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Committee hears proponents and skeptics of ban on World Economic Forum curriculum materials
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Summary
Representative Belcher's HB 14‑48 would bar curriculum provided by the World Economic Forum; the sponsor cited news of an AFT partnership announced at Davos, while opponents asked for concrete curriculum examples and warned against conflating sources such as UNESCO and the WEF.
The Senate Education Committee heard testimony on House Bill 14‑48, a proposal to prohibit curriculum "provided by or created by the World Economic Forum" from use in New Hampshire schools.
Representative Mike Belcher (on behalf of Representative Morris) said the bill adds a single sentence to statute to bar WEF lectures, lesson plans and materials, arguing the organization's values conflict with New Hampshire and U.S. principles. He cited news reporting that the American Federation of Teachers had announced a partnership at Davos and said WEF materials promote a "global citizenship" orientation that may undermine allegiance to nation and state.
Committee members pressed for evidence. Senator Altschuler and others asked for specific curriculum examples or documentary links; Belcher said he did not have forensic curriculum materials at the hearing but could provide email records and news links later. Deborah Howes of AFT New Hampshire clarified that the AFT announced work with industry leaders to develop career and technical education curriculum and that any district could choose whether to adopt materials.
Opponents warned the bill's wording could create confusion with well‑established programs such as Model UN and UNESCO‑aligned materials; questions about provenance and whether materials in local use actually derive from WEF were raised. The committee did not take a vote at the conclusion of the hearing and requested follow‑up documentation from the sponsor.
