23/05/2026
During the Education and Workforce Committee markup today, I proposed an amendment to the CHARLIE Act, ensuring that the censorship bill could not be used to prevent the teaching of the horrors of slavery in American classrooms.
The concern with this bill is that it's broad and politically charged. Language may create confusion for schools and teachers. We have been warned that this bill may limit what history can be taught in classrooms and may influence local decisions about instructional materials and teacher preparation because schools do not want to risk federal funding.
As a retired educator for 40 years, I know what happens when politicians write vague restrictions and teachers are left to interpret them. We should not put teachers in a position where they have to wonder whether an honest lesson about slavery, Jim crow segregation, redlining, or the civil rights movement could be labeled political or divisive.
This amendment does not require any school to adopt a particular curriculum. It does not tell states or local districts how to teach. It does not force one political viewpoint into the classroom. It simply says that that nothing in this bill, nothing in this bill, should be used to stop schools from teaching the horrors of slavery in American history.
Republican committee members opposed this amendment, and without it, I opposed the CHARLIE Act.