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May 17, 2005

Help Needed: American Heritage Education Act

By Michael Chapman

After passing the Minnesota House in three different legislative sessions, the Senate finally passed a small portion of the American Heritage Education Act, which is now part of the omnibus education finance bill (HF 872). HF 872 is presently in the Education Finance Conference Committee where the House and the Senate will resolve their differences.

The Senate version of the American Heritage Education Act (Article 2, Section 14 of HF 872) states:

"School districts shall permit grade-level instruction for students to read and study America's funding documents, including documents that contributed to the foundation or maintenance of America's representative form of limited government, the Bill of Rights, our free-market economic system, and patriotism."

That's it. Although a good start, the Senate removed significant pieces which the House version retained, including protection against religious censorship. [See House version, Article 2, Section 23].

Especially important to include from the House version:

"Districts may not censor or restrain instruction in American or Minnesota state history or heritage based on religious references in original source documents, writings, speeches, proclamations, or records..."

and:

"Students may voluntarily choose to read, write, share, report, or otherwise study a topic which is religious in nature provided other students are provided with the same opportunity to freely choose a topic."

These paragraphs from the House version reflect the heart and soul of the American Heritage Education Act, and they must be included.

Action:
Please e-mail and call members of the Education conference committee in support of the full House version. In your e-mails and calls, remember the following points:

1. The House has now passed this bill three times. Clearly the people want and need it!

2. Opposition says, "The American Heritage Education Act is not necessary, since it's provisions are legal today."

Answer: Free speech was legal before the first amendment. Our founders saw the necessity of making sure Congress would make no laws restricting those rights. This bill does the same thing - ensuring that no district may censor our true history or documents based on religious references. We have demonstrated in testimony that our true history IS BEING censored. Besides," If it's legal now," why would one oppose ensuring the continuance of that legality - unless he or she were in favor of censorship?

3. Opposition testimony (from the Minnesota School Board Association lobbyist) claimed that the American Heritage Education Act would result in "radicals standing up at a sporting event reading passages from Mein Kampf."

Answer: First, Mein Kampf isn't among our founding documents, nor would any sane person consider it a "religious" document. Second, the MSBA testimony would be like arguing against "free speech" to guard against the possibility that someone might shout "FIRE" in a crowded theater.

4. Opposition testimony suggested this is an attempt to introduce religious indoctrination into public education.

Answer: Nothing in this bill requires anyone to teach religion or to believe what our Founders believed to be true - religious or otherwise. It simply directs that history be presented fully and accurately. A vote against the House version is simply a vote in favor of censorship!

Conference committee decisions will be made within the next few days. The American Heritage Education Act can pass this session if we all do our part. Thanks for your help.

House conferees:		651-
Barb Sykora	rep.barb.sykora@house.mn	296-4315
Denise Dittrich	rep.denise.dittrich@house.mn	296-5513
Mark Buesgens	rep.mark.buesgens@house.mn	296-5185
Sondra Erickson	rep.sondra.erickson@house.mn	296-6746
Bud Heidgerken	rep.bud.heidgerken@house.mn	296-4317

Senate conferees:		651-
LeRoy Stumpf	sen.leroy.stumpf@senate.mn	296-8660
Steve Kelley	sen.steve.kelley@senate.mn	297-8065
Dan Sparks	sen.daniel.sparks@senate.mn	296-9248
Gen Olson	sen.gen.olson@senate.mn	296-1282
Linda Scheid	sen.linda.scheid@senate.mn	296-8869

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