NH Republicans give parents the ability to screw up public schools.

If you ever had any doubts Republicans are out to destroy public schools, like an aggressive cancer, this will convince you. I thought unaccountable taxpayer dollars going to voucher schools was irresponsible, as suggested by Gov. Scott Walker, but you should see this.

In New Hampshire-- if you don’t like what your kid is learning about-- just pull them out of class. A contributor for Sea Coast Online says New Hampshire House Bill 542 gives parents quote “unprecedented powers” over their children’s education.

“...Specifically, the law (a) allows parents to file an objection to any course material, (b) requires a school district to devise an alternative acceptable to the parent, and (c) the alternative must enable the child to still meet state requirements for education in the particular subject area of the objection.”

The bill originally passed through the legislature last year-- but democratic Governor John Lynch vetoed the measure. Lawmakers recently overrode that veto. 

Breathtaking, absolutely. Is there one conservative voter out there who thinks the following is a good idea?

A reporter for Russia Today says-- this bill really blurs that distinction.

“New Hampshire’s government is totally okay with parents picking and choosing their child’s courses and putting them together like a Lego set. And then placing the own-ness on the school to bend for their every whim.”

And The New York Times highlights another concern of those who oppose the measure.

“Should parents who are members of the Ku Klux Klan be allowed to create a special public school curriculum for their child that suggests that extension of voting rights to black Americans was a mistake?”

Just as bad, public schools must keep parental objections confidential. According the law:

The name of the parent or legal guardian and any specific reasons disclosed to school officials for the objection to the material shall not be public information and shall be excluded from access under RSA 91-A.

Even worse:

The original bill was even broader, saying districts could not "compel a parent to send his child to any school or program to which he may be conscientiously opposed." "Parents love their children ... and they have real big issues with the current curriculum that has been shoved down their throat in some instances," says state Rep. JR Hoell (R), who sponsored the bill, HB 542. Representative Hoell and his wife homeschool their children.

What could go wrong?

The tea party and Free-Staters in the New Hampshire Legislature were so intent on destroying public education in the state in order to replace it with private schools and home schooling, that they pushed through a poorly thought-out bill (HB 542) … As stated by Bill Duncan in the Portsmouth Herald, a teacher at a committee meeting on the bill said members "specifically mentioned Everyday Math. They did not like Everyday Math, because parents didn't understand it."

I'll be honest, I never saw something this crazy coming. Good luck with that NH. Here's Newsy with the story: