school board letter urges Ayotte to veto so-called 'book ban bill'
Manchester school board members have voted to send a letter to Gov. Kelly Ayotte to veto House Bill 324, which critics charge is a book ban that violates local control and will have a chilling effect on what librarians and teachers decide to introduce that could be considered sexually graphic, but have significant literary value. In the letter, school board members say the bill is 'essentially a book ban.' 'It prohibits materials 'harmful to minors in schools' but it fails to define these materials adequately,' the letter says. 'In its reach, the bill encompasses curricular materials, library holdings, and anything presented in schools, online or in-person. This is not only an overreach of state authority over local school districts, but also an egregious constraint on academic freedom and educational content. 'Although the bill attempts to define certain terms, such as 'material,' 'nudity,' 'sexual content,' and more, it fails to delineate the arbiters of the implementation of this proposed policy. 'This bill is unworkable, unnecessary, and even dangerous, to our students, our faculty, and our community. It is a solution in search of a problem and greatly diminishes the local authority of New Hampshire school districts.' School board member Sean Parr said he views the bill as an 'overreach of state authority over local school districts' and a 'constraint on academic freedom and educational content.' 'The bill attempts to define certain terms, but it fails to delineate who makes the decisions about the implementation of the proposed policy,' Parr told fellow board members Tuesday. 'The guidelines are extremely vague. It does not say what constitutes materials that appeal 'to the prurient, shameful or morbid interest of minors', it doesn't define what materials might lack serious value, and it doesn't say what counts as inappropriate. 'It does not indicate who makes these decisions.' School board vice chairman Jim O'Connell said he finds the 'preoccupation with issues of sexuality and people's anatomy' by officials in Concord 'shocking.' 'I find it shocking that a legislative body would spend its time defining the various pieces of human anatomy, most of it female,' O'Connell said. 'They're less concerned with the male anatomy clearly. To think that's what our House is doing in Concord, I find it appalling. I wish that the people in Concord would spend a tiny bit of time talking about academic outcomes, supporting our public education, how we improve state educational financing — the things that actually matter to the students in our schools. 'Instead, they are busy in back rooms having closeted conversations. Who spent the hours writing this bill?' The vote to send the letter was 10-2, with school board member Joy Senecal and Mayor Jay Ruais opposed. School board member Carlos Gonzalez was absent from Tuesday's meeting. Ruais, who said his office has received "several" calls voicing concerns with certain books, said he would have crafted the letter differently. 'I wouldn't presume that there's a preoccupation with sex on behalf of individuals that I think have legitimate concerns about what might be in our schools or in our libraries,' Ruais said. 'I wouldn't inherently assume that there's a preoccupation there, but rather there are legitimate concerns, and I think recognizing that by speaking with parents is something that's important. I also have concerns with the language in the letter as well, because it — just to me — there was nothing in that letter that was constructive. 'If there was an offer in there, like, 'Hey, we have concerns, we would like to work with you to address those concerns. Here is what we do in our district to address concerns that have been brought to our district previously.' 'Rather, this letter does not read in a constructive sense to me, and more 'We oppose this and urge you to as well.'' O'Connell disagreed with the mayor's comments, saying HB 324 is 'an answer in search of a problem.' 'I wish our legislature was more concerned ... about education,' O'Connell said. 'I wish they were concerned about lots of things. This isn't one of them. This is politics, and it doesn't belong in here.' School board member Peter Argeropoulos said it's 'really sad to me' that public education has become 'this thing for political people to fight over.' 'It's become kind of this toy, and sometimes we lose sight of that when we're looking at certain things,' Argeropoulos said. 'It is a little bit disheartening as an educator to listen to the things that are going on in Concord or in Washington, D.C., and they won't come and talk to us. We're going to welcome you into the school anytime you want to come and talk to us. I'll give you my opinions. I'll give you my feedback. I'll have a conversation. I'll talk to anybody.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill derided by authors as enabling book banning heads to Ayotte's desk
HB 324 would require all New Hampshire school boards to adopt a complaint process that parents could use to object to obscene materials – and potentially remove them. (Photo by Dana Wormald/New Hampshire Bulletin) If New Hampshire adopts a law to make it easier to remove books from school libraries, 'Nineteen Minutes' by Jodi Picoult could be one of them. The 2011 novel, set in the fictional Upper Valley New Hampshire town of Sterling, depicts a deadly school shooting committed by a student who was bullied for his sexual orientation. It has been banned in more than 50 school districts; many of those removals were driven by its inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters and themes. This year, Picoult and other authors are warning that the proposed New Hampshire bill, which is heading to Gov. Kelly Ayotte's desk, amounts to a book banning bill and should be vetoed. Those pushing for the bill say it is targeted only at obscene content with no educational value. 'We know from history what the next chapter looks like when we don't fight book bans, and we know that that is a story that does not end well,' said Picoult at a May 12 press conference hosted by the organization Authors Against Book Bans. On May 15, the Republican-led Senate voted on party lines to advance the bill, House Bill 324, to Ayotte. HB 324 would require all New Hampshire school boards to adopt a complaint process that parents could use to object to obscene materials — and potentially remove them. Currently, school districts can choose their own policies for how to allow parents to object to materials. Under the proposed law, parents may submit written complaints alleging that a book or other material is obscene. To qualify, the content must appeal 'to the prurient, shameful or morbid interest of minors,' and depict nudity, sexual acts, or sadomasochistic abuse in a way that is 'patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community with respect to what is suitable for minors.' The material must also lack 'serious literary, scientific, medical, artistic, or political value for minors,' and be inappropriate to the age group to which it is made available. If it doesn't meet all four of those requirements, it cannot be removed. Under the law, the school principal has 10 school days to review the material in the complaint and determine whether it violates the law; if a parent disagrees with that decision, they have 14 calendar days to appeal to the local school board. If the school board also deems the material to be appropriate, a parent can appeal one more time to the State Board of Education, a seven-member panel whose members are appointed by the governor and Executive Council; that board will have the final say on the material. The law carries consequences for school districts and teachers who don't comply with it. School districts can be sued by the state's attorney general, Department of Education, or any person 'claiming to be aggrieved' by the district for not following the law, and educators can face discipline for violating the educator code of conduct. Rep. Glenn Cordelli, the Tuftonboro Republican who proposed the bill, disagrees that it is meant to ban books. 'I see it more as a parents' rights bill for parents to object to materials in some schools,' Cordelli said in an interview Thursday, just before the Senate vote. Cordelli has read on the House floor passages from some books he says should be removed, including 'Here and Queer: A Queer Girl's Guide to Life,' a 2022 advice book for teenagers, and Speak, an award-winning 1999 young adult book about a high school freshman who is raped. Both books are present in New Hampshire school district libraries, Cordelli says. But Picoult and a handful of other authors at the press conference said the excerpts are often taken out of the context of the bigger story that is being told. Picoult said she respects a parent's right to read books themselves before reading them to their kids, something she did too when her children were growing up. 'But there's a colossal problem when that parent decides the book isn't right for anyone's child,' she said. 'These parents will tell you that the books are exposing kids to topics that are salacious or revolutionary. What kids are really being exposed to are lives and mindsets different from their own, which creates compassion and empathy.' Lara Prescott, the author of the 2019 novel 'The Secrets We Kept,' about the CIA's plot to smuggle Boris Pasternak's 'Dr. Zhivago' out of the U.S.S.R., noted that her book was banned from publication in China due to a love story between two women. 'It's hard to believe we're seeing echoes of that in our own country today: teachers and librarians being criminalized for the books in their classrooms,' Picoult said at the press conference. She added: 'I want my son to grow up exposed to all kinds of stories, perspectives, and voices,' Picoult is a plaintiff in a 2024 lawsuit featuring authors challenging a similar law in Florida, and she said if HB 324 were signed in New Hampshire, the state could expect similar litigation. The bill touched off heated debate on the Senate floor Thursday. Democrats said the definition went too far and could be used to apply to classic works of literature, such as Shakespeare, which sometimes includes sexual content. And Democrats said the state already has obscenity laws that make it illegal to provide pornographic materials to students; HB 324 is aimed at broader books that feature LGBTQ characters, they alleged. Sen. David Watters, of Dover, argued the bill would allow parents who have particular beliefs about LGBTQ students or other political beliefs to remove materials that other parents might be OK with. 'It violates free speech,' Watters said. 'It violates the right of certain parents and their children to have access to materials.' Republicans said concerns over banning Shakespeare were overblown, pointing to the four criteria that must be met, including that the material has no 'literary' or 'artistic' value. 'Shakespeare is there to stay,' said Sen. Daryl Abbas of Salem. 'I wasn't always a fan of Shakespeare, but his books are staying.' And they said the bill is aimed at obscene material. 'We're talking about flat-out pornography and things that if I, as just a regular citizen, handed to a child, I could be arrested for,' said Sen. Victoria Sullivan of Manchester. 'And this is why it's escalated to this point.' 'All people should be represented. You know, if you want to have a book (with) two moms, two dads, great. But with 'Gender Queer' in a second grader school, and it's got pornographic drawings, and the parents find that, and they go to their school board and they read excerpts from it, that's a problem,' said Sen. Denise Ricciardi, of Bedford, referring to a book often removed from school libraries for sexual content. The bill will make its way to Ayotte's desk in the coming weeks. At that point, she can sign it, veto it, or allow it to pass without her signature.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans advance bills to create book removal process in public schools
The House and Senate are moving to require New Hampshire schools to allow parents to challenge books and other materials they deem obscene, and to create formal appeals processes for weighing those challenges. (Getty Images) If a New Hampshire parent wants to remove a book from their school district for being too obscene, the process depends on their district. Some school boards have passed policies laying out an explicit mechanism to challenge books or other materials; others have much sparser language. This year, Republican lawmakers are seeking to make the process easier. The House and Senate are moving to require New Hampshire schools to allow parents to challenge books and other materials they deem obscene, and to create formal appeals processes for weighing those challenges. 'This bill is about materials that are harmful to minor children in schools and the ability for parents to object to them,' wrote Rep. Glenn Cordelli, a Tuftonboro Republican and the chairman of the House Education Policy and Administration Committee. But Democrats, public school advocates, and civil rights groups have strongly objected, arguing the new process could allow parents to target materials that tackle race and LGBTQ+ issues, and arguing that school districts should design their own policies. A representative from Penguin Random House, the book publisher, submitted written testimony to the committee in early March objecting to the bill. 'HB 324 is problematic due to overly broad language, redundancy with existing laws, and potential intimidation of educators and librarians that will negatively affect book and material selection in New Hampshire's schools and libraries,' wrote Skip Dye, the chairman of the publisher's Intellectual Freedom Taskforce. Dye continued: 'Ultimately, it will deprive young readers access to literature that is crucial for their intellectual and emotional development. And without non-discrimination provisions, the lowered standard in this bill may be weaponized against minority voices.' The legislation echoes efforts by Republicans in past years. This year, lawmakers appear more likely to succeed. House Bill 324 passed the House on March 26, 183-148, along a near party line vote, while the Senate passed Senate Bill 33 on March 30 with a 16-8 vote. But the chambers don't yet fully agree on key issues. The House-endorsed bill goes further than its Senate counterpart, including more appeals processes for parents and more potential penalties for schools. HB 324 would mandate that school boards pass policies that allow parents to complain that certain materials are harmful to minors and should be removed from the school district. In order to be 'harmful to minors,' the material must 'predominantly appeal to the prurient, shameful, or morbid interest of minors'; must depict or describe nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse; must be 'patently offensive to prevailing standards' of what is offense to minors; must lack 'serious' literary, scientific, medical, artistic, or political value; and must be inappropriate to the age group to which it is available, according to the bill. The material must meet all of those conditions in order to qualify as harmful, according to the bill. The material could include books, magazines, movies, pamphlets, recordings, photos, figures, statues, plays, dances, and any other visual presentation, web-based content, and live performance. Under the bill, school boards must pass policies that allow a parent or guardian to make a complaint alleging that a teaching material in that school district violates the law. At that point, the school's principal or a designee would have 14 calendar days to make a decision whether the material was in violation and whether it should be removed. If the principal decided the material did not violate the law, the parent could appeal the decision to the school board. SB 33 requires a similar complaint process. But HB 324 adds two additional provisions that have vexed opponents. First, if the school board also rules against the complaining parent, that parent can appeal a final time to the State Board of Education, HB 324 states. The State Board's decision is final. Second, under HB 324, school districts and individual teachers can face consequences if a material is decided to be prohibited and the school continues to provide that material anyway. School districts can be sued by parents; teachers and other staff can face disciplinary sanctions by the State Board of Education for violating the educator code of conduct. It is not clear which version of the legislation might pass both the House and Senate. The chambers could enter 'committee of conference' negotiations to find agreement in June. Barrett Christina, executive director of the New Hampshire School Boards Association, says the association objects to HB 324 for two reasons: the potential liability it creates for school boards who are sued by parents, and the ability for the state board to override the school board's authority over the materials. 'We think that the local school board should have the authority to determine what's in their local libraries,' Christina said. He added: 'The primary reason why we don't think an appeal to the State Board of Education is appropriate is that it leaves voters without any local recourse. If the local school board chooses to keep a book in the library and the voters don't like that decision, they can vote for new school board members at the next election.' Since 2004, the School Boards Association has had a model policy it has recommended that schools adopt that covers challenges to materials in school. And Christina says he understands the desire to standardize the process to reduce confusion, especially as book challenges have become more frequent in the past five years. But to Christina, any policy passed by the Legislature should meet two criteria: There should be well-defined deadlines for parents and school officials, and there should be clear definitions for what type of material violates the statute. HB 324 doesn't meet those criteria, he argued. Absent that clarity, the law could prompt school districts to agree to move more books than they should, he said. 'Nobody wants to be sued and nobody wants to subject themselves to civil penalties,' Christina said. 'So the potential is that it may create a chilling effect with respect to what books local school boards decide to keep in their libraries.' Speaking from the floor, Cordelli argued the state board should be included in the process. 'HB 324 establishes a minimum process for which parents can bring what they consider inappropriate materials to their principal and the school board, and yes, if necessary, to the state board,' he said. 'Because we have in statute a duty of the state board to hear complaints from parents.' Cordelli added: 'This is not banning of books. It is about making sure that our children — your children — have books that are age-appropriate.'
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Governor Shapiro signs bill into law intended to help stop spread of avian flu
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Governor Josh Shapiro has signed a bill intended to help stop the spread of avian influenza. House Bill 324, led by Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freyitz (D-Berks), updates the poultry technician licensure law to allow residents to become certified poultry technicians upon completing a state training course. This, Shapiro's office says, will help more farm workers become certified poultry technicians which supports work to prevent avian flu and protect agriculture. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'Our Administration has worked aggressively and proactively in response to Hi-Path Avian Influenza, and we have taken steps to communicate directly with our farmers – from our major commercial sites to our Amish community – and encourage them to put biosecurity measures in place,' said Shapiro. 'By remaining proactive, we've helped to avoid the worst so far. This bill will help us address workforce challenges, support biosecurity best practices, and remain vigilant in the face of Avian Influenza as we work to keep protecting Pennsylvania agriculture industry.' 'Avian influenza is an ongoing crisis across our country, and with poultry being the keystone state's No. 1 animal ag industry, our farmers and poultry businesses must have the people resources available to test poultry flocks as we continue our heightened monitoring for the virus,' said Chris Herr, Executive Vice President of Penn Ag Industries. 'This bill will give us the people resources we currently lack as an industry but will offer those who are facing current barriers to becoming certified technicians an option to grow professionally and help us fight this deadly virus. Thank you, Gov. Shapiro, for understanding our industry needs and the many legislators who supported and helped pass this important legislation.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State bill would require school board members to have anti-bias training
A state bill that would require all county Board of Education members in the state to undergo anti-bias training every two years had a hearing in Annapolis on Wednesday. All public school employees in the state are required to undergo anti-bias training through legislation passed last session. Board of education members were excluded from the definition of 'public school employees.' State Del. Marc Korman (D-16) presented the House Bill 324 on Wednesday at a House Ways and Means Committee hearing. Korman and Del. Vanessa Atterbeary (D-13), the chair of the committee, co-sponsored the bill. Korman said on Wednesday that the legislation was 'a simple bill.' 'So, this bill just closes that loophole, frankly, and requires the school board members to go through the same type of training as we've already told our tens of thousands of school employees to go through,' he said. The bill directs the Maryland State Department of Education to develop guidelines for anti-bias training for board members. Some guidelines include being inclusive, incorporating lessons in cultural awareness and aiming to reduce implicit bias. The bill also specifies that the training would work to make schools more inclusive regardless of students and staff members' 'race, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ancestry, physical attributes, socioeconomic status, familial status, or disability.' Josh Bokee, a former alderman for the city of Frederick who ran unsuccessfully for the Frederick County Board of Education in 2024, testified on Wednesday in favor of the bill. He emphasized, as a resident and as a parent of a student in the school system, 'how important it is that our board members of education receive the same anti-bias training that is consistent with the public school employees.' Bokee said the bill would be a logical next step, and he hopes 'board members are upholding professional standards, inclusivity and set up an environment where all students can be welcome and included in the school system.' LOCAL VIEWS The Frederick County Board of Education is currently not required to undergo any formal anti-bias training, according to board member Karen Yoho. She said on Wednesday that the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE), a nonprofit organization that supports school boards statewide, would not support the bill. Yoho said the organization is not usually in favor of statewide mandates because they are 'typically unfunded, so it comes with time and money.' She said that she personally 'wouldn't mind' if the bill became law, but she has not 'felt the need for anti-bias training on our board.' 'That can always change, and then we would discuss it as a board and address it,' Yoho said. 'At this point, I haven't heard anybody talking about bringing something like that up.' She added that the Frederick County school board members attend a retreat every year in which they reflect and review their effectiveness over the last year. Vice President Dean Rose said on Wednesday that he 'would support it at first blush.' 'I certainly personally would not be against it, and I don't see any reason not to have it,' he said. Board member Janie Inglis Monier said on Wednesday that 'on the face of it, it doesn't sound like there should be an issue.' She said because of her background in anthropology and social sciences, anti-bias training is familiar. Monier also attended a new board member training hosted by MABE earlier this month. 'Anything that is going to help me be a better board member, I want to be available for that,' she said. Board member Colt Black said on Wednesday that he 'doesn't necessarily think that additional trainings are needed.' 'We don't put other elected officials through these types of training, and I don't believe that we need to be doing that with board of education members,' he said. Board member Jaime Brennan said she had not read the bill as of Wednesday afternoon and could not comment. School board President Rae Gallagher and member Nancy Allen were not available for comment by phone on Wednesday. State Del. Kris Fair (D-3A), the executive director of the Frederick Center, an LGBTQ+ resource center in Frederick, said on Wednesday that anti-bias trainings are 'very illuminating' and 'it serves a great purpose for our communities and our schools.' 'Anti-bias trainings are critical so that we, as a school system, recognize the biases that it may have, and then learn how to operate within that structure and that reality,' he said. State Del. Jesse Pippy (R-4) said on Wednesday that he is not generally opposed to additional training to 'help public servants be more effective and more tolerant and open to the general public.' 'However, I don't know if it's a good idea that the legislature continues to try to circumvent local control, locally elected boards, and how they operate within their respective counties,' he said. 'This is something they can implement themselves.'
