Hundreds of students in suburban Denver walked out of their classrooms as a form of protest against a proposal for a conservative curriculum on U.S. history.
The school board, led by conservatives, issued a proposal to have the history curriculum focus more on topics that promoted patriotism, citizenship and respect for authority.
The protest of the students, ironically, showed the civil disobedience that the issued proposal wished to downplay.
The staged protest in Colorado's second-biggest school district comes after a sick-out by teachers that closed two high schools after the economically and politically diverse region became an important battleground in the field of politics.
Students that participated in the protest revealed that the demonstration was planned through the use of social media and word of mouth.
Many of the participating students waved flags of the United States and carried signs that stated their intentions, including one that read "There is nothing more patriotic than protest."
The proposal of the school board that led to the protest looks to put up a committee that will review texts and lesson plans regularly to make sure that they present only the positive aspects of the United States and its heritage, beginning with Advanced Placement history.
The committee will ensure that materials will not "encourage or condone civil disorder, social strike or disregard of the law."
The proposal was made by Julie Williams, who is part of the conservative majority of the school board.
"There are things we may not be proud of as Americans," said Williams. "But we shouldn't be encouraging our kids to think that America is a bad place."
However, Tori Leu, a student aged 17 years old that participated in the protest from the Ralston Valley High School in Arvada, has a different view about the issue.
"I don't think my education should be censored. We should be able to know what happened in our past," Leu said.
Students said that they are disappointed with how the school board has proposed to "sweep under the rug" specific parts of the curriculum for AP U.S. history.
The proposal has not yet been put up for voting and was placed on hold last week.
Students that participated in the protest did not receive punishments, but received unexcused absences in the classes that they were not able to attend.
Superintendent Dan McMinimee said that he will be taking a letter written by the students that voiced their concerns regarding the issue to the school board.
