The strict curriculum and rigid testing schedule provides little room for teachers to allocate time to discussion. These types of situations should be acted on by all means. Often, during this process, teachers can learn as much as their pupils! Beth Blok is the Viking Vision Advisor. 1. If the class cant offer an alternative view on a political issue, a teacher can play devil's advocate to raise potential counterpoints. and 100s of thousands of schools use this site for learning purposes, and most of U.S. schools do not let their students talk about politics due to the following, physical fights, cyber bullying, bully, suicidal actions. Most can and will be taught in a balanced manner for pupils of all ages. Identifying political issues in teaching when planning a curriculum or specific lessons, will help ensure these are taught effectively and appropriately. Understanding where views and opinions go further than this and where the legal duties on political impartiality may be relevant, is an important part of doing this effectively. I know all of you would reject teaching African Aninism in a science class, so why would you want to teach Intelligent Design? So though some teachers may have once advocated airing their political opinions, today its not only controversial, its potentially career-ending. Schools should take steps, where necessary and proportionate, to rectify any breaches of these legal duties on impartiality that are brought to their attention. . Most schools will already have policies and advice in place to protect staff and pupils from these risks, and it is important these are applied with sensitivity to political activity. A Look Into the 2022-2023 Mock Trial Club, Oakdale Brings Back Annual Teachers Vs. Staff Volleyball Tournament, How The 2022 Midterm Election Could Shape The Future, Kanye Dropped by Partners After Anti-Semetic Tweets, Oakdale High School Welcomes Mr.Copenhaver, The James Webb Telescope Expands Horizons, The Fall Play Returns to Oakdale High School After 8 Years, The Cabaret: The Biggest Performance of the Year for the AFA, OHS Wants to Serve Those Who Have Served Us, Oakdale Bears Beat Undefeated Urbana Hawks in Homecoming Game, 28-26, The Student News Site of Oakdale High School and its community, Shreeya Agarwal & Elissa Dallimore, Writer. Meeting the legal duties on political impartiality is possible with reasonable and proportionate steps. We are clear that this guidance does not seek to limit the range of political issues and viewpoints schools can and do teach about. Current FCPS regulations in regards to political discussion mandate that an educator may not impose their political views unto a student, or exploit them by means of required political materials or activities. They are illustrative and not intended to be prescriptive guidance on which political issues schools should teach or specify set actions all schools must take. Not everyone sees eye to eye on things. However, there are limits to the discussions. From the classroom to the polling booth, all the way to The House of Commons. The school invites an external speaker to attend and use their personal experience to explain the dangers and impact of racist and discriminatory behaviour. However, some issues are clearly political, such as those relating to ongoing government activity or on which the main political parties have different views. Some may consider this to be unnecessary since we are only teenagers in high school and shouldnt be so wrapped up in; it isnt something we can really even control or really even have a say in. Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment. All the Yes points: Young people need a better understanding of Politics An informed electorate is the key to a strong democracy. They should also take steps to ensure all pupils are exposed to a diverse range of views in both the curriculum and wider school activity. When considering working with external agencies, either to support the delivery of the curriculum or extra-curricular, schools should thoroughly assess external agencies before agreeing to any work with them. The decisions made by our government deserve to be addressed amongst the nations youth. Political issues are likely to be raised outside of planned teaching and activities, mainly when pupils raise these themselves or ask and comment about live political issues. Where judged to be necessary and helpful, they may wish to arrange training on political impartiality for teachers and staff. Teachers and staff should interpret schools legal duties relating to balance, using their reasonable judgement. It's illegal to teach LGBT issues in Hungarian schools. These debates, however, should only voice the sociopolitical opinions of students and not teachers. Something that eventually we would have to do and it would impact us greatly by teaching us the thing every adult should do. If they were to take it as an upperclassmen, then that would lead to more political discussion, explains social studies teacher Ms. Pam Briggs. Schools and other specified authorities are also subject to the Prevent duty under Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. Tyler, The Creator Albums Ranked Worst to Best, The Horrifying Truth About School Shootings, Social Media and Its Impact on Politics and Extremism, An In-Depth Look at Brandon Sandersons The Way of Kings, Your email address will not be published. Schools should consider the likelihood of this happening when deciding whether to permit certain pupil-led activities. This should be done in line with this guidance and requirements on impartiality. For some teachers, rejecting some form of political discussion is nearly impossible. Where an external speaker has expressed partisan political views or failed to provide a balanced account of a political issue, and this is not made clear to pupils, teachers should use their judgement to determine what reasonable and proportionate steps should be taken to ensure that this is rectified. The promotion of partisan political views might be through overtly inappropriate conduct by teachers and staff such as encouraging pupils to support a particular political party or candidate in an election. Required fields are marked *, Kylie Dawn | Feb 25, 2021 at 1:18 pm. They can and should be clear with pupils on the dangers of present-day sexist views and practices, including the facts and laws about discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Check benefits and financial support you can get, Limits on energy prices: Energy Price Guarantee, Role of local authorities, school proprietors, academy trusts and headteachers, nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3, Schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, barring unsuitable individuals from managing independent schools, pre-election guidance for schools and multi-academy trusts, academy trusts (including senior managers and academy trustees), headteachers and executive leaders (for maintained schools and academies), to ensure political impartiality as part of a schools existing processes, teachers and staff can best be supported in this area through training or other means, must prohibit the promotion of partisan political views, should take steps to ensure the balanced presentation of opposing views on political issues when they are brought to the attention of pupils, Equality Act 2010 (including the Public Sector Equality Duty for state-funded schools), mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, meaningful political balance across the whole curriculum and during pupils time at school can be achieved, to ensure pupils are taught about a diverse range of views and ideas, reviewed and agreed in advance of any session, aligned to the developmental stage of pupils, promoting the adoption of non-democratic political systems rather than those based on democracy, for any purpose, a publicly stated desire to abolish democracy, to end free and fair elections, or violently overthrow capitalism, opposition to the right of freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of assembly or freedom of religion and conscience, engaging in or encouraging active or persistent harassment or intimidation of individuals in support of their cause, the use or endorsement of racist language or communications, including antisemitic, promoting divisive narratives that seek to justify serious criminal activity, including violent action against people, criminal damage to property, hate crime or terrorism, selecting and presenting information, in a biased or unbalanced manner, to make unsubstantiated accusations against state institutions to justify serious criminal activity, including violent action against people, criminal damage to property, hate crime or terrorism, the encouragement or endorsement of serious criminal activity, including where organisations fail to condemn criminal actions that have been committed in their name or in support of their cause, including violent action against people, criminal damage to property, hate crime or terrorism, explaining the different partisan political views campaigning groups advocate, telling pupils where they can find out more about this, providing a balanced account of political issues related to the environment, is not targeted at specific groups of pupils or staff, does not create an atmosphere of intimidation or fear for other pupils and staff, avoids pupils feeling that they would be stigmatised for holding or sharing alternative views, is conducted in line with the schools behaviour policy, avoiding disruption for other pupils and staff, school trusts (including senior managers and academy trustees), headteachers, in the case of maintained schools and academies. Legal duties on political impartiality should not impede methods of teaching that involve pupils adopting and arguing in favour, or against, partisan political views, such as mock and parallel elections or debates, hustings events or visits from local candidates or political party representatives. now that may seem like im lying, . Teachers and staff may at times need to explain to pupils why this is important, particularly in a democratic state. This means encouraging their support for, or the adoption of, these views. Teachers and staff are in a position of authority and will typically be respected and trusted by the pupils they teach, giving their personal opinions greater weight and credibility. For example, there is no need to present views which are not relevant or apply the same principles described here when teaching about topics that are not political issues. Uncategorized. We can tolerate one another in ways where we dont feel judged. Some political issues will be more sensitive than others. However, on closer inspection, it does not provide a balanced account of the conflict. That is why Im pleased this government is publishing clear guidance explaining schools existing legal duties on political impartiality. See the section on sensitive political issues for more information. This makes it a great political discussion for students. Hess: You're absolutely right, there are a number of schools that encourage students to get involved in political campaigns, but they tend to be political campaigns that really aren't very. Teachers shouldn't promote their own political agenda It's important to note that sections 406 and 407 of the 1996 Education Act prohibit the promotion of partisan political views in schools. Teachers are not required to present these discriminatory beliefs uncritically or as acceptable in our society today. The general premise of this ruling has subsequently been followed by numerous school districts. For example, a teacher may wear a pin advocating for a candidate within a teachers lounge, but not in their classroom. And with social media, we engage with politics more regularly than ever. Especially with increasing coverage in the media. Although some people are fine with having friends of opposite views on politics, this isnt the case for everyone as some people have lost friends because of what party they are affiliated with. Schools should also continue to reinforce important shared principles that underpin our society, whether that be upholding democratic rights or more generally promoting respect and tolerance. We expect all parties to be open to engaging in constructive dialogue and reaching an agreement on a way forward. Examples include a belief in upholding certain rights, such as freedom of speech and protection from violence and criminal activity - or challenging discrimination and prejudice, including racism. This is due to both the biased representation of evidence and the overt promotion of partisan political views in support of free-market economic reforms, such as privatisation and deregulation. Teachers and staff can continue to discuss political issues, including political parties, movements, and protests, that may be relevant to pupils. Children are the future We are talking about the beginning of life, not of spirit. This guidance explains the existing legal requirements relating to political impartiality in schools. Pupils arrive at Clyde Primary School in Glasgow on February 22 (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Delaying the age children start school till seven will help give youngsters a . News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. This will allow other schools to be alert to these risks and consider carefully whether they wish to work with the agency in question. The classroom has not become immune to this tumult of political activity and discourse, instead one could say it has become one of many places that has felt the impact most heavily. It is important for our students to understand how critical, democratic political debates work. Despite gaining assurances from the organisation before the session that they would present a balanced account, during the session it becomes clear that this is not the case. If this happens it is important that concerns from parents, carers and others are treated seriously and handled with sensitivity. Web Design? She has proposed adjusting the current schedule to move American Studies to ninth grade, Government to tenth grade, and World History to eleventh grade. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. Pros Cons Without prior tutelage in critical thinking skills, students are not equipped to identify presuppositions and fallacies that are presented by teachers. I have noticed a lack of political education in public schools and personally, that bothers me. Inicio. However, it is never appropriate for teachers and staff to promote their own partisan political views to pupils or encourage them to engage in specific political activity or join specific partisan groups. 78.3% of those who were surveyed stated the discussion of politics is absolutely necessary in a school environment. About the Contributors Vianca Malave, Reporter Travis Rother, a civics teacher at Chanhassen High School in Minnesota . The Line will donate a portion of every Line subscription to charity. Whether or not your kids do debating with other students in school, it is always a great idea to practise these kind of arguments at home with the family as well! The abundance of social studies classes at Oakdale effectively serves this purpose, from basic history classes like World History, to classes that focus on specific components of those classes, such as World Religions. For example, we know that climate change is scientifically proven. The students should a . Politics is a major part of the lives of our students. The need to cover political issues in more depth, including ideas which are particularly challenging and controversial, is likely to increase as pupils progress to more advanced levels of study. Where partisan political views are relevant, schools should take practical steps to ensure they are not promoted to pupils and that pupils still receive a balanced account of the political issues in question. During periods of heightened political activity and sensitivity, including around elections or in the aftermath of significant political events, staff should be mindful to avoid activity within the school that could be construed as promoting a particular partisan view. However, a science or mathematics class does not have many justifiable reasons that politics, especially politics of the partisan variety, should be discussed or debated. In 2014, the Liberal Democrat politician, David Laws, even suggested that . True or False? We do not consider principles or views in line with these tenets to be covered by statutory requirements on political impartiality. Our speech is political because it is the speech of God's new creation. Even within the curriculum, students are taught to memorize the facts rather than taught to think for themselves about the world context of these facts. These classes can quickly become situated around the professor's extensive knowledge of such politics they are, after all, the ones giving us the final grade. But that shouldnt stop us allowing our kids to involve themselves in healthy political debate. However, it is particularly important for local authorities, school proprietors and headteachers to make sure these legal duties are being met and consider what steps can be taken across their schools to ensure political impartiality in teaching. And if a parent or a person of authority discovers you expressing them in the classroom, it can lead to serious problems. Rather a school environment, if utilized properly, can become one of many mediums in which a student is given the ability to define his/her own political identity. School leaders, staff and teachers will need to use their discretion to make sensible decisions on how best to apply the advice in this section. For maintained schools, there is a direct prohibition on the pursuit of partisan political activity by junior pupils (meaning those under the age of 12) within the school and in any activities outside school involving staff members or anyone acting on behalf of the school. On both of these topics, encouraging students to create and engage in opposing campaigns, and then debating them with each other can give them a solid grounding for how democratic debates work. Legal duties on political impartiality ultimately help schools command the confidence of our whole diverse and multi-opinioned society. The report states that participants "highlighted the persistent limitations and barriers they are facing, such as a sense of under-representation a lack of opportunities, and the feeling that the current political system is not designed to encourage and facilitate young women's involvement". I understand that it can be Religion or Politics! 'I believe that politics should be a part of the school curriculum because it is a pinnacle subject of everyday life and should be a necessity to be taught in depth how politics works and how politician's parties function. Pupils must understand that these are contested views and still receive a balanced account of the political issue in question. Learn about community . Additionally, the home environment has a massive influence on a students viewpoints. The following descriptions of some key terms from the legislation may be helpful in supporting this. The term balanced presentation of opposing views, does not mean that pupils must be taught about an opposite view to every view which is covered, or that different views are always given equal time in teaching or cannot be critically assessed. But before you speak about your feelings and argue with people about it, understand that people might not think the same way as you. Teachers can intervene during a session, and in extreme cases stop a speaker. Politics This is Why Politics Should Stay Out of the Classroom It has divided our country. Schools need to prepare students for political engagement in a nonpartisan way, even though the "real world" of politics is increasingly partisan and polarized. Even though politics can be described by children (and some adults) as boring and confusing, it is a fundamental part of the British society we live in. Yes, school is meant to be a community for learning, but we need to make it a safe space for all. In line with the guidance on sensitive political issues, a distinction should be drawn between basic shared principles, such as tolerance and opposition to discrimination and prejudice, and contested partisan political views. Schools should be careful to ensure that those that do are not promoting these views to the pupils they are working with or trying to engage them in political activity. The general premise of this ruling has subsequently been followed by numerous school districts. And the Race to the Top program of the Obama administration has significantly affected spending priorities, teaching and learning in public schools. Share Your Strategy With Parents Political issues are a hot button for most people especially in today's environment. Spring Term 2022 key dates for Primary, Secondary and SEND Schools. Students are political. It is also important to remember that nothing in this guidance limits schools freedom to teach about sensitive, challenging, and controversial political issues, as they consider appropriate and necessary. 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