Senate Education advances most resolutions to print; narrowly approves RS 32072 endorsing PragerU Kids materials

BOISE — The Idaho Senate Education Committee on Thursday voted to print most of the resolutions on its agenda while separately debating and approving RS 32072, a resolution from Sen. Tammy Nichols endorsing access to PragerU Kids supplemental educational materials for K–12 classrooms.

Committee Chair (Senate Education Committee) opened the meeting proposing unanimous-consent handling for most of the routing slips and said RS 32072 required separate consideration. "I move that we print all RS's on the agenda today with the exception of RS 32,072," a committee member moved; the motion carried by voice vote and those items will be printed for further action.

The committee then heard from Sen. Tammy Nichols (R., District 10), who introduced RS 32072. Nichols said the resolution "affirms Idaho legislature support for the inclusion of PragerU kids supplemental education resources in Idaho public schools." She described the materials as "free optional educational materials for K through 12 students designed to complement traditional curriculum with engaging content on civics, financial literacy, history, and entrepreneurship." Nichols noted the resources are "fully accessible online" and said the Idaho Department of Education issued a press release on Oct. 24, 2024, signaling departmental support.

Nichols framed the resolution as nonbinding and optional: "By offering high quality age appropriate content at no cost, PragerU enhances educational choice without imposing a financial burden on the state," she told the committee. She also emphasized parental access and local control, saying the materials are "completely optional" and districts or teachers would decide whether to use them.

Several senators raised substantive concerns during the floor discussion. Sen. Ward Engelking said he was "kind of confused about how this works" and asked whether printing the RS would send it to the Senate floor without a committee hearing. Engelking also said he had read criticisms that PragerU "has been accused of promoting fascism, racism, sexism, and anti LGBTQ politics," and that "historians and political scientists have also criticized the videos for containing misleading or inaccurate claims about topics such as slavery and racism in the United States and even immigration." He said, "I have some issues with the content in PragerU," and indicated he could not support advancing the resolution without further review.

Sen. Semaroff asked about the curriculum-review process and whether the materials had been created by trained educators. Nichols replied that because the materials were supplemental they did not go through the full adoption process: "As far as I am because it's supplemental and it's not something that we're implementing, then it didn't have to go through the same process as what curriculum does that we do have that we do implement." She said the Idaho Department of Education had "looked through a lot of what PragerU had" and that the superintendent had found it "a good fit for Idaho." Nichols added, "I put a lot of ... trust in our teachers to be able to do the right thing" if the materials are used in classrooms.

Sen. Zito asked for confirmation that the department had authorized use; Nichols said the Idaho Department of Education "has already given their ... blessing on utilizing this in the state of Idaho." Sen. Woodward noted the materials are "not a curriculum" but "materials that might be incorporated into a classroom" on an occasional basis and moved to print RS 32072 to send it to the floor for further consideration.

The committee approved the motion to print RS 32072 by voice; one senator voiced a nay and asked to be recorded. The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript, but the motion carried.

Why it matters: The resolution is nonbinding but signals legislative support for supplemental instructional materials and underscores continuing debate in Idaho over what materials should be available to teachers and families. Committee members pressed on questions of review, accuracy and local control, and several said they would reserve final judgment until they had examined the materials.

Votes at a glance: The committee approved a motion to print all routing slips on the agenda with the exception of RS 32072; that motion carried by voice vote. The committee then approved a separate motion to print RS 32072 after discussion; the motion carried with one recorded nay.

What’s next: RS 32072 will be printed and advanced to the full Senate for consideration; the printed form and any accompanying committee comments will determine whether the resolution is placed on a calendar for floor action and any further hearings.