MoveOn.org Sponsors Colorado Students' Petition to Stop Curriculum Censoring

MoveOn.org Sponsors Colorado Students' Petition to Stop Curriculum Censoring
Dr. Susan Berry

On October 2, students protesting what they believe to be an attempt to censor their curriculum in Jefferson County, Colorado, brought a petition to the Jefferson County Board of Education meeting, courtesy of MoveOn.org.

Students delivered over 3,700 pages of more than 41,000 signatures to the board. The petition at MoveOn.org is titled “Don’t Allow the Censorship of American History.”

“Stop public school boards from outlawing historical events such as the Civil Rights Movement, Native American genocide, and slavery,” the petition states. It continues:

Jeffco Public School Board has just proposed a change of curriculum stating that, “Materials should not encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law. Instructional materials should present positive aspects of the United States and its heritage.” This means that important parts of our history such as the Civil Rights Movement, Native American genocide, and slavery will not be taught in public schools.

If we don’t learn about genocide and slavery, how will we help stop them from happening again? If we don’t understand the tremendous legacy of the Civil Rights Era, how can we work every day to honor and build on the gains made by so many courageous Americans? This is a severe form of censorship intended to keep the youth ignorant and easy to manipulate. I’m hoping to get enough signatures to prove that this is a public issue, so, please, if this is important to you, please sign. Do not let our youth grow up in ignorance; we all deserve the truth!

However, there was no proposal of a change of curriculum in JeffCo, just a proposal to review the new Advanced Placement U.S. History framework. And according to the Colorado Constitution, local school boards have a duty to review and select curricula for their school districts.

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