A recently passed New Hampshire House bill could mean big changes for Bedford High School. The bill, HB 1403, prohibits foreign bodies or organizations from governing public schools. The bill singles out the International Baccalaureate program, an honors program, because the program’s headquarters are located in Geneva.

Bedford High School is one of the few schools in the state that offer the IB Program. The IB curriculum is an optional honors program, which has been part of the school’s curriculum since its opening in 2007.

HB 1403 reads, “School curriculum and instruction shall only meet school approval standards if such curriculum and instruction promotes state and national sovereignty and is not subject to the governance of a foreign body or organization.” The bill passed in the House with a supermajority, 209-102.

“The Education Committee came out with this recommendation. We normally follow that recommendation,” said Rep. Kenneth Hawkins, R-Bedford. “I voted to support the committee. I also received over 100 letters (from Bedford residents) supporting the bill.”

The bill now will be heard in the Senate. If the bill passes, BHS’s IB program will be subject to an IB study committee, which will investigate and evaluate the program’s educational themes and governing system.

According to the IB program’s website, “The International Baccalaureate offers high quality programs of international education to a worldwide community of schools.” Schools that follow the IB program are considered “world schools,” because they share the curriculum of more than 900,000 IB students from more than 140 countries.

Although the IB program headquarters are in Geneva, the program has main offices in the U.S., U.K., Singapore and The Hague. The issue arose when members of the state’s Education Committee discovered that an education board in Geneva has final control over IB program diplomas.

According to the IB program’s website, “Swiss law governs these general regulations and all other procedures relating to the assessment requirements.”

“The majority voted it ought to pass because their concerns had to deal with governance, and I had to agree,” said Cornerstone Action member and Bedford resident Ann Marie Banfield. Banfield spoke as an individual on the issue. Her views do not represent the views of Cornerstone Action.

“If Bedford High School students want to challenge their International Baccalaureate diploma, they have to report to a board in Switzerland, not the local school board or principal,” Banfield said.

According to BHS’s website, “To earn the IB diploma, students must complete and successfully test in six subjects along with completing TOK, EE and CAS.”

“The requirements for the IB diploma are decided by the IB organization,” said Bedford Superintendent Tim Mayes.

How much control does Bedford High School have over the school’s IB curriculum? “One hundred percent control over the IB curriculum. We pick all the materials the books and science experiments,” Mayes said.

The IB program covers six subject areas: first language, second language, history, sciences, math and arts. Students also can choose to earn an IB certificate, instead of an IB diploma, which requires fewer than six subject areas. Classes include Global Studies Honors, British and North American Literature, European and Middle East Studies, Biology and Physics, Pre-Calculus and Calculus, and Music and Visual Arts. According to Bedford High School’s website, “The program encourages students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.”

“I voted against HB 1403 because the IB program is a very interesting, forward-looking program with a great reputation.” said Rep. June Frazer, D-Merrimack. “What this program acknowledges is this is a global village that teaches students to think critically about these things.”

“I think it’s important for students growing up in the 21st century to learn about other cultures,” said Rep. John Graham, R-Bedford.

Over the course of four years, Bedford taxpayers have invested time, resources and money into the IB program. Included in the costs for the IB program are special training classes for IB teachers (including workshops across the country) and separate IB textbooks and classroom resources.

“We’ve got about $50,000 in training dues in the program” Mayes said. “If HB 1403 were to be approved by the New Hampshire Senate and signed into law by Gov. Lynch, Bedford High School would need to stop offering the IB program in order to be in compliance.” Mayes wrote in his blog April 6.

How would this affect Bedford High School? “We would do a phase-out for two years, because the juniors would have to finish their IB studies, and gradually phase the costs out.” Mayes said.

Also included in the bill is the requirement of a special legislative committee, which will investigate whether the IB program undermines national and state sovereignty. One of the main reasons why house representatives supported HB 1403 was because of the IB program’s close ties with the U.N. and UNESCO.

“Not the U.S. or New Hampshire,” said Rep. Ralph Boehm, R-Litchfield, vice president of the New Hampshire House Education Committee. “It’s the U.N.’s view of the world and not the United States; oftentimes, the United States is bad and the world is good.”

“If the U.S. government accepts the IB program as a degree program, then there’s nothing about destroying America,” Frazer said.

On Monday, a public School Board meeting was packed with concerned BHS students, parents and taxpayers. The School Board held a public discussion with Bedford state Reps. Kenneth Hawkins, John Graham and Keith Murphy and Sen. Raymond White. One of the discussion topics was HB 1403.

School Board Vice President Terry Wolf said the board went through an intensive study, with a special curriculum committee in 2005, before adopting the IB program. Included in the study were visits to other IB high schools and colleges across the country. Wolf also said the board’s main concern, from the start, was local control over the IB program curriculum. In February 2007, the school board unanimously voted 5-0 in support of the IB program.

BHS’s IB program was revisited in 2010 to address the costs and U.N. involvement. In January, 2011, the school board publicly addressed why BHS should have the IB program and again unanimously voted in support of IB.

Bedford residents took to the microphone to address their concerns over HB 1403. A majority of statements were in favor of the IB program. Many wondered why their state representatives supported the bill.

None of the Bedford state representatives were on the House Education Committee, and the Education Committee recommended in support of HB 1403. According to Hawkins, the House usually votes in favor with the committee. According to Frazer, the Education Committee did not visit any IB program classes before making its recommendation in support of HB 1403.

Only one Bedford resident spoke out against the IB program and noted that no New Hampshire schools were listed on the top 100 high school list.

One parent said the main reason he chose to send his children to Bedford High School was because of the IB program. One BHS student said because of the IB program, he knows he wants to become a teacher to help educate the next generation.

The Senate Education Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 1403 on Tuesday, May 1, at a place and time that is to be determined in Concord.