Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/912628
including "the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament" (standard 6.7). In 2016, the State Board of Educa- tion adopted a new HSS Framework to provide guidance on implementing the standards. It added content on Sikhism to the chapter on seventh- grade curriculum, " World Histor y and Geography : Medieval and Early Modern Times." Students, says Liebke, are encour- aged to read primary sources, which m a y i n c l u d e e x c e r p t s f r o m t h e Hebrew Bible, the Christian Bible and the Quran. Religion and civil liberties H i g h s c h o o l s t u d e n t s i n I n R o b Bonifacio's U.S. government class a t t h e P u b l i c S a f e ty A c a d e my i n Fairfield are knowledgeable about their constitutional rights — which i n c l u d e s f r e e d o m o f r e l i g i o n . Sometimes students discuss what it m eans for a school to ask for a "moment of silence," or if students should be compelled to say "under God" w h en reciting th e Pledge of Allegiance. (For lega l answers, see sidebar on page 52.) "A good number of students feel t h a t n o o n e s h o u l d b e f o r c e d ," s ay s F - SU TA m e m b e r B o n i f a c i o , w ho says teach ers must be sensi- tive to th e b eli efs of al l stud ents, i n c l u d i n g a t h e i s t s , a n d n o t l e t their own biases show. His students discuss U.S. Supreme Court cases that cover civil liberties and religious freedom, and appreciate that as Americans, they have the right to worship — or not worship — as they please. As his school becomes more diverse, the halls are no longer decked. Out of deference to Native Americans and indigenous people, anksgiving is now called "Turkey Day" in his class- room. He comments that younger students at his school are no longer taught that Christopher Columbus "discovered America," Social studies curriculum specialist Juliana Liebke says educators who teach about religion "are not proselytizing." but instead that he enslaved Indians to convert them to Christianity. "We're very secular in that regard and try to make sure we don't put any religion on a pedestal as we become more inclu- sive," says Bonifacio. "at way we are not just a school, but a family." Parents may need explanations Fulton and Liebke say that some parents have expressed concern upon learning s e v e n t h - g r a d e r s s t u d y a b o u t I s l a m . When educators explain it is part of a continuum of studies about many religions' inf luence on history, culture and the arts — and necessar y to enhance students' understanding of the world — most parents seem to understand. (Islam is included in HSS standard 7.2.) "It opens up discussions about our differences and how to respect those differences," Fulton says. "I have Muslim students who feel that Islam has been wrongly associated with terror- ism. Presenting facts avoids having people in one religion being painted with a broad brush." " Teaching about religion is not the same as teaching religion, because we are not proselytizing. We are just teaching facts about belief systems of various religions." — JULIANA LIEBKE, SAN DIEGO EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 54 cta.org Teaching & Learning