Over the past few months, the Montana Board of Public Education has been bogged down in a seemingly endless stream of regulatory rewrites that affect nearly every nook and cranny of the state’s K-12 public education system. The latest action on that front took place on Thursday, when board members advanced a revised set of standards for the Educator Readiness Program proposed by Superintendent Elsie Arntzen.

Arntzen’s proposed changes to these standards received more than 60 public comments last month. The Board carefully selected each comment to refine and improve his regulatory language, which, once adopted, is valid for the next ten years. Many of these comments were intended to correct technical issues in nature (for example, the names of certain national associations and accreditation councils), but Board reviews have We are also stepping into heavily politicized territory.

At some point in the revised rules, Arnzen had suggested removing references to “social-emotional learning.” This is one of a growing list of academic terms targeted by national conservative groups critical of the public education system. Board member Madalyn Quinlan noted that references to social-emotional learning are “all over” on the Department of Public Education’s website and are “commonly used terms” for professional educators. Tim Tharp, one of Republican Governor Greg Gianforte’s recent additions to the board, agreed with Quinlan’s response.

“For years I wore this bracelet with a suicide prevention hotline number on it, but my brother died by suicide. , know that schoolwork will never progress unless social and emotional needs are met first.”

Amanda Curtis, president of the Montana Civil Service Federation, also urged the board to reinsert the term during public comment, stating that while the term may be politicized, “You are now in the public education room.” I have a chance to grow up in the future,” he said.

The Board unanimously voted to reinsert references to social-emotional learning throughout the amendment.

Thursday’s public comment review focused solely on proposed changes to Chapter 58, one of the three sections of the Administrative Regulations that the OPI and Board are in various stages of revision this year. Before working on Chapter 58, the Board spent several hours discussing a similar mass rewrite to Chapter 55, the body of regulations governing the quality standards of Montana’s public schools. These changes, which are set for public comment on Oct. 7, sparked controversy over her Arntzen proposal to abolish the existing student-base ratio of her counselors and librarians. Earlier this summer, the board also adopted changes to Chapter 57 (which includes Montana’s regulations regarding teacher licensing). Proponents claimed it would enhance educator recruitment and retention, while critics feared it would undermine the quality of Montana’s educators.

The debate over social-emotional learning was the same board discussion earlier in the day that reignited an earlier debate that suggested adding the word “fair” to Montana’s code of ethics for educators. . The proposal sparked backlash last spring from both Arnzen and Gianforte over the perception that “fairness” was tied to the political agenda, ultimately leading to the proposal’s demise. Board chair Tammy Lacey lamented on Thursday that the Code remains unable to include equity, noting that it has a very specific definition in the educational community.

In addition to reinstating social emotes in Chapter 58, the Board systematically reinserted references to childhood trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and trauma-based classroom operations. Arntzen’s proposed amendments removed such references from the section outlining what Montana expects in the education and training of early childhood and middle school educators, but the Board of Public Education’s Licensing Commission More than 20 commenters, including one, called for the language to be reverted.

“Much of my professional development over the past five years has focused on this topic,” Jenny Marnan Butcher, a teacher at East Helena, told the Board of Directors regarding adverse childhood experiences. “This was something I didn’t get in the teacher preparation program, and it was really valuable when heading into the classroom. I was expected to figure it out.”

The proposed amendments to Section 58 will be updated to reflect changes prompted by public comment. The Board’s current timeline calls for full adoption of the new rules early next year.

Montana Free Press is a non-profit newsroom based in Helena. Click here to read the first published article.