Bill would mandate climate change education in Vermont schools

The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost. WCAX was not involved in the reporting or editing of this story.

MONTPELIER, Vt. (Community News Service) — A new bill would require Vermont students to learn about climate change.

Introduced by Sen. Anne Watson, D/P-Washington, S.175 is based on a recommendation in Vermont’s 2025 Climate Action Plan, a roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state.

The curriculum would be mandated in elementary and secondary schools and would align with a 2023 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which concluded that humans “have unequivocally caused global warming.”

The bill, which is in the Senate Committee on Education, has yet to receive testimony but is on the radar of educators statewide.

“The whole point of education is trying to prepare our students for the future that they are likely to inherit, as well as help them be informed citizens,” Watson said in an interview with the Community News Service. “And I think this (bill) gets at both of those things.”

Educators interviewed by the Community News Service were generally supportive of the bill. But some said it lacks support for teachers who would need help incorporating the subject into their lessons.

Meg Lyons, a science teacher at Northfield Middle and High School, is among those with concerns. She learned about the bill as part of her work on the board with the Vermont Education and Environment Network, a coalition of organizations that promote environmental education in the state.

“I think it’s a must,” she said of the S.175. “I don’t know why it’s taken this long in the state of Vermont.”

Lyons is interested in how the bill will develop and wonders whether it’s realistic for all teachers to have a climate change curriculum. Middle and high school science teachers, for instance, may find it easier to adapt to this bill, compared to an elementary school teacher who teaches all core subjects, she said.

“I think it’s going to come down to: How can we really support this at the elementary level with everything else they’re doing, and how can we do it in a way that feels authentic?” Lyons said.

Joan Haley, principal and founder of Education for Climate Resilience, shared a similar sentiment. Her organization helps integrate climate change into existing educational programs and promotes climate literacy for students. She’s also the director of a similar program in the Upper Valley that helps teachers with climate-related curricula.

“Climate change is a relatively new topic,” Haley said, expressing concern that some teachers may struggle with incorporating the subject into their lessons.

If S.175 passes, both Haley and Lyons hope to see it come with supported professional development.

“The intent is strong. It’s a question of whether the design and process will actually support educators,” Haley said.

Sen. Watson, a physics teacher at Montpelier High School, worries that S.175 may be lost in the conversation as Act 73, a recent reform law, has taken the reins in the education dialogue. Haley and Lyons agree, but their concerns aside, the educators are excited to see the bill be introduced.

“I’m thrilled to see climate change education on the radar of Vermont legislators,” Haley said. “We owe this to our youth.”