Colorado Students Oppose Censorship, Jingoism in Education

MOSCOW, September 25 (RIA Novosti) - Hundreds of students from six different schools in a Denver, Colorado suburb have walked out this week in protest over county school board proposals to adopt a history curriculum which would emphasize the values of citizenship, patriotism and respect for authority, 9News Colorado reported.

Organizing the walkouts through word of mouth and social media, students started protesting at two schools in Jefferson County, Colorado last Friday. There, dozens of teachers had called in sick to protest changes the school district had adopted at the behest of the countys conservative school board.

The students carried American flags, along with signs which read Civil Disobedience is Patriotism and There is nothing more patriotic than protest. Afterwards, more schools joined, and the protests attracted an estimated 700 students, who voiced their dissent outside the schools and along busy thoroughfares, the Denver Post noted.

Students protested proposed changes to the history curriculum, which they said would result in censorship and blank spots in history. One student noted that she should be able to know what happened in our past, and another added that its wrong to try to erase our history. Its not patriotic.

Its stupid, Another student argued that For all the good things weve done, weve done some terrible things. Its important to learn about those things, or were doomed to repeat the past.

One student voiced his conviction that America was built on protest and civil disobedience, and that if you take that from us, you take away everything that America was built off of.

About 50 teachers joined the students, along with dozens of sympathetic parents.

The proposed review of the history curriculum, which would establish a committee to approve texts and course plans, was suggested by the Koch family-affiliated group Americans for Prosperity-Colorado. The proposals author and board member Julie Williams defended the plan, noting that there are things we may not be proud of as Americans, but we shouldnt be encouraging our kids to think that America is a bad place.

The guidelines would seek to promote the positive aspects of US history, and to avoid language and ideas which could promote civil disorder, social strife, or disregard for the law.

The review is seen by some as a response to the US College Boards Advance Placement (AP) US History course framework, which American conservatives have criticized as a radically revisionist view of American history that emphasizes negative aspects of our nations history while omitting or minimizing positive aspects.

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Colorado Students Oppose Censorship, Jingoism in Education