In Brief:
In the midst of a number of interesting debates over school curriculum in certain states, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry signed legislation this week ensuring that the state's public school students would learn about the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Slated to be integrated into Oklahoma classrooms by the fall of 2011, the curriculum is expected to include field trips to Oklahoma City's Memorial Museum and Outdoor Symbolic Memorial as well as opportunities to meet with families, survivors, and rescue workers touched by the tragic bombing. With the teaching of the Oklahoma City signed into law in the state, it raises some interesting questions about how we should teach children about domestic terrorism and disaster, particularly 9/11.. One of the first 9/11 education programs, the curriculum is being tested in a number of states, including California, New Jersey, Kansas, and Illinois. The Oklahoma curriculum has so far made no mention of teaching about Timothy McVeigh's background although a curriculum being tested in New Jersey includes a discussion about the difference between "terrorists and freedom fighters" and how the rest of the world views the United States.
