Colorado Voters Murder Founding Fathers, For The Kids

Thanks General Washington! Now we can mention your slaves again!

A small victory for reality-based education in Colorado Tuesday, yay! Voters in the state's second-largest school district recalled three conservative school board members who last year tried to require Advanced Placement U.S. History classes to teach students how to fall in love with America and American Exceptionalism.

The board's proposals prompted walkouts by students across the Jefferson County school district, as well as a wave of teachers phoning in "sick" in protest. Although the proposals were eventually shelved, the conservatives on the board had initially called for all instructional materials to "promote patriotic material, respect for authority, and the free-market system" and to avoid teaching about “civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law." But also to require teaching about the Boston Tea party in a positive light, probably.

[contextly_sidebar id="Ry3LGoJ5nVwjDMrY3CtirjISHXeoglSm"]You might also recall how Fox News's Gretchen Carlson blew a gasket over the student protests, telling the "punks" to go move to Communist Roosha if they don't like America and its precious freedom, especially the freedom to peaceably assemble and speak freely against their local government.

Last fall, one of the recalled board members, Julie Williams, complained about the Advanced Placement US History test, which she believed might be emphasizing American problems more than American AWESOMENESS:

“There are things we may not be proud of as Americans ... But we shouldn’t be encouraging our kids to think that America is a bad place. When [the course questions] our American values and leaves out so many of our founding fathers, that’s concerning to me.”

After losing her seat, Williams at least stuck to her script, griping that the recall election had been dominated by "the liberal agenda and union bosses."

"It's hard to fight the lies," she said after conceding defeat. "I will continue to fight for our kids, for stopping Common Core and the over-testing of our kids."

Also something something creeping sharia, we'd bet. Darn those union bosses and all the trouble they stir up. Perhaps Williams would have enjoyed some local historical reenactment, like bringing in the National Guard to show the teachers what happens to uppity unions in Colorado.

[contextly_sidebar id="w1H1YFVouQ6UuKV0Zg7oNFU5pt87SSfD"]Beyond the attempt to require Happytime U.S. History, Williams and two other recalled board members, John Newkirk and board president Ken Witt, had also managed to alienate teachers, parents, and students by hiring a new superintendent and implementing a "performance-based teacher compensation plan." In addition to the three board members who were recalled, two incumbents whose regular terms were up declined to run for re-election, so now all five members of the board are new. Among the challenges faced by the new board members will be cleaning the board's meeting room of all the leftover teabags and tricornered hats.

[contextly_sidebar id="cEIhu1KO7rDpCCDTHePddbXR06wFVIlI"]Since the existing board had already backed away from ITS Love It Or Leave It curricular plans in the spring of this year -- proclaiming victory before the College Board actually caved and agreed to chant George Washington's name a few more times to please conservatives -- the results of the recall are more likely to be a matter of tone than any shifts in policy. As far as we can tell, nobody's been waving around copies of  A People's History of the United States.  At least, not yet.

[ ThinkProgress / Denver Post ]