Earlier today we told you about House File 2060, a bill sponsored by State Rep. John Wills and cosponsored by nine other Republicans. The bill, among other things, requires that prior to a public school using a textbook, book, article, video or other educational material for certain social studies instruction for the first time needs to be reviewed and approved by the Department of Education.
It also lays out a review process and requires the Department of Education to publish a list of all educational materials approved for use by public schools on its website.
Nick Covington is an Ankeny social studies teacher who has vowed to break state law regarding the teaching of Critical Race Theory. You can read about his pledge here.
After pledging to teach CRT despite state law, Covington is now upset that state lawmakers would propose a bill like HF 2060.
“This is the most insane Iowa education bill I’ve read in the last five minutes,” Covington tweeted. “I would ask why this bill is targeted directly at the social studies but I think we know the answer to that question.”
He also expressed displeasure in State Rep. Garrett Gobble, who is one of the bill’s cosponsors and also teaches in the Ankeny district.
“One of the people crafting this bill also happens to be a social studies teacher in my district who must know better,” Covington said. “How do you work with someone like that?”
Covington said he sent the following email to Gobble:
Covington said the Republican Party of Iowa is an “authoritarian party whose only principle is power.”
“Which they wield with righteousness against opponents,” he wrote. “They can’t tolerate a structured, educated critique of their own actions, so they forbid it from the classroom.”
It could be that a bill like this wouldn’t be necessary if Iowa teachers did not pledge to break Iowa law regarding teaching Critical Race Theory.
