Who controls our classrooms? #SRLShorts

Schools have become flashpoints for America’s political debates– with teachers and students caught in the middle. Lawmakers have proposed more than 200 bills that would restrict or change the way teachers talk about race, American history, gender and sexuality, limit students’ access to books, or increase parents’ rights over their children’s education. According to the Washington Post, 64 of these bills have been signed into law across 25 states.

More than 1,600 books have been banned from schools, according to the free speech advocacy organization PEN America.

SRL wants to hear your experiences and opinions about what you learn and read at school.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Students will create short, vertical videos (10-30 seconds). They can film either themselves or interview fellow peers. As well as research and explain some laws!

We aim to publish the responses on our TikTok and Instagram!

This will be a recurring monthly challenge in which students will submit rapid response type answers to questions. The theme changes monthly for #SRLShorts.

We PRIMARILY are accepting videos in a VERTICAL format for social media. You can include horizontal but please film with enough space around your subject to allow for vertical cropping.

Please do not add music or text to your videos! :)

• Has your education been affected by a new state law, book ban, or local school board policy?
• If yes, explain it, and how this change affected you.
• Does it affect the way you can learn or express yourself?
• If you have not been affected by a new state law, book ban, or school board policy change, how do you feel about what is happening in other school districts?

Note: Please only send it your top 5 responses per class. Also, when answering, please include the question in your response. Example: What is your favorite color? My favorite color is blue.

• YOU MUST
  • Say and spell the full name of the person ON CAMERA
  • Say the name of the school, city, and state of the person appearing on camera in the video.
  • A release must be submitted for every student that appears on camera under the age of 18.

Failure to do so can result in your video not being used in the final product.

Using yourself on camera, describe the changes and how you feel. Are you in favor of these changes or against them?

You can interview fellow teens and ask them to explain how they feel about these changes and how the education system should serve students.

Choose a proposed bill, new law or policy, and discuss what you think are the benefits or drawbacks. Include whether you believe, as a student, that this is something that would help you in your learning.

For example:

• Florida’s: HB 1557- “...prohibits classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels; authorizes parents to bring action against school district to obtain declaratory judgment,”
  • Critics refer to it as Florida's “Don’t Say Gay” law
• Iowa’s: HF 802- “A law limiting the ways that teachers can discuss race and gender. A bill proposed in 2023 would mandate that the department of education create a website for students and parents to report violations (for a monetary award).”
  • Prohibit the use of curriculum that teaches the topics of sexism, slavery, racial oppression, racial segregation or racial discrimination, including topics relating to the enactment and enforcement of laws resulting in sexism, racial oppression, segregation, and discrimination.

How to record a video diary

RAPID RESPONSE CHECKLIST

These are the Social Media Guidelines

To Research Bills For Option 3:

Pending Civic Education Bills in states

School Lesson Plans (Missouri)

Idaho Governor Signs Bill To Ban Critical Race Theory In Schools

FAQ: Oklahoma’s so-called critical race theory ban

Indiana House advances bill that could out trans students

‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

SUBMIT HERE