An Idaho state senator has introduced a bill that would require high school students to read Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” in order to graduate.
Sen. John Goedde told Fox News he introduced the bill Tuesday to make a point about the state’s education requirements:
Goedde, in a statement to FoxNews.com, said media outlets have thus far “totally missed the point” of the bill — he described the bill as a protest to a state Board of Education decision to roll back online class requirements.
“Traditionally in Idaho, the State Board of Education sets graduation requirements in rule,” Goedde wrote in an email Thursday. “They recently repealed a rule dealing with online class requirements and failed to move another rule forward dealing with administrators demonstrating proficiency in evaluating teachers. I felt both were important and wanted to remind them that the legislature could also set graduation standards.”
When asked why he chose the book, according to Fox, Goedde told the Senate Education Committee: “That book made my son a Republican.”
The bill would require students read “Atlas Shrugged” and pass a comprehension test before getting their diploma:
In addition to other requirements that a student must meet before the student is eligible to graduate from an Idaho high school, the student must read and comprehend “Atlas Shrugged,” by Ayn Rand. The student’s comprehension of the work will be assessed through an appropriate examination. The student shall obtain a passing grade on the examination in order to satisfy the graduation requirement provided for in this section.
