Below is the text of an an e-mail I received from my friends at ACT for America. It shows how the public in Tennessee made a difference in the school textbook controversy.
October 14, 2013
| An unprecedented victory in Tennessee! Commissioners refuse to approve social studies textbooks |  |
Dear Gary,
Imagine the scene.
The Tennessee Department of Education’s Textbook Commission is meeting to consider approval of recommended social studies textbooks for the state’s public schools.
Normally, nobody from the public shows up at these meetings.
But this time, ACT! for America chapter leaders and members are out in force.
They’ve done their homework, using our "Education or indoctrination:The treatment of Islam in 6th through 12th grade American textbooks" report.
They’ve done the legwork, educating public officials and the members of this textbook commission, showing them the many flawed and biased ways Islam is presented in the textbooks they are considering.
And then the time comes for the commissioners to vote on whether or not to approve the textbooks.
And not one of them makes a motion to do so.
So a second call was made for a motion.
And not one of them offers the motion.
The state’s Director of Curriculum stands up and sternly warns the commissioners there’s a deadline looming and they need to approve these books.
And the commissioners hold fast and refuse to approve the textbooks.
Wow.
To our knowledge this is the first time a state textbook selection committee has refused to approve textbooks due to concerns about how Islam is presented!
Yes, folks, you can fight city hall. It’s not easy, but it can be done.
| You have to be informed, organized and strategic. Which is what we do at ACT! for America and what our Tennessee chapter leaders and members did. They did it smart. They did it right. And they’re just the latest example of what ACT! for America is accomplishing and how our strategic and grassroots approach WORKS! |
The final chapter still has to be written. There’s another commission meeting on October 23rd.
We need the commissioners to stand their ground and refuse to approve these social studies textbooks.
| If you live in Tennessee, you can help push this across the finish line by contacting the Rutherford County chapter of ACT! for America at rutherfordcountyact@gmail.com. |
Thank you, ACT! for America chapter leaders and members in Tennessee for your awesome work on our behalf. Keep fighting the good fight!
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See? You can make a difference.
The one person who made the most difference here and I'm sure he shared his findings over the country was Al Rowling. He read the text books, found the objectionable parts, attended the school board text book approval meetings, and disclosed exactly who was inserting Islamic favoring parts into the textbooks. He was a member of the local ActforAmerica chapter. He made a big difference.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Al recently passed away. We are indebted to him and he will be missed.
I'm opposed to text books on general principle. Teachers should provide a general overview, then assign each student a research project, and send them all to the library to read a variety of sources.
ReplyDeleteMiggie,
ReplyDeleteYes. Al was an expert.
Oh. For a minute there, I thought you were talking about Al Gore. I assumed you were being sarcastic of course.
ReplyDelete