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Bill Would Require Elementary Schools To Teach Climate Change

Pragyan Bezbaruah from Pexels

A proposed bill in Connecticut would mandate instruction in climate change in public schools statewide, beginning in elementary school.

Connecticut already adopted science standards that call for teaching climate change, but if this bill passes it is believed it would make Connecticut the first state to write such a requirement into law.

State Representative Christine Palm of Chester proposed the bill. Palm said climate change should be taught from a young age so "there's no excuse for kids to grow up ignorant of what's at stake."

Some educators have questioned whether it's necessary in light of Connecticut's adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards in 2015. Those include climate change as a core aspect of science education beginning in middle school.

Cassandra Basler, a former senior editor at WSHU, came to the station by way of Columbia Journalism School in New York City. When she's not reporting on wealth and poverty, she's writing about food and family.