Colorado Students Walk Out To Protest Conservative ‘Censorship’ Of AP History - RawStory

[WillyT]

Colorado students walk out to protest conservative ‘censorship’ of AP history
David Ferguson - RawStory
23 Sep 2014

<snip>

On Tuesday, hundreds of high school students in Jefferson County, Colorado walked out of classes this week to protest conservative censorship of the national Advanced Placement U.S. history class curriculum. According to the Denver Post, students and teachers are protesting the removal of all mentions of civil disobedience from texts and classroom materials intended for the teaching of AP U.S. history.

Tuesday’s protests were an extension of a Monday walkout, in which 250 students at Evergreen High School in Golden walked out of morning classes to protest at Jefferson County School District headquarters. “I want honesty in my classroom. Teachers want honesty in the classroom,” said a letter that students presented to school Superintendent Dan McMinimee on Monday.

On Tuesday, CBS Denver said, “Approximately 500 students walked out at Arvada West High School and 400 at Arvada High School. Approximately 300 students walked out at Golden High School and about 200 students went to the school offices in connection with the protest.”

Teachers staged their own protest last week, calling in sick and thereby shutting down two area high schools in protest of changes proposed for the history curriculum.

Tensions have run high in Jefferson County schools since three conservative candidates were elected to the school board. These new board members have suggested an extensive rewrite of the way history is taught to the area’s students to a model they believe is more patriotic. The right-leaning board-members said they believe history teachers should teach nationalism, respect for authority and reverence for free markets. They should avoid teaching any historical events or acts that promote “civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.”

Teachers objected to the proposed politicization of history in the classroom and staged a system-side sick-out last week. Now, students are following their instructors’ lead.

<snip>

More: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/colorado-students-walk-out-to-protest-conservative-censorship-of-ap-history/

[atreides1]

1. Sounds familiar!

Hitler also had a 'nationalistic' agenda, look what happened...oh wait, conservatives don't like REAL history.

[jwirr]

13. Hitler was also big on authoritarianism.

[SoCalDem]

2. The "winners" always get to write down the "history"

so if people are pissed, they need to pay attention to voting so the truth-tellers are in a position to write stuff down..

Curriculum-writing is usually the purview of state legislatures, so is it really surprising that they would tweak "history" to gloss the things they like, and eliminate the things they do not like?

Protest/labor movements/civil rights is not covered much on tv these days, and if it's eliminated from school, how will the young'uns find out about it?

[Voice for Peace]

17. Remarkably blatant.

Even acknowledging that truth does not fit their agenda.

I smell Koch on everything these days.

[nomorenomore08]

31. And that's a stink that would sicken a buzzard.

[giftedgirl77]

3. What a bunch of fuckin lunatics.

How these idiots ever got elected is disturbing in itself.

[nomorenomore08]

32. People who know nothing and don't *want* to know anything.

Except, of course, what Fox News and their pastor tell them.

[giftedgirl77]

38. Exactly. I find it very disturbing that anyone with

an ounce of common sense would find this ok. Oh wait, lack of common sense is what's driving these morons.

[pepperbear]

4. I think this statement said it best......

Krieger is one of the conservative activists leading the charge to change textbooks across the country to reflect a more traditional view of U.S. history and American exceptionalism.

While the narrative may be “historically true,” he argues, “progressives are going to be the heroes in this narrative.”

Yep, it's that damned truth thing that we can't tolerate.

[hobbit709]

5. "First God made idiots. That was for practice. Then He made School Boards"-Mark Twain.

[mountain grammy]

10. Oh perfect! I'm saving that one!

[nomorenomore08]

33. I remember that one! Even as a 13-year-old I thought it was funny, and quite apt.

[seabeyond]

6. oh, maybe this will just encourage my son he really wants to move to colorado, lol. nt

[lunasun]

7. Tea baggers have taken over the school boards in many areas I noticed

And policies reflect it
Some slowly creeping to RW thought patterns
others bold like The article states
Ask your kids what they learned today esp in history and social studies!

[YoungDemCA]

21. It's all part of the plan for the Right

A nation of critical thinkers scares the Right-wingers, because they know that a nation of critical thinkers wouldn't be so susceptible to the bullshit of the Right-wing ideology, and wouldn't just conform to the system and the status quo ( not thinking outside the box at all)-in other words, a Right-wing wet dream.

[lunasun]

23. It' s past the planning stage and being executed right now. I am sure there are some political

Liberal areas with a strong board presence but in most areas the general population is not involved with school board elections enough to notice .
Ditto for large % of parents and let's face it , a lot of them would approve anyway of the RW slant being offered with out critical thinking skills or opposing view points
When it gets too outrageous then some wake up like in the OP
but what else has already been tempered by then?

[SoLeftIAmRight]

9. This is where I live.

My daughter went to Conifer, where the teachers called in sick last week. Lots of good teachers. The problem here is Golden. Coors country. Big population of wealthy and too many stupid poor.

[mountain grammy]

11. Disturbing news.. good for those kids. They get it.

The next generation will be so brainwashed they won't know what's going on.

[jen63]

28. Yeah, the nutters

are too dumb to to realize that these are AP students. Most would generally be more aware of the world around them. I'm assuming they have been high achievers their entire school careers. That's what happens when the gas bags try to bully people who actually know something.

[mountain grammy]

29. Problem is, after a few years of this curriculum, there will be few students that know anything.

[jwirr]

12. The three conservatives need some education on what history is. I am proud of the students. As a

teacher I would also walk out.

[SoapBox]

14. The Conseraturds want a "rewrite"?

That's called BRAINWASHING.

No...fucking...way.

[world wide wally]

15. As a former teacher in Colorado, (science), my question would be...

How the fuck can a school board get away with such blatant bullshit?

[Iliyah]

16. K & R

Don't ya'know negroes "loved" being slaves because at least the masters took good care of them - sarcasm

[japple]

20. Yes, and "don't let anyone tell you the slaves had it so bad. Why, they had

fresh air and sunshine." This is what one of my high school history teachers said in 1965 to our history class. Several of the students were African American students who were being slowly integrated into our lily white, all-female public high school in Macon, Georgia. It took Macon several years to accomplish racial integration and several more to establish a system where all students above jr. high level could go to school together regardless of race or sex.

[ancianita]

18. Hundreds! Joining their teachers! Awesome!

[YoungDemCA]

19. Premise of the Right: History has a left-wing bias

Therefore, we must combat it with our own right-wing bias. Sound logic!

From the article:

High school AP history, (some conservative activist) said, should be less like a college course and award more plaudits to the founding fathers, captains of industry and other conservative heroes. The liberal bias in the AP curriculum, he said, will turn students against large companies, corporations and wealthy Americans.

Because if we tell the kids what actually happened, then they might start to see how things actually are. And we can't have that happen!

[calimary]

25. "Reality has a well-known liberal bias." - Stephen Colbert.

At the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in 2006. About five minutes in.

And I myself would humbly suggest that humans are quite literally designed, built, and born to be LIBERALS. Absolutely and anatomically. The human heart hangs to the LEFT.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

22. The students already know more than the school board.

and care enough to walk out, what refreshing news.

[Uncle Joe]

24. Good for the students and teachers.

Thanks for the thread, WillyT.

[Kalidurga]

26. So the lesson here is...

if schools won't teach history, teachers and students will make history.

[Ilsa]

27. So, no teaching of details of the American Revolution?

They should avoid teaching any historical events or acts that promote “civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.” 

[OldHippieChick]

30. Isn't history a recitation of facts?

Why are these people afraid of facts? Truth?

What is it about democracy they don't understand?

Are these the same people afraid of science?

How long do they think they can hang on to their falsehoods and deceit?

Do they think youth are so busy playing Candy Crush and Angry Birds they aren't paying attention?

[Liberal_Dog]

34. K & R

Bravo for these Colorado teachers & students.

[Go Vols]

35. K&R

Good for them

[noiretextatique]

36. they aren't "conservatives" they are fascists

when is our supine media going to tell the truth about these people?

[liberal_at_heart]

37. Fund education, not war.

[Populist_Prole]

39. As others have noticed, I can't get over the bold face fascism of that board. Makes me ask

One of a few possibilities of their thought process:

- In their own bubble-bred minds, this is just the normal course of things and that everyone will eventually come around and see it their way

- They are deliberately inciting insurrection that will lead to a decisive battle they feel they can win...a rebellion they can quash since they have the cops and courts on their side

- They are attempting to preempt protest via a bold "shock & awe" type move that will demoralize their subjects into timidity

Again, it's the boldness that flabbergasts me.

" The right-leaning board-members said they believe history teachers should teach nationalism, respect for authority and reverence for free markets. They should avoid teaching any historical events or acts that promote “civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law"

That's the type of talk you expect from ideologues with alcohol loosened tongues talking only among themselves; not shit for public consumption.

[Zorra]

40. Three cheers for the students who walked out on fascism. nt

[DisgustipatedinCA]

41. These cretins need an uninformed populace in order to meet their goals

Thank god the students and teachers aren't going to let that happen without a fight.

[ErikJ]

42. I dont think they even teach labor history or civics anymore

or very little already.