Keep Iowa schools safe and supportive

I moved to Iowa 27 years ago to begin my teaching career. I’ve been proud to be an educator in Iowa and appreciate the quality education and the amazing support the teachers in the Marion Independent School District gave my children.

My main job as a teacher is to help kids be the best they can be, and to keep them safe while they are in my care. As a mom, that’s what I expected from the school and teachers, to help my children learn and to protect them from harm. However, the “Don’t Say Gay,” “Forced Outing” and “Book Ban” bills do exactly the opposite of what teachers are tasked to do. These bills will keep students from learning about the world by limiting information that should be accessible to them. How can you be a well-informed citizen if knowledge is kept from you? These bills will create tension and mistrust in the classroom. How can teachers build trust and form positive relationships if students are in constant fear of being outed or cannot be their true selves?

Teachers know that a safe and supportive classroom leads to increased learning, because relationships are the foundation of a quality education. These pieces of legislation will erode that foundation and will lead to lower student achievement.

Gretchen Lawyer

Cedar Rapids

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