Editor, News-Register:

West Virginia lawmakers: you must stop trying to legislate morality. You are setting a dangerous precedent if law is made of HB 4011, on “Divisive Acts.”

No, wait — not a precedent: we’ve already seen how these mandates turn out, being ourselves educated in the history that you are so blatantly threatening. We, the people, “in order to form a more perfect union” (borrowing from a rather important document), have the privilege of deciding what’s right and wrong — for ourselves and for the children we care about.

Your intent, in HB 4011, is certainly laudable — to prevent “assigning fault, blame, or bias to a race or sex …” This makes sense in the workplace, but in education, this wisdom should be part of the solution, not the problem. We must beware of blanket statements, ones made “to prohibit the teaching of ‘divisive acts’ in West Virginia.” How do kids understand the meaning of “divisive acts” if one is never taught about “divisive acts” historically? Our educators deserve to use our training and expertise, and our own chains of command, just as you use yours, to share the wisdom we practice on, every day. We deserve to share the love we have for unfettered academics. Our West Virginia kids deserve nothing less than being allowed to use an open mind; it is the only thing that keeps healthy the love of knowledge.

When you begin to legislate “divisive” materials you are coming very close to violating the tenant of separation of church and state. Individuals, and especially lawmakers, have no right to insist upon being the judge of our consciences. Even the church has laws against that.

Please continue to do the good jobs you have been duly elected to do, as we need professionals who respect and uphold one another, for the success of all.

Tracy Mosca, NBCT

Bridgeport, OH