N ia S t . C y r, s e n io r, s a y s , ” I d o n ’t fe e l a s t h o u g h w e a re t a u g h t a c u lt u r a lly d iv e r s e c u r r ic u lu m . G ro w in g u p , p e r s o n a lly g o in g fro m p r iv a t e s c h o o l (k -8 ) t h e n p u b lic s c h o o l, I h a v e m a in ly le a rn e d a b o u t a W h ite A m e ric a n H is to r y. T h e o n ly t im e w e a re “t a u g h t ” B la c k h is t o r y is s la v e r y t h e n t h e C iv il R ig h t s M o v e m e n t a s if t h a t is t h e o n ly h is t o r y b la c k p e o p le h a v e . W h e n le a r n in g h is t o r y I d o t h in k it is h e a v ily b ia s e d b e c a u s e it p ro m o t e d t h e id e a t h a t A m e r ic a w a s t h is a ll p o w e r fu l n a t io n t h a t d id n o w ro n g . I t h in k a ll h is t o r y c la s s e s a re m is s in g m u lt ip le p e r s p e c t iv e s . W h e n w e le a r n a b o u t a w a r o r e v e n t in h is t o r y , I t h in k w e s h o u ld lo o k a t it fro m a ll p e r s p e c t iv e s . U ltim a te ly, I th in k th e s e
Single-sex schools promote gender stereotypes and homophobia - One of the most important battles in our nations war of equality is the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and affirming the civil liberties of LGBTQ+ individuals. However, if we are ever to truly absolve the rampant ignorance, bias and hostility against LGBTQ+ individuals in this country, we have to seize this weed at its roots. And the root of much homophobia, and a hot spot of verbal and physical violence against LGBTQ+ Americans is the school. In order to lower these numbers and give queer students comparable health benefits from their health classes, students need to be educated about Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), dental dams, and STDs that disproportionately affect those who engage in same-sex intercourse. As it is today, the majority of sex education curriculums include no mention of sexual orientation or gender identity. When these things are brought up, they’re often portrayed in a negative way. This contributes to the frequent bullying and discrimination that queer students face due to the LGBTQ+ exclusive climate cishet-only sex education generates. The Center for American Progress reported that almost one-third of LGBTQ+ students have skipped class because they felt unsafe at school. The negative bias around being LGBTQ+ that is caused by only portraying queerness in a negative light makes queer students miss out on academic opportunities and fall behind in their education. Censorship in history classes leads to a narrow worldview with holes in the cultural and international education of children. If children are not taught the truth about the history of African
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s u b je c ts a re n o t ta lk e d a b o u t b e c a u s e o f h o w th e s y s te m is s e t u p . It ’s n o t s e t u p a t a ll to b e in c lu s iv e o r c u ltu ra lly d iv e rs e . I th in k th e e d u c a tio n s y s te m w a s m a d e w ith o n ly o n e d e m o g ra p h ic in m in d .”
Americans and oppression, those children who are now adults won’t be able to understand the importance of marches and the Black Lives Matter movement, or understand the struggles African Americans go through today. For schools in Jefferson County, Colorado—the state’s second largest school district—Banned Books Week holds particular relevance. Hundreds of teachers and students are engaged in protests against the new school board’s proposal to form a review committee, tasked with ensuring curricula focus on topics that promote patriotism, respect for authority and free enterprise. More specifically, the committee will identify and weed out materials that “encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.” The proposal identifies Advanced Placement U.S. history as one of the first curricula to be reviewed. One student was quoted saying, “You can’t erase our history. It’s not patriotic.” Some see banning topics that “encourage or condone civil disorder” as akin to relegating iconic figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and César Chávez—as well as less well-known crusaders for justice—to the margins of our national memory. Others are asking how any U.S. history class cannot involve nuanced engagement with the Civil Rights Movement, labor movements and other pivotal events in the long march for justice. The message for the Jefferson County School Board is clear: Whitewashing U.S. history and masking important realities will simply not do and cannot be tolerated. Perhaps more school districts should take note and re-evaluate their curriculum to be more inclusive. opinionu november 2020 | january2021u the viewpoint u 13
