TRENTON, NJ – After the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., America launched a twenty-year war against terrorism. Now, 21 years later, New Jersey Democrats want to remove the political and religious backstory of the attacks from history books in school.
Democrats said the bill sponsored by Senator Richard Codey is an effort to ensure students are learning about important events in United States history to include age-appropriate instruction on the events of September 11, 2001.
Codey said he hopes the new curriculum will erase the prejudices and fears many who were alive during the attacks still harbor to this day.
“The events that unfolded on September 11, 2001 remain one of this country’s darkest tragedies,” said Senator Codey (D-Essex/Morris). “In the 21 years since, an entire generation of students have gone through the education system with no personal memory of this day and how life was altered for many Americans. Those of us who lived through September 11, 2001, think back to our emotions from that day as well as the impact the attacks had on lives greater than our own. Those who lost loved ones, those where were on those planes, in the towers, the first responders; may we never see another day like that again. As we continue forward, we must make certain that schools are educating our students on this tragedy so that they can understand what happened that day and how it has shaped our country. Additionally, it is imperative that we educate our students on topics related to this day, such as tolerance and diversity, so that they can grow up without the prejudices that arose in many Americans 20 years ago.”
Under the bill, S-713, the events of September 11, 2001, would be required to be implemented in the curriculum of elementary, middle, and high school students as part of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Social Studies.
Instead of delving into the religious and political motivations by Al-Qaeda, a fundamental Islamic terrorist organization that still operates today, instruction will instead focus on the heroic aftermath of police and firefighters.
In a release by Codey said the bill will teach only the following items pertaining to the subject:
- The historical context of the attack
- A timeline of the day as the events unfolded
- The heroic actions of the police, firefighters, paramedics, and other first responders in the rescue and recovery of the victims, and the heroic sacrifice of the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93; and
- The outpouring of humanitarian, charitable, and volunteer assistance and support that occurred immediately following the events of that day, and strategies for successfully instilling those traits in daily life.
The instruction will not include the motives behind the attack or the 20-year war sustained by the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq in the aftermath of the attack on America.
7,057 U.S. service members, men, and women have died in post 9-11 anti-terrorism operations. There will be no mention of those service members or their sacrifices in the curriculum.
Instruction would include the historical context of the attacks, a timeline of the day, the heroic actions of first responders and the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 and the outpouring of support that occurred immediately following the events of that day and how students can instill those traits into everyday life.
Additionally, the bill would also require each public school to organize a commemorative event to enhance student awareness of the attacks on September 11, 2001. This would include information concerning the events as well as the opportunity for age-appropriate discussions on conflict resolution, diversity, and tolerance for people of different religions and cultures.
The bill was released from the Senate by a vote of 37-0.
