In hope to protect students nationwide against discrimination, a Colorado lawmaker introduced legislation Jan. 29 that would require public institutions of higher education to work toward ensuring students’ rights and allowing students to challenge any bias they encounter because of their political beliefs, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The legislation, proposed by Colorado State Rep. Shawn Mitchell, is scheduled for a hearing with the Education Committee Feb. 18 to further discuss the bill and what it entails.
According to the Coloradoan Online, the bill, if passed, would give students the right to academic freedom in the classroom and protect them from professors and instructors who may be hostile to those students with certain political or religious views.
Also, the bill enforces the idea that a student’s belief has nothing to do with that student’s grade in the class, and grades should be based solely on the student’s knowledge of the subject matter.
Lastly, the legislation would give students the right to be completely aware of the process of protecting students’ rights and the accompanying consequences if discrimination did occur, by including the information in course catalogs or student handbooks.
According to Mitchell, this bill is important because it allows students to feel free to speak their minds without worrying about being penalized for their political beliefs.
“The bill will level the playing field for students,” Mitchell said. “It is not about conservative or liberal politics, but about allowing voices to be heard.”
The proposed legislation is a result of national and local publicity of students being mistreated and graded down for their beliefs, according to Mitchell.
Many universities and colleges already have existing bills of students’ rights, and some say that proposing this legislation is unnecessary.
Jonathan Knight, director of American Association of University Professors, said that although he feels freedom should be protected, he does not feel that this legislation would be doing that.
According to Knight, the idea of academic freedom in higher education is already well-established.
“This piece of legislation is based on the premise that this is a new idea, and it’s not,” he said. “I think it is a badly framed piece of legislation.”
This bill, if passed, would amend Colorado’s existing ‘bill of rights’ for students by not only informing students on their administrative rights, but also by informing students on their rights against discrimination, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
“This legislation will not be policed by the state but enforced by schools themselves,” Mitchell said. “There are cases where professors cross the line and grade down or mistreat their students. I hope this legislation will raise awareness.”