PHOENIX – A teacher’s role may be to expand a student’s vocabulary, but one Arizona lawmaker wants to make sure that doesn’t include four-letter words.

A state legislator has introduced a bill that would punish public school teachers if they use words that violate the obscenity and profanity guidelines set forth by the Federal Communications Commission.

State Sen. Lori Klein introduced the measure because a parent in her district complained about a high school teacher using foul language.

The words were “totally inappropriate,” and teachers that don’t keep their language clean aren’t setting a good example for students, she said.

“You’re there to be educated,” Klein said. “You’re not there to talk smack.”

Critics say the bill is unnecessary and any discipline needed should be handled by schools and districts, not the legislature.

Klein’s proposal may be constitutional, but it’s “not necessarily wise,” said James Weinstein, a constitutional law professor at Arizona State University

Weinstein said the FCC has made exceptions for offensive language based on context, and that could make things complicated.

“FCC standards aren’t exactly black and white,” said Anjali Abraham, a lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union. The organization has some concerns about the bill, Abraham said.

A spokeswoman for the National Conference of State Legislators said the organization is not aware of any other state with a law similar to the Arizona proposal.

If the bill becomes law, a teacher whose speech or conduct violates FCC regulations would receive a warning, and after three incidents, the teacher would face a week of suspension without pay. A teacher would be fired after the fifth offense.

The proposal applies to K-12 teachers and is limited to speech in a classroom setting.

Klein told the Senate committee Wednesday that she wished the issue could be left to school boards, but she didn’t feel they were protecting “young, impressionable kids” from offensive language.

Close to home

Floyd Brown, the parent in Anthem who complained to Klein, knows better than most what kind of impression words can make.

Brown is a longtime Republican strategist who produced the infamous “Willie Horton” ad during the 1988 presidential campaign, which tied Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis to the release of a convicted murderer serving life.

Brown also founded Citizens United, the group whose lawsuit led to a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that barred the government from limiting corporation and labor union spending for political purposes.

Last year, Brown’s daughter Olivia came home from high school upset that a teacher was using the F-word in class. Brown says brought the issue to school administrators, but they didn’t take him seriously.

A representative for the school district said the school received no complaints about staff using inappropriate language, which would violate the district’s professional conduct policy.

Most districts adopt professional conduct policies barring the use of profane language or actions by employees while at work, said Tracey Benson, a spokeswoman for the Arizona School Boards Association.

That policy should remain in the hands of school boards, superintendents and principals, said state Sen. David Schapira, a Tempe Democrat and former teacher.