DENVER–The Colorado State Board of Education in August approved changes to the state’s academic science standards, bringing a more balanced approach to climate change learning in the classroom. The amended standards come after a lengthy debate concerning recommendations heavily biased against the use of fossil fuels as an energy source.
Academic standards get updated every six years, dictating how schools form their curriculums. The changes were approved on August 21 after the ten-member elected board shot down parts of the revisions made by Colorado Department of Education (CDE) staff directly linking fossil fuel burning to climate change, essentially pushing the teaching of climate issues in schools in an extremist direction.
The effort to incorporate climate alarmism into science classrooms was led by student groups such as Good Trouble Climate Network, whose members spoke at a board meeting during public comment in November of last year. CDE staff brought their recommended revisions to the December 2024 meeting, recommending eight changes to the standards, most of which highlighted the negative effects of fossil fuels and human activities on climate, and exploring ways to combat these factors.
One revision recommended for grades 6-8 recommends teachers “Ask questions to clarify evidence of how burning fossil fuels and other factors, release greenhouse gases that cause rising global temperatures.”
CDE recommended a revision for high school science educators to “evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and other human pollutants that impact natural systems.”
Finding balance
Board member Kristi Burton Brown was the main proponent in getting the proposed revisions amended to tip the ideological scale back to neutral.
“The proposed revisions focused too narrowly on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as shedding a negative light on increases in human population,” Brown told Complete Colorado. “This fails the accuracy test, but it also fails to respect that Colorado is one of the largest oil and gas producers in the nation and many parents work in this field.”
The original CDE staff recommendations had to undergo feedback via public survey. When results closed in May, they had received 100 responses. The board extended the deadline to July 1 and received 952 responses that strongly expressed Coloradans’ disapproval of the revisions.
When asked if the proposed revisions are appropriate for Colorado students, 44.1% of respondents strongly disagreed. When asked if items in the revisions should be removed 33.3% strongly agreed, while only 13.8% strongly disagreed.
Brown says the staff revisions pushed biases that limit students’ ability to develop critical thinking skills.
“Our students should be given the opportunity to think critically about all subjects, and this includes energy and the climate. Instead of focusing only on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, we should give students the opportunity to explore the negative effects of and possible solutions for renewable energy forms.”
Brown was supported by her colleague on the board, Yasmine Navarro, who says she supported Brown’s revisions to ensure a well-rounded curriculum,
“I have had students from many walks of life, and they come from families that teach many different things,” Navarro told Complete Colorado, “Thus it’s important that Colorado’s curriculum reflects that. There must always be a balance, and I believe it is part of our job to ensure we support all our students.”
At the Aug 21 meeting, Brown proposed three amendments, all of which broadened the language, excluded the CDE staff’s ideological bias, and focused on giving students the opportunity to explore both sides of the energy argument.
Brown’s two amendments for grades 6-8 passed 9-0 and 8-1, while her high school amendment passed 6-3. Overall, the new science standards passed 7-2.
Schools now have two years to implement the new standards.
