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Zero Tolerance for Thinking

Students at high schools in Jefferson County, Colo., near Denver, were outraged by suggested changes to their curriculum made by the school board. The changes called for a committee to “review curricular choices for conformity” to the Board’s ideals: to “promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free enterprise system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights,” as well as “positive aspects of the United States and its heritage,” and avoid any material that might “encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.” Students walked out of class and formed protest marches to express their displeasure at the manipulation. “People think because we are teenagers, we don’t know things, but we are going home and looking things up,” said one of the protestors. “If they don’t teach us civil disobedience, we will teach ourselves.” Many parents and teachers backed the kids, and so did the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program. “These students recognize that the social order can — and sometimes must — be disrupted in the pursuit of liberty and justice,” the College Board said. “Civil disorder and social strife are at the patriotic heart of American history — from the Boston Tea Party to the American Revolution to the Civil Rights Movement.” After days of protests, the school board defended the proposal — and then tabled it. (RC/Denver Post) ...Don’t Tread on Me.