Nevada homeschoolers outraged by bill requiring multicultural education

CARSON CITY, Nev. (KRNV) — Parents of homeschooled students in Nevada are rallying together to oppose a new bill that would require them to teach multicultural education and financial literacy.

As of Tuesday, over 600 people opposed Assembly Bill 19 after the Nevada Homeschool Network took to social media to urge its members to oppose the 'attack.' It is the bill with the most comments so far in the 81st legislative session.

AB19, sponsored by the Nevada Department of Education, would change the topics that parents are required to teach to their homeschooled children.

Current law requires them to teach English, math, science and social studies, including history, geography, economics and government. This bill would replace government with 'civics' and also require that multicultural education and financial literacy be taught.

The Nevada Homeschool Network warned its members that the bill is a 'fresh attack on your right to teach children as you see fit.'

"(AB19) seeks to FORCE you to teach your children multiculturalism, among other changes. We have fought hard for the homeschooling freedoms we have, but the fight is not over," the Facebook post says.

"Some people say 'No, we don't even know what that means. We don't want to be mandated to teach it. Look at how it could go wrong,'" said Elissa Wahl, chair of the Nevada Homeschoolers Network.

Next year it might be sex education. The year after that it might be who knows what. So our premise is really ... we don't want them to include the newest and trendiest topics and open up our laws and try to make us mirror public schools.

News 4-Fox 11 reached out to the Nevada Department of Education for comment on the bill but we haven't received a response.

The bill was introduced on Feb. 1 and referred to the Assembly Education committee, but hasn't yet been scheduled for a hearing.