History bill serves as a distraction, causes confusion

First, state lawmakers wanted to make sure teachers understood what they were NOT allowed to teach; now they are introducing the bits they do want teachers to include, despite repeated insistence they are not serving their own personal agendas by doing so. Ohio educators at all levels have responded with such fear to what is being called the "anti-DEI law," that institutions such as Ohio State University are reportedly even banning some statements that acknowledge lands historically occupied by Native Americans. The university is asking its educators not to present FACTS to its students. In a state with a history as rich as Ohio's, that is lunacy. On the other side of that coin, Ohio House Bill 486 would "permit teachers in public schools and state institutions of higher education to provide instruction on the influence of Christianity on history and culture." To make one thing perfectly clear, most teachers are already doing that, when it is appropriate. But mind-bogglingly, state Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery, a former pastor and one of the primary sponsors of the legislation, says it "removes the invisible shackles that often hinder full transparency and teaching of American history." Yes, of course, teachers should feel free to teach ALL of American history. How wonderful it would be if that was the case. In this political environment, teachers are probably LEAST afraid to discuss the contributions of Christianity to our development as a country. Surely Click knows that. One wonders, if we're going to talk about the religious/spiritual components to our country's history, whether Click and his fellow bill sponsors are ready to teach students about the Deist/Enlightenment ideals that contributed to the writing of our founding documents, or the contributions of Jews, Muslims, and practitioners of other faiths to our progress. (Even some of those native traditions and belief systems, for example.) Sponsors of HB 486 make no attempt to hide that they believe we are who we are as a country because they say our values are European or "the modern West," and flow "directly from the Christian worldview," as Rep. Michael Dovilla, R-Berea, put it in a report by Cleveland.com. How are students supposed to absorb that kind of talk in a classroom where, presumably, some lawmakers are also hoping the First Amendment will be prominently posted? Will teachers be reported for giving honest answers when smart students inevitably question such a contradiction? These may be purely hypothetical questions, if intelligent, responsible lawmakers dismiss this and similar bills in favor of focusing on what really matters to Ohioans. If they do their job for us, these and other sociocultural distractions won't have a prayer. Ohio has more pressing issues than getting bogged down on such matters.