Student Protest US History

Students protesting Tuesday outside of Ralston Valley High School get high-fives from a passing jogger in Arvada, Colo. The students are protesting a proposal by the Jefferson County School Board to emphasize patriotism and downplay civil unrest in the teaching of U.S. history.

(Brennan Linsley, Associated Press)

A Denver-area school board's proposal to focus history education on topics that promote citizenship, patriotism and respect for authority spurred hundreds of high school students to walk out of class Tuesday in protest.

The Denver Post reports tensions have been mounting in Jefferson County schools because of two issues: an evaluation-based system for awarding raises to educators and a proposed curriculum committee that would call for promoting "positive aspects" of the United States and its heritage and avoiding material that would encourage or condone "civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law."

The history proposal seems to be having an opposite of the one desired by the school board. The Post reports two high schools closed on Friday when more than 50 teachers either called in sick or took a personal day. On Monday, about 100 students left an area high school in protest.

The Associated Press reports the youth protest involved six high schools in what is the state's second-largest school district.

Student participants told the AP their demonstration was organized by word of mouth and social media. Students reportedly waved American flags and carried signs, including messages that read "There is nothing more patriotic than protest."

"I don't think my education should be censored. We should be able to know what happened in our past," said Tori Leu, a 17-year-old student who protested at Ralston Valley High School in Arvada, Colo.

"Our entire history, things that changed America for the better, were acts of civil disobedience," said Debbie Velarde, a junior at Wheat Ridge High School, told TheDenverChannel.com. "The Declaration of Independence was an act of civil disobedience."

According to the Denver Post, a conservative majority was elected to the school board last year and hired a new superintendent after clashing with the previous one. The AP says the proposed changes for teaching history are from Julie Williams, part of the board's conservative majority.

The proposal has not been voted on and was put on hold last week, the AP reports. She did not comment Tuesday, but previously told Chalkbeat Colorado, a school news website, that she recognizes there are negative events that are part of U.S. history that need to be taught, according to the AP.

"There are things we may not be proud of as Americans," she said. "But we shouldn't be encouraging our kids to think that America is a bad place."

The Post says Superintendent Dan McMinimee has offered to meet with students.

"What we really want is a promise from them that they won't restrict the content that is taught in our classes," student Eric Temple tells TheDenverChannel.com. "Because we believe that if they restrict that content then we're not going to get the education that we think we should."