Minnesota Nice No More: Legislation to Neuter Controversy in the Classroom May Exasperate Political Polarization

by Shawn P. Healy, PhD, Democracy Program Director

We have written at length about the power and prevalence of controversial issues discussions in civics classrooms. An “academic balance” bill making its way through the Minnesota Senate challenges these presuppositions.

Senate Bill 2487 (SB-2487) would require public and charter schools to pass an “academic balance” policy prohibiting school employees from compelling students to “express specified social or political viewpoints” as part of an academic course or extracurricular activity.

Fair enough, but there’s more.

In declaring, “Public education courses are not for the purpose of political, ideological, religious, or antireligious indoctrination,” the legislation seemingly implies that this is currently common practice. In my experience, teachers often shy from politics, exclusively emphasizing government institutions, and thus exhibiting a bias towards the status quo. SB 2487 would double down on this tendency.

According to the bill, students must also have “access to a broad range of serious opinions pertaining to the subjects of study.” This, too, is part of a responsible approach to teaching with controversy, but nonetheless infringes on teacher autonomy and arguably threatens academic freedom.

Furthermore, SB-2487 would “require caution from classroom teachers when expressing personal views in the classroom and prohibit the introduction of controversial matters without a relationship to the subject taught.”

One, this assumes that teachers fail to exercise “caution” already (see my previous point). And two, it conflicts with empirical findings about teacher disclosure. The decision of whether or not to disclose personal political views with students is important pedagogically. Those that choose disclosure must make it clear to students that they are free to disagree, the maintenance of an open classroom environment critical in either case.

Bill sponsor Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) fears that the political polarization gripping our society will envelop our schools, too. Assuming she’s open to advice from a Midwestern neighbor, I would suggest that controversy in the classroom be protected by state statute as it is in Illinois, not circumscribed as proposed in Minnesota.

By allowing students to grapple with political issues in a controlled environment led by trained professionals, they will come to appreciate the ideological diversity of their peers and learn how to deliberate across difference. The long-term solution to the forces of political polarization lies with leaning into their root cause: we were taught to avoid political conversations and flock to like-minded media and fellow partisans. Ideological amplification can be neutered by educators empowered to responsibly inject the issues of the day into classroom conversations.