The New Hampshire Senate today killed a plan to make a semester of civics a graduation requirement in state high schools. The vote, which essentially split on party lines, came after a lively floor debate that revisited the familiar ideological split of state mandates versus local control.
The New Hampshire Senate today killed a plan to make a semester of civics a graduation requirement in state high schools. The vote, which essentially split on party lines, came after a lively floor debate that revisited the familiar ideological split of state mandates versus local control. NHPR?s Josh Rogers has more.
The question before the senate was simple enough??and so too were the basic arguments for and against the proposal ?..The Democrats argued a one semester course would up political participation and thus invigorate the polity?..Senator Carolyn McCarley of Rochester insisted a statewide requirement was nothing to fear.
Dictionaries define civics as a branch of political science that deals with the rights and duties of citizens. Why would we shy away from asking our teachers to put their heads together across the state and put in place a course and say every high school student across the state upon graduation is going to have taken that course?
But such a notion was anathema to Senate Republicans?..Education Committee chair Jane O?Hearne made a basic argument and made it repeatedly?..the state should keep it?s hands off local curricula.
I?d rather see local districts deal with the shortfalls our schools are experiencing in civics at home with community members, with teachers, with parents.
However, Manchester Democrat Lou Dallasando, himself a former civics teacher said the underlying debate was about far more than local control. He expressed anger over what he saw as the Republican majority?s basic posture towards encouraging broad political participation.
Keep em in the dark?That?s what it?s all about?.Keep em in the dark and they don?t participate, then the few run the situation.
Republicans strenuously denied such charges?..Jane O?Hearne said good citizenship and political participation were of paramount importance, but doubted such things are best learned in a classroom. She said experience is the better teacher.
If you had attended the program that was held for the veterans two weeks ago that Bob Dole was at and felt the patriotism that was in the room?that is better for civics. It?s participating in the process.
The measure was voted down 15 to 9.
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