Local lawmakers discuss upcoming legislative session with focus on education | News

Local lawmakers attending the forum were Reps. Ken Chestek, D-HD 13, and Trey Sherwood, D-HD 14. Also invited were Sens. Gary Crum, R-SD 10, and Chris Rothfuss, D-SD 9, and Rep. Karlee Provenza, D-HD 45, but they were unable to attend due to personal obligations.

The conversations covered a range of topics related to education finances; student safety, including concealed carry for K-12 and higher education campuses, and expulsion policies for possession of a deadly weapon; and the Homeschool Freedom Act.

Additional discussions focused on parental right policies, K-12 teacher certification requirements, impact of external cost adjustments, changes to the criteria for full-time student status, and proposals to ban cellphones in the classroom.

“I don’t think the concealed carry has been filed yet but it’s coming back, we know it’s coming back,” Chestek said. “Concealed carry in schools will only create more danger in schools. The obvious situation is an active shooter. There’s more guns, more bullets, more people getting hurt and most people in those rooms are the innocents, but that’s not what scares me the most.

“What scares me the most is somebody who loses control of their gun. There’s a fight and somebody loses their control and pulls the gun out or they misplace it. It’s stolen out of a locker or a teacher’s desk or left behind in the bathroom. Other states have had those situations.”

Sherwood agreed the legislation will return, likely accompanied by increased media attention and complexity. She emphasized the need for logical discussions about the negative impact on communities, stating that the issue is more about a strict interpretation of the Second Amendment rather than actual safety concerns.

Chestek continued: “The bill is driven by fear of gun lobbyists and the gun enthusiasts. They have to have guns with them all the time and they let you know that if you’re not with them they are going to come for you politically and that scares a lot of legislators. … The bill actually failed in the Senate committee last year because a bunch of [University of Wyoming] students showed up, and they were powerful, and they were passionate, and they convinced the judiciary committee in the Senate to kill the bill. But the gun owners waved the magic wand and brought it back from the dead, and they still passed it, against their own rules to pass the thing. So it’s coming, we need to be careful.”

“The conversation came up last night with the school district,” Sherwood said. “My understanding is that Superintendent [Dr. John Goldhart] was going to reach out to our Laramie Police Department Chief [Brian Browne] and get some numbers on per cost for security officers, what would be the cost of doing a metal detector, or what would be the cost of additional training?”

Chestek added: ‘I think the advocates for this bill are going to say, ‘What metal detectors? The whole point of concealed carry is to have a concealment. You can’t go through a metal detector or you’re not going to be concealing anymore.’ That’s going to be the argument.”

The representatives also touched on the implications of the proposed HB 46, “Homeschool Freedom Act,” which seeks to eliminate the requirement for curriculum submissions by homeschooling partners.

“We are going to find out how crazy the Wyoming Freedom Caucus really is pretty soon,” Chestek said. “They say ‘homeschools don’t need to have a curriculum,’ that is basically saying that we don’t believe in public education at all. We think public education is a waste of time. Parents just want to indoctrinate their kids into whatever they believe in, no curriculum required —that’s just insane.”

Bryon Lee, Laramie High School counselor, pointed out that since the COVID-19 pandemic, many families that are experiencing socioeconomic challenges are turning to homeschooling and some may be doing it for the stipend of up to $6,000 that comes with it.

James Learned, Whiting High School English language arts teacher, added: “That is already happening in states like Florida. … What you see is manipulations like teachers removing themselves from the public school arena, becoming homeschool teachers with their own children and almost doubling their own salaries because they can manipulate the system to get more money.

“On top of that you’ll see, ‘Well geez, we would sure like to go to Disneyland. So guess what? This is an educational field trip’ So it gets funded under that same umbrella. I think we are in a pivotal moment where other states have already suffered through this and there is a willful ignorance of what is actually happening.”

Christina Hutchison, Laramie High School teacher, noted that schools can be the one place where students feel safe, allowing potential abuse at home to be identified.

“It’s one thing to be 6 years old and hear your parents say how much they think you’re amazing, but I tell my 14-year-old and she says, ‘you’re just my mom.’” Hutchison said. “When I looked at a freshman I have and said ‘You’re awesome.’ She asked me what I mean, even saying, ‘Nobody’s ever told me that, outside of my family.’ … They never get to hear from somebody other than their family members how great they are, and maybe all their hearing is how terrible they are, and they’re not getting the mental health and the support that they need.”

Closely following discussion of the Homeschool Freedom Act were the potential parental rights bills that have emerged in previous years and are expected to make an appearance again this year.

“That’s a big catch phrase among some members of our Legislature,” Chestek said. “I tend to think that those bills come from a place of hostility toward teachers and therefore I oppose them whenever I can. I think schools need to be a safe place for students, and sometimes the school is a safer place than home is. If you know situations where the parental rights bills are going to cause harm to students, and therefore I personally oppose them.”

Sherwood also read a letter to the forum prepared by Provenza that stated: “In her perspective, these bills are designed to try and dismantle public trust in public education, and are not based on Wyoming’s reality or the real problems that we’re seeing. It is important that teachers and parents provide a narrative to the state of Wyoming, that they protect children and work together to ensure what is in the best interest of the children.

“The government should not be in the business of eroding protections for children. She continues to say bills that are aimed at parental rights generally work to erode the ability for teachers to help and mentor students, many of which desperately need guidance from safe adults who care for them because their families at home may not be that safe place for them.”

Learned expressed concern about the implications of a parental rights bill, describing it as a challenging dilemma for teachers who must navigate strict and vague guidelines. He noted that straying too far in either direction could lead to trouble, reflecting the confusing language of the legislation that complicates the roles of educators and administrators.

“There’s a lot that’s included in the parental rights statute that tries to pacify other concerns by making it look like it’s broader than it really is,” Learned said. “But I think at bottom, there’s still the coalition of folks that are concerned about kids and whether they think they’re one identity or another identity. Frankly, when my nephew told me he was a dinosaur, I met with it. But it’s really this, this specter of fear that we’re chasing.”

“One of the paragraphs in here says a person may be employed as an administrator, teacher or other personnel by a school district or charter school without holding a certificate or permit issued by the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board,” Gustafson said. “This is basically from what I’m reading, saying that anyone can teach a kid if they’re over 18 and pass a background check.”

Chestek shared in the skepticism about HB 100, “K-12 uncertified personnel,” suspecting the bill could be subject to legal challenges if passed. He suggested the bill seems to favor unqualified individuals in teaching positions, implying that qualifications are being viewed negatively.

Greg Herold, Wyoming Education Association Southeast Region UniServ director, noted that in the state there are 76 unfilled certified staff positions before asking, “Are we trying to solve a cultural problem that we are turning all kids into liberals or, pardon my bluntness, are we solving a financial issue?”

Throughout the forum, Chestek and Sherwood continued to ask anyone who had an opinion to come to the legislative meetings and share their perspectives.

“On the front porch, knocking doors in this community is an incredible experience, because our neighbors value education so much, and it was the number one thing I heard at the door,” Sherwood said. “No matter if it was county, city limits, I heard: ‘We value public education. We don’t want to see our public education systems cut.’ Even if the conversation is interesting with ‘Yeah, I’m annoyed my property taxes have gone up, but I don’t care, because I want my public schools to be doing well.’”