Wyoming Civics Transparency Act Passes Wyoming Senate

A bill that would require Wyoming school districts to publish instructional materials used in classroom instruction has passed the Wyoming Senate on third and final reading by an 18-12 vote on Monday.

You can read Senate File 62 here. The Wyoming Civics Transparency Act would also require districts to to teach about the Declaration of Independence, and that Wyoming was then first jurisdiction in the United States to give women the right to vote in 1869. That was well before Wyoming became a state in 1889.

The bill would additionally mandate that schools teach:

(iii)  The history of slavery and race based discrimination, to include the end of slavery and efforts to end discrimination in accordance with the founding principles of the United States;

 (iv)  That it is wrong to be unfair to anyone or treat anyone differently due to their race or ethnicity.

Opponents of the legislation have argued that it creates a needless extra workload for Wyoming teachers without improving education in any meaningful way. Some have claimed it might drive qualified teachers to other states.

Supporters have argued that parents have a right to know what is going on in the classroom. Some supporters also see the legisation as a tool to keep Critical Race Theory out of Wyoming classrooms.

Here is how the Senate voted on Monday on the legislation:

Ayes: ANDERSON, BITEMAN, BOUCHARD, DOCKSTADER, DRISKILL, ELLIS, FRENCH, HICKS, HUTCHINGS, JAMES, KINSKEY, KOLB, MCKEOWN, NETHERCOTT, PERKINS, SALAZAR, SCOTT, STEINMETZ
Nays: BALDWIN, BONER, CASE, COOPER, FURPHY, GIERAU, KOST, LANDEN, PAPPAS, ROTHFUSS, SCHULER, WASSERBURGER

The bill now moves on to the Wyoming House of Representatives.