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Committee approves amendment to delay teaching-of-communism standard after heated debate
Summary
The committee adopted an amendment to House Bill 18-05 delaying implementation of new standards on the history of communism to the next academic-standards cycle, then passed the bill out of committee (15–4). Sponsors said the State Board of Education will determine specific standards; critics warned the language risks revisionist portrayals of civil-rights leaders.
Representative Barrett presented an amendment to House Bill 18-05 that would require LEAs and public charter schools to include age- and grade-appropriate instruction on the history of communism (U.S. and abroad), comparative political ideologies and the historical events that preceded communist revolutions. The amendment delays implementation so the changes will align with the State Board of Education’s next adoption of academic standards, which sponsor Barrett said removes any immediate fiscal impact.
During debate several members questioned whether the bill would add content already covered by existing standards or risk portraying civil-rights leaders as "communists." Representative Johnson and Representative McKenzie argued teachers already cover these topics and that the bill’s language could enable inaccurate or politicized instruction. "There was a huge…McCarthyism…when you say we're gonna teach a history of communism in The United States, it doesn't sound like that history is gonna be an accurate and a fair depiction," Representative McKenzie said, urging caution.
Barrett responded the bill directs the State Board of Education to set standards and emphasized ideology rather than personalities. "If you want to bring a bill to require our state standards to teach on those personalities, you're more than welcome to do so," Barrett said, pressing that the measure focuses on concepts and historical contexts.
After procedural votes to cut off debate, the committee approved the bill as amended and moved it out to calendar and rules; the recorded tally was 15 ayes and 4 nays (the committee had technical difficulties during voting but recorded final tallies). The amendment’s delay was described as aligning implementation with the next standards adoption and the fiscal note for the amendment was recorded as "not significant."
Next steps: HB 18-05 will proceed to calendar and rules. Committee members said they may pursue additional clarifications in subsequent stages so the State Board of Education can craft nonpartisan, historically accurate standards.
