April 12, 2023 4:30 a.m.

On Tuesday, the Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 409 which advocates say brings greater curriculum transparency to Oregon.

A release from Senator Kim Thatcher, a Republican of Keizer, said the bill, which passed with bipartisan support, promotes student success by empowering parents with the knowledge of what their kids are learning in their classroom and aims to improve communications and trust between parents and teachers.

The bill requires school boards to post a link to the Department of Education’s website, which parents can click to see the list of textbooks and other instructional materials adopted by the State Board of Education.

Suzanne Weber, a Republican of Tillamook, said, “We know that parental involvement is the key to student well-being and success”. Weber is a co-sponsor of the bill and vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Education. She said, “By empowering parents with the knowledge of what their children are being taught, we are better positioning them to be able to help their children learn essential skills like reading, writing and math”.

Thatcher, a co-chief sponsor of the legislation said, “SB 409 is a step in the right direction for Oregon’s kids and parents. But we are not done yet. In the spirit of this legislation, it is my hope that school districts will voluntarily post their own specific curriculum on their websites”.

SB 409 is now headed to the Oregon House of Representatives for consideration.