CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE –Today, Republicans on the House Education Committee killed a slate of Democratic (HB 1607, HB 1638, HB 1090, and HB 1576) attempts repeal the Republican ban on free speech in our public schools. After the vote, Deputy Ranking Democrat on the House Education Committee, Rep. David Luneau (D-Hopkinton) released the following statement:
“Today, Republicans once again doubled down to prevent honest instruction about race, sex, gender, and yes, literal historical fact to students in public schools, while allowing private and religious schools funded by taxpayer dollars to teach without this draconian restriction.
It’s simple – Gov. Sununu and Republicans are intent on systematically dismantling public schools. Public schools are at the heart of our communities, and students in New Hampshire's public schools perform among the best in the country. This censorship forces teachers to worry about avoiding certain broad curricular topics at the risk of steep penalties to their professional careers. Censoring our teachers is a threat to Democracy, harms our education workforce, and damages our state’s future.”