U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, in his bid to become Wisconsin’s next governor, used the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to call for legislation that requires schools to teach students about 9/11, including the terrorist attacks, the people who lost their lives and what happened after that fateful day.
“Twenty-five years ago, America was forever changed when terrorists attacked our country,” Tiffany said in a press release. “We must never forget the 2,977 innocent lives taken, the first responders who ran toward danger, the passengers of Flight 93 who fought back, and the Americans who answered the call to serve our country in the years that followed.”
That has area school leaders scratching their heads, as schools are already doing that. Nathan Hanson, Gillett School District superintendent, pointed out that state statute 118.02 already calls for schools to observe 9/11 on that day or close to it if the day falls on a weekend.
“We started the day with a remembrance and moment of silence,” Hanson said. “Our secondary phy ed classes did a stair climb at our stadium to honor the first responders of 9/11. All social studies classes held discussions based around the events of 9/11. Elementary classes also had lessons.”
Hanson added that the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has provided instructional resources to help teachers provide a full account of 9/11 at https://dpi.wi.gov/news/dpi-connected/resources-observance-september-11th-terrorist-attacks
“I appreciate that the DPI has collected and provided these free resources for schools to use in our instruction,” Hanson said.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood School District Superintendent Garrett Rogowski noted that social studies classes also discussed 9/11 in detail on the anniversary, but his district went one step further the day before.
“In one high school social studies classroom, we showed a video of President (George W.) Bush and Condoleezza Rice discussing their memories of the day and our veteran staff told stories of what they remembered about the day here at WB when it happened,” Rogowski said. “It lasted about 15 minutes in each class. In another, they provided a similar overview and talk about it as a group and offer them the perspective that the students and this particular younger staff member do not have any physical memories of the event. Interesting to compare that to older generations who do recall that day.”
Bowler School District Troy Krause said his schools had all teachers discuss 9/11 in their classrooms, but it is especially emphasized in the social studies classes.
“This allowed the teacher to determine which content was appropriate for the various grade levels,” Krause said. “I do not believe we need legislation on this matter.”
In the Lena School District, Sept. 11 started with a special announcement detailing what happened 25 years ago, along with a full minute of silence that’s followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, according to Superintendent Ben Pytleski.
“Is there an assumption that schools do not recognize, teach or discuss the events of 9/11?” Pytleski said.
Gresham School District Superintendent Newell Haffner said his school does something similar, noting that the discussions in social studies classes look at how the world has changed in the last 25 years.
“We make sure that our discussions are grade appropriate,” Haffner said. “The juniors and seniors discuss more detail and the first graders get the overview.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
