Idaho school districts handed control of climate change education

The 2014 Idaho teacher of the year is worried.

“Long term it sets us back decades, in my opinion, in teaching students 21st (century) science,” said Jamie Esler, a science teacher at Lake City High School.

Esler is talking about the decision by Idaho lawmakers to remove five sections dealing with climate change in the state science standards earlier this week. The removal of the standards means Idaho science teachers no longer have to teach those topics, said Coeur d’Alene School District Superintendent Matthew Handelman.

Instead, what is or what isn’t taught about climate change in Idaho schools will be left to individual districts and their school boards.

“Basically what they have done in their decision is handed the controversy over to the local level,” Handelman said. “It’s interesting because a lot of things aren’t left at the local level, but this one was.”

In Coeur d’Alene there are three options. The board of trustees can create a curriculum committee to review and decide whether climate change science should be taught in schools. That committee would be comprised of subject experts and community members. The trustees then would approve or deny implementing that curriculum.

Or the trustees could skip creating a committee and simply make the decision to maintain or exclude the five sections dealing with climate change.

The last option, Handelman said, is to deem anything related to climate change “controversial.” This means any teacher wishing to teach the subject would need to discuss it with their principal and get approval. It also means students can opt out of those lessons that deal with the “controversial” subject.

Although the trustees may make the final decision, that won’t happen unless a teacher or administrator requests the board to review the curriculum, said Casey Morrisroe, board chairman.

“It’s not that we wouldn’t take it on, it’s that it typically wouldn’t start with the board,” Morrisroe said.

He said that although he can’t speak for every trustee, he doesn’t think they will tackle the issue independent of a request from a teacher or administrator.

Choosing to teach beyond state standards is something the Coeur d’Alene district has done before, and recently. About two months ago the board adopted more stringent speech requirements for graduates than mandated by state regulations, Morrisroe said.

Although individual districts may choose to continue teaching climate change, Esler believes the change sends a problematic message to students.

“This sends an unhealthy, inconsistent message to our students about scientific consensus,” he said. “What we just communicated is that the way scientists come to conclusion about anything else is acceptable – unless you are talking about climate change.”

Understanding climate change is fundamental to preparing students to “participate in a global society,” he said.

Elser, who teaches AP environmental science, said the changes won’t impact him directly because the AP curriculum is different than the state standards. However, it could affect earth science students, some of whom potentially may come into his classes unprepared to discuss climate change.

Phil Harding, the Region 1 director for the Idaho Education Association, which includes the Coeur d’Alene area, said he’d hoped the lawmakers would listen to experts instead of making it a political decision.

“It’s always a political process, so I get that,” he said. “But in these instances I’m always hopeful they listen to experts.”

Esler agrees.

“I just really wish this conversation would be about scientific fact,” he said, adding later, “I’m baffled. That’s my general emotion right now: I’m baffled.”