America First Legal (AFL) is probing Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia. This follows Fox News Digital’s report on guidance for teaching the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The guidance advises teachers against associating the attacks with Islam or extremists.
Ian Prior of AFL highlighted the need to uncover the origins of this guidance. AFL aims to understand if external entities influenced its creation. The investigation is rooted in Fox News Digital’s reporting, which pointed to the FCPS guide titled “25th Anniversary and Commemoration of 9/11,” published in August.
“We wanna know where this comes from. We wanna know who the school is working with to develop these guidances,” said Ian Prior.
The guide advises against stigmatizing Muslim and Middle Eastern students. It calls for creating “safe spaces” and challenging bias. FCPS considers this crucial to preventing anti-Muslim rhetoric.
AFC accuses FCPS of “sanitizing history”. They demand transparency regarding the guidance’s authorship. The district’s communication has yet to reveal details on authors or external involvement.
FCPS’s statement emphasized their connection to the Pentagon and stated they “unequivocally condemn” the 9/11 attacks. Superintendent Michelle Reid mentioned ongoing reviews of educational materials in response to community feedback.
Prior advocates teaching about the ideology motivating the 9/11 terrorists without assigning collective blame to Muslims. The guidance recommends mentioning al-Qaeda specifically and emphasizing that the attacks arose from extremist viewpoints.
For commemorating 9/11, the FCPS guide suggests focusing on resilience and the sacrifices made. They encourage age-appropriate discussion of the incident’s violence while respecting the differing experiences of local families.
AFL’s counsel, Will Scolinos, criticized FCPS’s guidance, saying it’s an attempt to “sanitize history.” AFL seeks full transparency concerning those responsible for shaping these educational materials.
Future actions by AFL will depend on the findings of their investigation.