It started as what critics call a “” bill last year, but has since evolved into broader legislation to control what teachers can and can’t say — or display — in their classrooms. 

With , Rep. Jeff Stenquist, R-Draper, wants to ban teachers from “endorsing, promoting or disparaging” certain beliefs or viewpoints, including religious or political beliefs and sexual orientation or gender identity.

Stenquist started working on the bill about a year ago, after some parents expressed concerns about a teacher talking about pronouns and gender identity with young students.

Stenquist said he’s trying to address a “perception problem” with teachers and “get political and ideological fights … out of the classroom.” He said his goal is to “reassure parents that students are not being exposed to some political or ideological ideal that they may not agree with,” regardless of political or social leanings.

But the bill’s opponents — including the Utah Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah — argue it’s too vague and would create a “chilling effect” on teachers, leaving them at risk over what they can or can’t say to their students without punishment.

Despite those concerns, the bill narrowly cleared its first legislative hurdle Monday. It advanced out of the House Education Committee with a split, 6-5 vote. Its next stop: the House floor.

What does the bill do?

HB303 would prohibit school employees or officials from using their position, “through instruction, materials or a display of symbols, images or language” to support, promote or criticize certain beliefs. It also bans them from inviting, suggesting or encouraging students to “reconsider or change” the students’ beliefs.

Those beliefs, as listed in the bill, include:

• Religious, denominational, sectarian, agnostic, or atheistic beliefs or viewpoints
• Political or social beliefs or viewpoints
• Viewpoints regarding sexual orientation or gender identity

The bill would, however, allow teachers to wear religious clothing, including jewelry such as a rosary, or other “accessories that are central to the individual’s sincerely held religious belief.” It would also allow them to display “personal photographs” of their family members.

It would also allow teachers to discuss “an age-appropriate topic” or display an “age-appropriate image or symbol” as long as it’s part of an approved curriculum.

Stenquist said the bill would require Utah school districts to implement a more “standardized policy around neutrality” across the state.

The debate

While drafting the bill, Stenquist worked with Megan Kallas, a parent and one of Stenquist’s constituents, who came to him to prevent “inappropriate conversations” that she said her first grade daughter’s teacher was having with some students outside of curriculum dealing with topics of gender identity, gender fluidity and pronouns.

Frustrated that school and district officials didn’t address the issue because there was no “policy on the books to say this is inappropriate,” Kallas said she turned to Stenquist. Since then, she said he’s crafted a bill to implement a “fair and neutral policy that protects all students and creates in the classroom an environment of learning versus an environment of ideologies being passed around from teacher to student without parental consent.”

Kallas and other supporters told the committee HB303 is aimed at ensuring teacher “professionalism” and fostering a learning environment free from political pressures or ideologies.

But Sara Jones, director of government relations for the Utah Education Association, a union that lobbies on behalf of teachers, urged lawmakers to oppose the bill, expressing concerns about ambiguous language.

For example, Jones noted the bill’s language allows teachers to display personal photographs in their classrooms or offices.

“But can those photographs include a family standing in front of a place of worship, or a family member holding a sign at a rally at the Capitol, or a same-sex couple holding a Pride flag, or would those types of personal photographs actually be interpreted as promoting religious, political (beliefs) or sexual orientation?” she questioned.

Jones also wondered how teachers are supposed to avoid “inviting” a student to change their political viewpoints while teaching topics such as U.S. government or history. “It implies classroom instruction, which includes careful analysis, discussion, deliberation of facts, should never include a student then considering how that information might change their viewpoint or their opinion,” she said.

“Ambiguous language is a hazard for educators who won’t know how the statute applies to them, and may end up facing disciplinary or licensure actions,” Jones said.

Two students spoke in favor of the bill. One from Springville High School said she believes there shouldn’t be “gay pride” flags in the classroom, and that some of her teachers have “placed biases into what they’ve been teaching.”

“When I go to school, I want to be able to be taught how to think and not what to think,” she said.

Another student, from Maple Mountain High School, also spoke against allowing “symbols” she didn’t agree with in classrooms and “teachers that would tell us things that I didn’t want to believe in, but I felt that if I disagreed I wasn’t welcome.”

“School needs to be a place of learning and it needs to be a safe place and it was not that for me,” she said. “We need to prevent different beliefs from making other people uncomfortable.”

Representatives for conservative groups including Utah Parents United spoke in favor of the bill, arguing it would ensure “balanced, unbiased and neutral content” in classrooms.

But Zee Kilpack, who identified themself as a transgender person, spoke against the bill, arguing it discourages the mere discussion of the existence of LGBTQ+ people, who’ve historically had a hard enough time feeling welcome.

“Obviously, we live in Utah. We live in a place where a lot of parents don’t support LGBTQ+ ideology. And yet, queer kids exist anyway,” they said. “School was one of the few places where I could see people that were queer.”

Kilpack also argued HB303 would not “prepare kids for the future,” from colleges to workplaces “that will have all of these ideologies expressed.” They also worried it would restrict LGBTQ+ teachers from posting pictures with their partners, “where that can be a nonpolitical statement of them just existing.”

Rep. Dan Johnson, R-Logan, asked Stenquist if the bill would “cause teachers to feel like they’re monitored so much that they can’t say anything anymore.” Stenquist acknowledged “this will be somewhat of a paradigm shift for some teachers,” but only those that “may feel like part of their job is to endorse some particular worldview.”

“But I think the vast majority of teachers will probably not be affected by this,” Stenquist said, describing the “best teachers” as those that “students don’t know what their political viewpoints are. And I think that’s the goal that we need to get to.”

To questions about how to define a “social belief” or concerns that the bill’s language is too vague, Stenquist said it’s difficult to define “neutrality” in state code, but he welcomed anyone to offer “better language” to make it clearer than the current bill. It may not be “perfect,” he said, but he urged lawmakers not to “make perfect the enemy of good.”

Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, who has worked as an educator, argued against the bill, worried it will especially impact teachers of history, social studies, literature and other subjects that can cover controversial topics. She said it suggests “teachers aren’t trained and aren’t professional enough,” while there are already school policies and procedures in place that address unprofessionalism.

Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Morgan, vehemently argued in favor of the bill, saying it doesn’t “target” any single group.

“I get really tired of hearing that we’re targeting people,” said Birkeland, who this year sponsored a in government-owned bathrooms and other facilities while also expanding unisex and single stall facilities. “We try to show kindness and compassion and then we’re told, ‘But you’re rejecting them.’ We’re not.”

Birkeland said the “majority of people do not care who you love, they want to let you love who you love and be who you are. But when we try to run bills to create balance, and the first thing we throw out is, ‘This targets one community,’ we send a message to these kids that they’re being targeted, and they’re not.”

“We want everyone — everyone — to walk in that class and feel like they belong, and that has to do with coming in and being spoken to with respect and dignity,” Birkeland said. “That’s why this bill’s before us, so that every kid — no matter their identity, no matter their beliefs — walks in and knows that they are respected, and will be treated with dignity.”

But one of Birkeland’s Republican colleagues, Rep. Neil Water, R-St. George, opposed the bill, saying he’s worried about its unintended consequences — along with legislation the Utah Legislature has already passed this year to in public entities.

“I’m concerned about sterilizing our classrooms,” he said.

House Majority Whip Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, also supported the bill, first thanking students who spoke in support of the bill. “They showed bravery in an increasingly political school environment.”

“This bill refocuses our classrooms to basic academic learning and provides a professionalism standard that will support all students,” Lisonbee said. “It is vital that we provide these standards and the expectation of learning and exploring different ideas in a neutral environment.”

Utahn Jacob Hancey spoke against the bill, arguing against restricting teachers from expressing their viewpoints to help foster realistic, healthy debates.

Hancey said he “never saw eye-to-eye on anything political” with one of his high school teachers, “but our discussions were wonderful. We became friends until the day he died.”

“Every day we’d have arguments … I learned so much more from him and the respect that he showed me by giving me this chance to form my opinions and really refine them,” Hancey said, urging lawmakers not to support the bill.

“Because I think those conflicts are a chance for students to grow.”

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Utah News Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor McKenzie Romero for questions: info@utahnewsdispatch.com. Follow Utah News Dispatch on and .

Illinois leaders have taken deliberate action to ensure our schools respect the role of the teacher, our laws respect the rights of women and our curricula honor the contributions of Black, Indigenous and people of color and LGBTQ+ leaders to our nation’s collective history.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed legislation making Illinois the first state in the nation to . Our state values your expertise as an educator and believes that engaging with challenging texts under your guidance ultimately prepares students for success navigating and understanding the world.

Here in Illinois, we do not shy away from our complex histories or identities. While Texas tries to ban discussions about race and Florida forbids teachers from “saying gay,” we have revised our in the opposite direction. We encourage dialogue from multiple perspectives. We require schools to teach about the of Asian Americans, Black Americans, Native Americans and LGBTQ+ Americans. We protect the freedom and professional judgment of educators to choose instructional materials that represent and affirm the diversity of Illinois’ students. 

Illinois has charted a compassionate path to embrace children and educators of every background and identity and codified it into law, affording educators the professional freedom to do their best work.

According to the , women make up 77% of the teaching profession. While states across the nation have gone backward in the wake of Roe v. Wade, Illinois continues to trust women. Our lawmakers have codified , bodily autonomy, and access to contraception and abortion in state law.

Illinois requires insurers to cover gender-affirming health care medications at no cost to the consumer. We require schools to provide menstrual products in bathrooms. Illinois guarantees the availability of health care and a safe place to have a family.In Illinois, we are serious about our commitment to bolstering a diverse educator pipeline. We have state-supported for teachers of color and statewide access to for all educators. We have for students of color and bilingual students looking to join the profession. We have programs to help diverse educators gain access to administrative roles.

And thanks to strong collective bargaining rights, Illinois teachers receive commensurate pay for the increasingly critical role they play in our society. Illinois teachers are deservedly some of the .

Last month, the governor signed a state budget committing $45 million a year for three years to support districts’ initiatives, including incentives like signing bonuses or relocation support and reimbursement of fees for transferring teaching licenses to Illinois.

Illinois offers full to educators accredited in any other state, competitive pay and benefits, and career advancement.

Illinois’ commitment to the fundamental principles of public education — inclusion, equity and instructional rigor — pays off in student outcomes. U.S. News & World Report Illinois sixth in the nation for pre-K-12 education, and we have 10 of the in America. Of the in the nation, six are in Illinois, including the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. Thousands upon thousands of teachers have joined the profession in Illinois over the past five years.

We have made education our top priority as a state, increasing public school funding by billions over the past five years. We’re investing in a plan to offer universal access to within the next four years. We rank for growth in the percentage of high school graduates who scored a 3 or higher on Advanced Placement exams.

So, teachers, if you also want great schools for your children, come to Illinois. In Illinois, we welcome and embrace educators and families of all stars and stripes from across the country who are looking for a hospitable place to live and work. From towns nestled amid natural beauty, like Galena, Elsah and Marion, just outside Shawnee National Forest; to the college-town charm of cities like Bloomington and Champaign; to bustling and cosmopolitan Chicago; Illinois is proud to be a safe haven for your rights and your excellence as educators. Come to Illinois.

“It was an incredibly powerful moment,” says Zander Moricz, a recent Florida high school graduate who was a plaintiff in a suit challenging the law. “We had thousands of students sign a pledge to vote and take a banned history lesson.” 

The law, passed by the Florida Legislature last year, had outlawed classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3 and required that any instruction in upper grades be “age-appropriate.” The recent extension to was among a slate of resolutions passed by the board at the governor’s behest. It cannot go into effect until after a 30-day “procedural notification” period.

This was not the first time DeSantis has implemented measures targeting LGBTQ Floridians and people of color rather than wait for the legislature to act. Earlier this year, he directed the Florida Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine to ban gender-affirming health care for trans youth — a move the legislature is now deliberating enshrining in law. 

DeSantis, widely believed to be laying the groundwork for a 2024 presidential bid, has said his election to the governorship proves to make unilateral policy decisions, which lawmakers can later affirm or — highly unlikely in a GOP-dominated state — overturn. Similar use of executive power by governors and attorneys general in .

He has also restricted instruction on topics involving race, outlawed Advanced Placement African American history classes and announced plans to rid Florida colleges and universities of diversity efforts and instruction involving critical race theory. 

While DeSantis and his backers had said the ban on early-grades discussions of LGBTQ topics was needed to protect young children from inappropriate materials, state officials said last week’s extension to all students was necessary to ensure that teachers do not stray from instruction that meets state academic standards.

The protests, which were followed in some places by community rallies, had a twofold purpose, says Moricz, now a 19-year-old freshman at Harvard University. Young people, he says, needed to feel the power in taking action to defend free speech, while sending a message to elected officials that youth are watching — and planning to vote. 

“There is a culture of fear in Florida schools right now, and it’s hard for students to shake,” he says. “Florida’s legislature is not listening to parents, teachers and students. This legislature is listening to Florida’s governor.”

Students joining the noon walkout participated in 20 minutes of organized activities, including a five-minute version of a Black history lesson banned by DeSantis. The focus: censorship of historical Black and LGBTQ figures. Protesters also registered to vote and wrote letters to school board members and other officials promising to work to elect candidates who support students’ rights. 

Making sure the student demonstrators could realize immediate and tangible outcomes — like taking the voting pledge and having the opportunity to enroll in an online, college-level Black history class created by Harvard faculty who had helped to develop the banned AP course — was important to giving them a sense of their potential power, says Moricz.

“Young people in Florida are taking back the state strategically and intentionally,” he says, “and we’re protecting each other in the process.”

Moricz, a founder of the 2,000-member , gained instant acclaim a year ago, when he was warned not to say gay in his commencement address at Pine View School for the Gifted in Osprey, Florida.

Told his mic would be cut if he mentioned his role as plaintiff, Moricz, who is gay, about coming out as curly-haired.

“I used to hate my curls,” he said, doffing his mortarboard. “I spent mornings and nights embarrassed of them, trying desperately to straighten this part of who I am.

“But the daily damage of trying to fix myself became too much to endure. So, while having curly hair in Florida is difficult — due to the humidity — I decided to be proud of who I was and started coming to school as my authentic self.”

After the speech went viral, Moricz was invited to appear on Good Morning America. 

Walkout 2 Learn tapped a number of youth-friendly technologies to organize students throughout the state. Participants were texted instructions on the day of the protest, for example, and will be kept up to date on the group’s work via a Slack channel. Those who independently complete the online Black history class will earn a certification to put on college applications.
“Don’t worry,” , “if your school threatens to punish you, we have lawyers and politicians who will support you.”

According to the report from the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute, one of the nation’s leading sources of data on LGBTQ Americans, 15% of parents surveyed say their children worry about talking about their families in school, including drawing pictures or completing writing assignments that depict their parents, and 9% report that their children fear remaining in the state.

Among parents of LGBTQ children, 9% say their kids worry about talking about their identities in school and 13% are afraid of living in Florida. Some told researchers they have stopped engaging in their kids’ school, as they no longer feel safe.

Led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, proponents of the “Don’t Say Gay” law passed last March argue that such measures are needed to help parents ensure their young children are not exposed to information about sexual orientation and gender identity they might disapprove of. Early on, backers of the move said the Florida law was mischaracterized by media accounts and opponents who warned it could lead public school teachers and administrators to .  

However, as schools reopened after COVID shutdowns in fall 2022, officials removed anti-LGBTQ bullying resources from state websites and handed down mandates to for student use from shelves and to ignore nondiscrimination protections for transgender kids.

A survey of 113 LGBTQ parents conducted between June and September 2022, the is an early snapshot of the law’s impact. In the first six months after it was passed, nearly 9 in 10 LGBTQ parents said they were concerned about the law’s effect.

Fears were less intense among those whose children are not yet of school age, are nearly done with school or attend a private school that is not bound by the law. Some of these families said they plan to move if the law is not overturned by the time their child is ready for kindergarten, or that their high schooler plans to go to college in a less hostile state. 

“That so many of them are considering moving is, of course, concerning,” said Abbie Goldberg, author of the report and a professor of psychology at Clark University, which co-sponsored the study. “Whether others have the resources is another question.”

Top reasons cited for continuing to live in Florida were to stay close to family and friends (49%), because of work (47%) and because the state is where they grew up (38%), as well as custody arrangements, caregiving obligations for older relatives, the fact that their child will soon graduate from high school and quality-of-life factors unrelated to the political climate. Still, 21% reported that they are less out in their communities. Almost one-fourth said they now fear harassment from neighbors.  

Five of those surveyed — including parents in three households where one of the adults holds dual citizenship — said they were considering leaving the country. “Should [Donald] Trump (again) or DeSantis become president, we have an exit plan to move out of the country,” one told Goldberg.

In response to open-ended questions, a number of those surveyed said their fears had intensified as time passed. One, for example, said initial concerns were allayed by reading the bill, which prohibits teaching LGBTQ topics before fourth grade and requires such content to be “age-appropriate” thereafter. 

“I am okay with and support the idea of not teaching or telling young children [about LGBTQ people or sexuality]. However, I am concerned that the… ‘developmentally appropriate’ part is too vague and could be interpreted too loosely.” 

But as it became clear that the law’s impact went far beyond curtailing early-grades classroom discussions of sexuality, many parents began seeing ripple effects that have had a negative impact on their families.   

Indeed, confusion among educators about what is permissible under the new law and other legislation empowering community members to sue when they believe it has been violated have raised concerns in some parents about interacting with their children’s schools. 

“We didn’t join our son’s [parent teacher organization] and we didn’t offer to coach Little League this spring,” one said. “We are very, very cautious about having playdates,” reported another.

Several mentioned escalating anti-LGBTQ rhetoric as the cause of heightened concerns. “I worried that as a parent volunteer, I may confront conservative parents who perceive me as a groomer,” said one. “I worried that our family could be targeted and reported to child protective services with false assertions about our parenting based merely on our relationship.”

The rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric is not the only pressure many of the families surveyed are under, Goldberg added: “Most people’s identities are complicated. Many of these families are people of color, have kids who are LGBTQ, who are feeling the effects of multiple pieces of legislation.”