Across the country, the Republican Party is seeing the tides shifting where public education is concerned. Missteps and overreaches by public school systems, teacher unions, and Democrats have angered parents to the point that it helped flip Virginia to the GOP back in November.

So it only makes sense that a Republican lawmaker in Oklahoma wants to ruin that by introducing mind-bogglingly dumb legislation.

Oklahoma Republican Senator Rob Standridge has introduced a bill that would allow people to sue teachers if they offer an opposing view from the religious beliefs held by students.

The proposed act, named the “Students’ Religious Belief Protection Act” means parents can demand the removal of any book with perceived anti-religious content from school. Subjects like LGBT+ issues, evolution, the big bang theory and even birth control could be off the table.

Teachers could be sued a minimum of $10,000 “per incident, per individual” and the fines would be paid “from personal resources” not from school funds, from other individuals or groups. If the teacher is unable to pay, they would be fired, under the legislation.

The act will be introduced into the Education Committee next week, but it doesn’t specify which religious beliefs will be used to prosecute offending teachers.

Rather than addressing real issues in our education system, Senator Standridge has decided that he wants to see the revival of the Scopes trial in new and exciting ways. He appears to be just fine, dare I say, canceling teachers who would bring up a view that is contrary to a student’s (or, more importantly, a student’s parents’) view. It’s incredibly irresponsible to attempt to scare teachers into behaving a certain way.

This isn’t a serious bill, mind you. It’s a messaging bill. Standridge will campaign on this and think nothing of it. It will get him points among his most fringe supporters. But the Republican Party as a whole suffers when these insane bills are put forward and get media attention.

It also reinforces the idea that the worst people to try and change education are the politicians who have no idea what actually happens in education. Banning opposing views is not the way the education system can or should work. But you know what will work? Transparency. Community involvement.

Here are seven easy suggestions for legislators and policymakers.

1. Write statutory requirements for lesson plans to be public. There are several stories that float around about teachers trying to be sneaky about what they’re implementing in the classroom. Make teachers post their lesson plans for all parents to see and if they are working on something not in the lesson plans, make it easier to call it out and challenge it.
2. Create a non-disruptive means of challenging and reviewing content parents have a concern with. Make it easier for parents to have a say, but without giving up total control of the classroom to parents. There has to be a balance, and neither side sees this yet.
3. Diminish the lobbying capacity of teacher unions. Reduce their influence by whatever means necessary. They are routinely the biggest obstacle to meaningful education reform.
4. Create a system of peer review that promotes diversity and makes meetings on the content public. If the system wishes to adopt something, make that process public so that any issues can be brought up, addressed, and managed. Stop silent curriculum and policy changes. Make everything transparent.
5. Clarify the difference between curriculum, content, and teaching methodology. Help people understand what they mean in education and make sure school boards make changes in these clear.
6. Push for standards-based grading. Make what kids are graded on more directly tied to what they are supposed to know and make it less subjective. Even non-core classes have education standards that guide what students should know and be able to do.
7. Open up more opportunities for school choice. If schools and systems want to pursue policies parents don’t like, give parents more freedom to choose to send their kids elsewhere.

Republicans have the momentum. They should really stop trying to ruin it.