• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • BOSTON BETTER BEER BUREAU
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • ABOUT
    • MASTHEAD
    • ADVERTISE
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

SOME SUBVERSIVE IDEOLOGIES NOT MENTIONED IN NH’S ORWELLIAN ‘TEACHER LOYALTY’ BILL

Written by JASON PRAMAS Posted February 7, 2022 Filed Under: Apparent Horizon, COLUMNS, News, News to Us, NEWS+OPINIONS, Politics

"Head 3," CC-BY Son of Groucho. Photo of a statue in honor of assassinated Turkish investigative journalist Uğur Mumcu.
“Head 3,” CC-BY Son of Groucho. Photo of a statue in honor of assassinated Turkish investigative journalist Uğur Mumcu.

(Jackboots and torture and slaughter, oh my!)


Several Republican members of the New Hampshire legislature are hoping to update a Cold War anti-communist law that prohibits public school teachers from teaching “subversive doctrines” that include “the overthrow by force of the government of the United States” (etc.). Naturally, the original language of the law only mentioned communism by name, but the new version adds socialism and Marxism—and worst of all seeks to stop teachers from teaching “negative account(s)” of US history, specifically “that the United States was founded on racism.”

Leaving aside the obvious fact that there are many kinds of non-Marxian socialism and that most brands of socialism don’t preach overthrowing governments, the proposed new language currently up for consideration doesn’t mention a few major ideologies that definitely do. Namely, Nazism, fascism, and white supremacy. Isn’t that weird?! Must be an oversight by our good friends to our north. Right? Full bill text follows (proposed language in bold):

HOUSE BILL 1255
AN ACT relative to teachers’ loyalty.
SPONSORS: Rep. A. Lekas, Hills. 37; Rep. Layon, Rock. 6; Rep. Cordelli, Carr. 4; Rep. Ammon, Hills. 40; Rep. T. Lekas, Hills. 37
COMMITTEE: Education
1  Teachers’ Loyalty; Prohibition Added.  Amend RSA 191:1 to read as follows:
191:1 Advocacy of Subversive Doctrines Prohibited.
I. No teacher shall advocate communism, socialism, or Marxism as a political doctrine or any other doctrine or theory which includes the overthrow by force of the government of the United States or of this state in any public or state approved school or in any state institution.
II. No teacher shall advocate any doctrine or theory promoting a negative account or representation of the founding and history of the United States of America in New Hampshire public schools which does not include the worldwide context of now outdated and discouraged practices.  Such prohibition includes but is not limited to teaching that the United States was founded on racism.
III.  A violation of this section shall be considered a violation of the New Hampshire code of ethics and code of conduct for educational professionals and shall justify disciplinary sanctions.
2  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.


Also check out the companion bill that would “expand the existing statute that requires that teachers provide two weeks of advanced notice of their curriculum for health and sex education in schools. The bill would require teachers to provide notice of materials for all courses, and allow parents to lodge objections to materials they found objectionable and require the school to provide alternative instruction,” according to New Hampshire Public Radio.


Apparent Horizon—an award-winning political column—is syndicated by the MassWire news service of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. Jason Pramas is BINJ’s executive director and executive editor and associate publisher of DigBoston.

JASON PRAMAS

Executive editor and associate publisher, DigBoston. Executive director of Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. Former founder and editor/publisher of Open Media Boston. 2018 & 2019 Association of Alternative Newsmedia Political Column Award Winner.

Related posts
  • JASON PRAMAS
    https://digboston.com/author/jason-pramas/
    Photo courtesy of Danna Design
    Couple Teams Up to Produce Unique and Functional Tote Bags
  • JASON PRAMAS
    https://digboston.com/author/jason-pramas/
    Prototype "Medville Transnal" front page. Collage by Jason Pramas.
    MEDIA CONSOLIDATION ACCELERATES IN SOMERVILLE
  • JASON PRAMAS
    https://digboston.com/author/jason-pramas/
    COOKING FOR CLICKS: CRAVING A SWEET? FAKE A CAKE!
  • JASON PRAMAS
    https://digboston.com/author/jason-pramas/
    Humanitarian Aid in Donetsk, 2015. UNICEF Ukraine from Kyiv, Ukraine, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    HOW TO SEND HUMANITARIAN AID TO UKRAINE

Filed Under: Apparent Horizon, COLUMNS, News, News to Us, NEWS+OPINIONS, Politics Tagged With: Apparent Horizon, children, Column, communism, Democracy, education, fascism, fascist, free speech, free thought, freedom, government, Jason Pramas, legislature, Libertarian, liberty, Marxism, nazism, New Hampshire, parents, public, racism, racist, Republican, socialism, student, teacher, white supremacy

WHAT’S NEW

State Wire: Mass Group Says Campus-Based Supports Needed For Former Foster Youth

State Wire: Mass Group Says Campus-Based Supports Needed For Former Foster Youth

Assange Supporters To Protest AG Garland At Harvard Commencement

Assange Supporters To Protest AG Garland At Harvard Commencement

We Turned the North End Restaurant Lawsuit Against Mayor Wu Into a Musical

We Turned the North End Restaurant Lawsuit Against Mayor Wu Into a Musical

Photo by Mike Connolly

Opinion: Defending the Right to Abortion

Longtime Anti-Nuclear Activist On Trial This Morning In Plymouth

Longtime Anti-Nuclear Activist On Trial This Morning In Plymouth

The ACLU's Critical "Do You Know Who Your Sheriff Is?" Campaign

The ACLU’s Critical “Do You Know Who Your Sheriff Is?” Campaign

Primary Sidebar

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • We Turned the North End Restaurant Lawsuit Against Mayor Wu Into a Musical
  • Do You Want To Work For the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission?
  • DigBoston box among the boxes of defunct newspapers in Union Square, Somerville, Mass. Photo by Jason Pramas. Copyright 2022 Jason Pramas. EDITORIAL: DIGBOSTON SUSPENDING PRINT EDITION, GOING DIGITAL-ONLY (AGAIN)
  • Inbox: Red Bull Cliff Diving Returns To Boston Waterfront
  • How Long Can Major Cannabis Cultivators Sustain Massive Indoor Grows In Mass?

CURRENT STREET EDITION

DIG 24.08 – 04/21/22

Footer

Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]