'Teacher transparency bill': Republican lawmakers want Ohio school syllabi shared online

Teachers at Ohio's public and private schools would have to post their curriculums online if a new Republican proposal becomes law.

"I think we can all agree that more transparency is a good thing," said Rep. Brett Hillyer, R-Uhrichsville.

His bill would require all schools to "conspicuously" post class syllabi on their websites as well as any mandatory course materials like books, articles or videos.

"It covers the whole gambit," Hillyer said. "The point is that parents can say, 'This seems like the curriculum I want, or this doesn't seem like the curriculum for my kids.'"

Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro said in a statement that his organization doesn't have an opinion yet. It's waiting to see the details.

Hillyer modeled his bill after a piece of legislation from North Carolina, and educators there told Spectrum News 1 the proposed law gave them a "Big Brother" feeling and would ultimately create a lot of extra work for teachers and administrative staff.

"Parents have every right to know what is being taught to their children," said Will Schwartz, the deputy legislative director for the Ohio School Boards Association. "That’s why all schools in Ohio are already required to provide parents access to textbooks and other instructional materials upon their request."

He thought the existing laws strike "a perfect balance" between access and keeping teachers focused on their students "rather than burdensome red tape and duplicative regulations."

Ohio has about 108,000 public school teachers across 3,000 buildings, according to data from the Ohio Department of Education and the Fordham Insitute.

But Hillyer didn't think his idea would create extra a ton of extra work for them. Ohio law already requires schools to provide course material upon request. Instead of fulfilling a bunch of individualized queries, Hillyer said schools would be able to direct parents to their websites.

And he thought it could tone down some of the rhetoric at school board meetings about "divisive concepts" like slavery and racism.

His Republican colleagues in the House have introduced two bills that would limit how teachers could talk about those issues in the classroom. House Bills 322 and 327 have generated hours of heated debate at the statehouse.

Supporters say they will make sure history gets taught correctly while opponents call them an attempt to whitewash America's past and silence diverse voices.

Hillyer said his bill basically sidesteps that issue by putting all the information parents want out there.

"I don’t have to get into the minutia of what is being taught," Hillyer said. "I can just say 'Hey, let’s make it available to parents.'"

Anna Staver is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau. It serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Republicans want teacher curriculums shared online