Bill would write Ayn Rand into curriculum
Students in Idaho would have to pass a test on "Atlas Shrugged" to graduate high school
Topics: Idaho, Atlas Shrugged, Republicans, Ayn Rand, Education, Editor's Picks, Politics News
A Republican state senator in Idaho introduced a bill on Tuesday that would force students to read and pass a test on Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” in order to graduate from high school, though he said he did it to make a point and doesn’t intend to push forward with the legislation.
From the Idaho Spokesman-Review:
[Sen. John Goedde] said he doesn’t plan to press forward with the bill, but it was formally introduced in his committee Tuesday on a voice vote. He said he was sending a message to the State Board of Education, because he’s unhappy with its recent move to repeal a rule requiring two online courses to graduate from high school, and with its decision to back off on another planned rule regarding principal evaluations.
“It was a shot over their bow just to let them know that there’s another way to adopt high school graduation requirements,” Goedde said after the meeting. “I don’t intend to schedule a hearing on it.”
Goedde, who chairs the Idaho Senate’s Education Committee, explained that he chose that particular book because it “made my son a Republican,” though he later added: “Well, he’s not a practicing Republican. But it certainly made him a conservative.”
Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com. More Jillian Rayfield.
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