Rock Island Today

State Senator Neil Anderson (R-Andalusia) is advocating for increased transparency in education with the introduction of Senate Bill 2772, which aims to enhance parental awareness of classroom materials and curriculum details by mandating schools to publish this information on district websites.

Speaking about the importance of parental involvement in education, Senator Anderson emphasized, "Parents should know what their children are being taught in school, so they can serve as an active participant in their child’s education. Imagine, as a parent, knowing that your sixth grader is going to be learning about rocket ships and being able to really talk to them about it because you’ve seen their course materials."

The proposed legislation would necessitate school boards to compile a comprehensive list of learning materials and activities scheduled for each school year, making it accessible on the district’s website. Senator Anderson presented the bill during a Capitol press conference, highlighting the dedication of teachers in developing educational curricula for students.

"Every year teachers throughout the state put a huge amount of time and effort into building out the curriculum they will use to educate our kids," remarked Senator Anderson. "Because so much of what our children are taught is planned months in advance, it should be easy to make that curriculum available to parents."

If passed, Senate Bill 2772 would mandate school boards to update the information on their websites by January 1 and August 1 of each school year. Furthermore, the disclosed material must remain publicly available until the subsequent report for the year is finalized and posted.