HOUSE BILL 2317 New legislation suggests events of Sept. 11 be taught in Pa. schools
By Stacy M. Brown For the Pocono Record
Many of today’s grade school students were too young to remember when terror struck the United States, events that brought to rubble the World Trade Center; rocked the Pentagon outside of Washington, D.C.; and wreaked havoc in a Western Pennsylvania field.
For most of today’s students, when the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks occurred, they weren’t even born.
For many youth, as eloquently noted by KTTS Missouri DJ Clint Davis, the deadliest attack in American history feels like Pearl Harbor did to Baby Boomers, like the Kennedy assassination did to Gen Xers and like the fall of the Berlin Wall did to Millennials.
It feels a bit like ancient history.
Today, several Pennsylvania lawmakers are seeking to make sure that 9/11 is not only remembered, but also taught in state schools.
“Clearly, Sept. 11, 2001 was perhaps one of the most defining moments in our nation’s history and it really shaped the world that we live in today,” said State Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-93.
“There are really important lessons for our children to learn not only because of the impact 9/11 had on the lives of those in Pennsylvania, but Americans and the entire world,” said Phillips-Hill, who on Wednesday introduced House Bill 2317 which directs the state Department of Education to establish a model curriculum for instruction in the events and significance of Sept. 11, 2001.
An updated curriculum
The legislation suggests — but does not mandate — that such a curriculum include the historical context of terrorism; the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York; the Pentagon in Washington; and United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The bill would also require educators to teach about America’s recovery and response to the vicious attacks and discuss global challenges and consequences of the post-9/11 world.
If passed, the bill would be among the first such acts by any state legislature in the country.
Local school districts in some municipalities in New Jersey and Texas have reportedly incorporated lessons about the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
However, those lessons were not instituted because of legislation.
“I was a school board director and I love to spend time in schools and I talk to students and many have said that they’re not taught about 9/11,” Phillips-Hill said.
“I grew up in the Post-Vietnam Era and I went to college and everyone said they wanted to learn about Vietnam. That’s what children say about 9/11 so, with this legislation, we want them to learn the historical context of Sept. 11 and how it affects us and how we have recovered,” she said.
Officials from several Pocono area school districts declined to comment because the bill is still pending.
A war on culture
“We’re approaching the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and pretty much everyone can agree what transpired that day changed the world,” said Rep. Frank Farry, R-142, a co-sponsor of the bill and a volunteer firefighter in Bucks County.
“Those events brought about non-traditional warfare, not necessarily country vs. country, but ideology spread across numerous countries. It became a war on our culture, a way of life,” said Farry, who added that he hopes other states follow and enact similar legislation.
Rep. William Kortz, D-38, also supports the bill and noted that students would greatly benefit from lessons about Sept. 11.
“We should be teaching the history of our country and we shouldn’t forget Sept. 11, 2001 just as we shouldn’t forget Pearl Harbor,” said Kortz, who volunteers as a civics teacher in his district in Allegheny County.
State Rep. Brian Ellis, R-11, also co-sponsored the measure and called Sept. 11, one of the worst days in American history. Educators should work to enlighten students about the events that took place, he said.
“Some kids who are entering high school this year were not yet born when the terrorist attacks occurred in September 2001. It is extremely important that our high school students, and all future generations, are taught about how 3,000 men and women were killed in those devastating attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania,” Ellis said.
“Life as Americans knew it changed after that day, and I will do what I can to ensure we never forget Sept. 11, 2001,” he said.
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Education for further review and Phillips-Hill said she hopes it will easily pass and ultimately be signed into law by the governor.
“Despite the tremendous impact 9/11 has had on the lives of the American people, you will be surprised to know, as I was, that Pennsylvania’s state academic standards for History and Civics and Government do not make any mention of these terrorist attacks whatsoever,” she said.
“Given the continuing impact of that day on lives of all Americans and on subsequent world events, I believe it is of the utmost importance that our students grow up with an adequate understanding of this time in our history.”
Story and Photo from the Pocono Record
