Idaho Republicans Push to Strip Public Health Officials' Power: We're 'Fearful of an Elitist Approach'

Republican state legislators in Idaho are supporting a new bill that would give elected school board members the power to decide whether schools stay open during a public health crisis.

Lawmakers debated the bill during a meeting of the state's Education Working Group on Monday. Most supported the bill during the meeting's vote, enabling it to proceed to political leaders in the Idaho House of Representatives, the state Senate and Governor Brad Little, according to Boise State Public Radio.

State Representative Ryan Kerby, a Republican, introduced the bill, which he said was aimed at creating a consistent message across the state at a time when there was "quite a difference of opinion" among local health districts about response strategies during the coronavirus pandemic. Kerby also drew a comparison between school board members and public health officials, the latter of whom are mostly appointed rather than elected.

"If people are not happy with a decision, generally speaking, in government, the people have recourse to change who's making the decisions, whether that's county commissioners or mayors or city officials or school boards," Kerby said. But in his own district, the people "have no recourse" if they disagree with a public health district's order, Kerby said.

The governor, the state Board of Education or individual school boards would be the only ones with the authority to decide whether schools stay open or close during public health crises, according to the bill. Kerby said those individuals with the power to make school closure decisions should still do so in consultation with public health officials.

State Senator Steven Thayn, a Republican, said he supported the bill, which he noted would give school districts greater flexibility in determining how to respond to a public health crisis like the coronavirus. "Listening to experts to set policy is an elitist approach. I'm very fearful of an elitist approach. I'm also fearful that it leads to totalitarianism, especially when you say, 'Well, we're doing it for the public good.'"

While Thayn said he believed public health experts should provide information without having the power to make policy decisions, state Representative Steve Berch, a Democrat, said the state should rely on public health officials in making policy decisions.

"We have to decide if we're going to in fact trust the people who have expertise in these particular areas," Berch said. "I understand that we have people who are elected to make decisions, but if there is an immediate threat to the public health and safety, it can't wait until the next election or a recall effort."

According to Boise State Public Radio, Little, a Republican, will make a decision next week about how the bill will proceed. Newsweek reached out to the governor's office for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

The Legislature's debate about school closure decisions comes in the wake of weeks of discussion about how and when schools should reopen this fall. While the federal government has encouraged all schools to reopen for in-person instruction, many school districts across the country have voiced hesitancy to do so because of high coronavirus infection rates in their areas. Some districts decided weeks ago to remain virtual for the first few months of the fall semester; others decided to try reopening with social distancing restrictions and mask mandates in place.

Thayn said the proposed bill would distance districts from one "standardized approach" and allow them to "control their own destiny."

"There's a lot of people that are willing to go back to school, willing to go back to work, and yet we're letting a few fearful people control lots of those of us that are not fearful," Thayn said.

"If we had the ability for families and teachers and students to go back to school that want to, and those that didn't want to go back to school not go back to school, we wouldn't be having a lot of these discussions," the senator said.