Commission endorses K–12 guidance on 'intellectual diversity,' commissioners press DESE on guardrails

Commissioner Leggett introduced an amendment directing the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to make guidance and resources available to support teacher training that fosters classrooms welcoming to diverse viewpoints and committed to critical thinking.

Leggett framed the proposal as a response to testimony that students often lack experience engaging with differing viewpoints, citing campus and K–12 testimony illustrating how polarization can lead to harassment and exclusion. "Teachers need training," Leggett said during the discussion.

Several commissioners supported the intent of the amendment but urged clearer guardrails. Commissioner Freeman warned the phrase "intellectual diversity" could be used to introduce biased or false views and suggested the recommendation be explicitly tied to other commission guardrails and to applicable regulation (Commissioner Freeman referenced 603 CMR 26.05 during floor discussion).

Superintendent Polanski and other education officials said statewide anonymized reporting and consistent training modules could improve incident tracking and make resources more usable for districts. The commission voted by roll call to adopt the amendment; the chair instructed staff to keep cross‑references in the report and asked DESE to consider anonymization and privacy protections during implementation.

The adopted language asks DESE to provide guidance and resources; it does not prescribe enforcement mechanisms or funding levels. Commissioners said implementation details will be part of agency-level work after the commission transmits its final report to the Legislature.