Update: teaching our history in Ohio schools

 art credit: Mr. Donn's American History

Some Cleveland Tea Party readers will have called members of the Ohio School Board to keep our Founding Documents (Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Federalist Papers) in school curricula. Here’s the Update by Patrick O’Donnell from cleveland.com:

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Don't shortchange America's "founding documents," the state school board was told Tuesday, by trying to axe tests that make sure students learn them.

School board members have been under pressure from across the state to cut how many standardized tests students have to take. Some members have sought to cut any tests not required by the federal government, which would eliminate some math, English and science tests.

It would also wipe out the American History and American Government tests that all high school students must take.

That didn't sit well with some legislators and activists who fought to require these documents to be taught -- and included on state tests -- in 2012. That's when Senate Bill 165, called the "Founding Fathers Act" or the "Founding Documents Act" by some, mandated them.

That means the board can't cut them on its own, but can only ask the legislature to do so.

Don't bother, Senate President Larry Obhoff, a Medina Republican, told the board through an aide Tuesday. He said the legislature won't change the law, regardless of any recommendation from the board.

. . .

Despite more than 90 minutes of debate, most of which centered on procedural issues with motions and amendments, the board took no action on any tests. It delayed any vote until later this year.

Those calls and messages made a difference.

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Founding of America Documents Curriculum in Ohio

image credit: annenberg classroom

Saving Founding of America Documents Curriculum in Ohio. 

Your Calls Are Needed!

This Action Alert is from our friends at the Ohio Christian Alliance (a number of Ohio groups and organizations are passing along this information; I’m going with the OCA Action Alert because it provides links to the Resolution itself and the School Board members who will be voting):

Liberals on the Ohio State School Board are trying to eliminate American Government and History standards in Ohio.

The State School Board will meet on Sept 18th and 19th to consider a proposal urging the Ohio Legislature to turn the clock back by eliminating the required end of course testing in American Government and History. This will all but destroy what we accomplished six years ago with the passage of the Founding of America Documents curriculum, which guarantees that all 88 school districts teach the founding documents, namely The U.S. Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, The Northwest Ordinance, and The Ohio Constitution in the 8-12th grades with an end of course exam. This threat is serious to eliminate the Constitutional studies in the classroom.

 Click here to contact State School Board members and urge them to vote NO on the resolution.    

 Click here to read the resolution. 

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