'Temper Emotional Rhetoric': Howard County Advises Teachers Before 9/11 Milestone

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Teachers in Howard County are encouraged to commemorate the 15-year anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks this Friday with a moment of silence. But administrators advised instructors to tread carefully in discussing the events.

“With respect to this anniversary in particular, teachers should avoid the use of disturbing video, audio or images,” Coordinator of Secondary Social Studies Mark Stout, Ph.D., said in a memo to principals and social studies teachers. “Keep in mind that students represent a captive audience and that some students may have had family members killed or affected in some way by the events of Sept. 11, 2001.”

Several victims of 9/11 had lived in Howard County, where approximately 10 percent of the workforce is employed by the government and defense contractors like Northrop Grumman are among the top non-government employers.

A retired military man who lived in Columbia and worked at the Pentagon was aboard a plane that crashed into the World Trade Center; his body was never found. A Columbia teacher taking a D.C. student to a science conference in California was killed when her plane was hijacked from Dulles and crashed into the Pentagon. A North Laurel Korean War veteran died at the Pentagon, where he worked as a deputy chief advocating for veterans.

Noting that many students entering high school were not born until after the 9/11 attacks occurred, Howard County school administrators scripted a moment of silence (published at the end of the article) and issued guidelines for discussing the attacks that are listed here, verbatim:

1. Consider the age-appropriateness of instructional materials and classroom discussion about details related to the event.
2. Please temper emotional rhetoric and guide conversations based on facts.
3. In discussions about what they have seen on television broadcasts and what they have read, make sure that students discern the differences between truth and rumor, and reliable and unreliable information.
4. Watching extended television coverage is not an appropriate use of instructional time. Some of the footage that may be replayed is both graphic and disturbing, and is best viewed under the guidance of parents or guardians.

Howard County also has a policy for the teaching of controversial issues in general. Administrators advised instructors to review the policy, which requires showing “diverse aspects of the issue,” when discussing 9/11.

Script for moment of silence on Sept. 9. 2016:

“Fifteen years ago, on September 11, we witnessed unthinkable acts of terrorism within the boundaries of the United States. Since that day in 2001, September 11 has been designated as Patriot’s Day and serves as a time to remember those who were lost on that day, to honor those who continue to fight for our freedoms, and as a day of service for our nation. Please join me in a moment of silence to honor. . .

• Those who lost their lives in the plane crash in Pennsylvania, at the Pentagon, and in the World Trade Center.
• The heroic firefighters, police officers, and Port Authority officers who lost their lives while saving the lives of others.
• The families and friends who lost loved ones.
• The courageous spirit of the men and women in our Nation’s Armed Forces stationed around the world.
• And, finally, the firefighters, police officers, government workers, and military personnel who have dedicated their lives to ensuring our freedom and protecting our democracy.”

(PAUSE FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE)

“As we have done on this day for the past 15 years, let us send a message to the world, that we, the people of the United State[s] of America, stand united as a nation celebrating democracy in the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Photo via Shutterstock.