Arizona bill to allow students to challenge grades over bias

Republican lawmakers in the US state of Arizona have proposed a bill that would allow students at state universities to challenge their low grades if they believe their teacher was swayed by political bias.

Senate Bill 1477 — a first in the country — would create a “grade challenge department” run by the Arizona Board of Regents, a body that oversees the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University.

If the department determined that a student’s grade had been influenced by a teacher’s bias, the faculty member could be required to regrade the student’s work.

State Senator Anthony Kern, a Republican, introduced the bill by telling the state Senate last month that many students he met with at ASU “do not feel they can debate issues according to their politics or according to what they believe, because they’re afraid their grades are going to be lowered”.

Any student who has lost the case with the challenge department would be able to launch an appeal by contacting the Arizona Board of Regents.

The board would then be able to “order any faculty member of a public university to regrade a student’s assignment or reevaluate a student’s overall class grade consistent with the Board’s guidance”.

Last month, the proposed legislation passed in the state Senate 16-12. House education committee members passed it 4-3. To become law, it would need to pass the full Arizona Legislature next, then be signed into law by Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs, who would also have the option to veto it.

Concerns over the growing influence of political bias in everyday life, including education, came just months before the general election. The deeply partisan rematch will take place between former Republican president Donald Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden.

Arizona’s Republican politicians decided to act to address a perceived bias at universities after the fallout over a February 2023 event at ASU when three conservative commentators visited the university.

Of the 47 faculty members at ASU, 39 signed a letter to the dean condemning the gathering, accusing the hosts of having a history of making derogatory comments about women, minorities and the LGBTQ+ community.

Kern and other Republicans expressed anger that the conservative panel faced widespread opposition. Kern has described himself as “not a university guy”, as the universities are “anti-American indoctrination camps”, the Arizona Mirror reported.