GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) - Students, parents and teachers in suburban Denver are vowing to continue demonstrating against a school board's new conservative majority after it refused to back off plans to review Advanced Placement U.S. history courses for what some see as anti-American content.
The Jefferson County Board of Education voted Thursday night to lay the groundwork for a review of curriculum, with the AP history course likely the first to get a deeper look.
The elective course has been criticized by the Republican National Committee and the Texas State Board of Education, which has told teachers not to teach according to the course's new framework. Being taught for the first time this year, it gives greater attention to the history of North America and its native people before colonization and their clashes with Europeans, but critics say it downplays the settlers' success in establishing a new nation.
The Colorado board didn't vote on its original proposal to review the history course with an eye toward promoting patriotism and downplaying social disorder - language students have blasted in waves of school-time protests across the district. However, students and other activists say the board's new approach to include students on existing curriculum review committees doesn't satisfy them because they believe board members will ultimately try to change the history course to suit their views.
"This isn't over," said Ashlyn Maher, 18, a Chatfield High School senior who has been helping organize protests over the past two weeks. "We are going to fight until we see some results."
Michele Patterson, the head of the district's parent-teacher association, said she didn't expect students to keep walking out of class to protest, because parents and administrators don't want children missing any more school.
"We're proud of our kids, but we obviously don't want kids missing school on a regular basis," she said.
Students and parents - along with Jefferson County teachers who are in their own fight with the board over evaluations and merit pay - planned to demonstrate Friday afternoon, lining a major street that runs through the district.