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Mars schools to vote on a new patriotic mission; critical race theory will not be part of the curriculum

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

Mars schools to vote on a new patriotic mission; critical race theory will not be part of the curriculum

The Mars Area school board will vote next month on a revision to its mission statement that promotes patriotism.

“The proposed revision can be summed up quite easily: the Mars Area School District loves America,” board member J. Dayle Ferguson said in introducing the revisions July 20.

The policy is a revision to the district’s mission statement, originally adopted in 2015. The revision, which is due to be voted on Aug. 17, adds a “core value” that reads, “Quality education should promote students to be informed, engaged and patriotic.”

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Items under “promotion of patriotism” are: display the U.S. flag at all buildings, athletic facilities and in each classroom; provide an opportunity for everyone to recite the Pledge of Allegiance daily, whether in person or remote; play the national anthem before all home games; “promote civility and decency in the treatment of all others”; and respect free speech, conscience and religious liberty rights of all students and employees.

The policy also states the district will encourage eligible students to register to vote.

The policy also bans teaching concepts that “impute fault, blame, a tendency to oppress others or the need to feel guilt or anguish to persons solely because of their race, sex or religion.”

Mrs. Ferguson said that “social theories”, including Holocaust denial, The 1619 Project, 9/11 Theory and Critical Race Theory, will not be presented to students unless approved by the school board in a public meeting.

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Holocaust denial, as the name implies, denies the genocide of European Jews by the Nazi Party, while the 9/11 theory holds that the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, were perpetrated by U.S. government officials who wanted an excuse to go to war against Afghanistan and Iran.

The 1619 Project, an initiative by The New York Times, sets the true founding of America in 1619, when the first slaves arrived from Africa, and frames the rest of the country’s history through that lens.

Critical Race Theory examines social, cultural and legal issues primarily as they relate to race and racism. It is usually discussed in graduate and law schools.

“No one should wonder, worry or assume where this school district stands — we will teach our children to honor America, to love themselves and to respect others, and to nurture their individual talents and interests in their personal pursuit of happiness,” Mrs. Ferguson said.

“This right here, right now, is the power and importance of local control in public education.”

Posting the policy was approved by a 7-0 vote with two members absent. No other board members spoke about the revisions.

Sandy Trozzo, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

First Published: July 26, 2021, 9:45 a.m.

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A child raises his hand during a third-grade class in New York.  (Mary Altaffer/Associated Press)
Mary Altaffer/Associated Press
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