Sep 19th, 2008
Posted by Pete Tannen, ACLU of Sarasota at 12:13pm

Our Kids Don't Know What?!

Every time another election rolls around, I am prepared to be astonished. Again.

Astonished by the utter lack of knowledge most Americans have about their civil liberties or, indeed, their country.

For instance, only two in five Americans know that we have three branches of government, and can name them (Zogby, August 2006).

And 60 percent of Americans, 16 to 26 years old, could not find Iraq on the map (National Geographic poll, 2006).

Our high school kids seem to be too busy taking mandatory tests to pay much attention to the Bill of Rights and what it means to them.

Which is why the Florida ACLU has come up with some help for every high school student and teacher in America:

It's a free video featuring high school students facing some challenges to their rights: Can I wear my anti-war T-shirt in class? Do I have to open my glove compartment when a police officer asks me to? Can we satirize the superintendent in the school paper? And can our parents insist that our graduation ceremony start with a Christian prayer?

It started in the Sarasota School system — where some teachers use it for Constitution Day and others as extra material in history or government classes all during the year.

The video is spreading like a virus — and is now being used in high schools throughout Florida, as well as in San Diego, Pittsburgh, and in several Wyoming schools as well! (As one teacher commented: "The dvd was very interesting and created much conversation and questions from my students.")

Anyone can download the video ("The Rights We've Inherited"), absolutely free, from our website: http://www.aclufl.org/videos.cfm

It runs 10 minutes, with automatic pauses for class discussion, and should take up one regular school period.

(There's also a free teacher's guide that available on the site.)

If you're finding the same lack of knowledge where you live that I found in Florida, your schools need this Bill of Rights video.

Permalink |

Tags: Civil Liberties News

1. Eviltechie Says:
   Sep 22nd, 2008 at 5:07pm

   Sad, becuase just today someone had their cell phone stolen or lost it, and searched everyone in the boys locker room.

2. JACADA Says:
   Sep 23rd, 2008 at 7:34am

   I am posting about terrorism in our country, paid for by the citizens. Last week...an Immigration and Gang Unit named GIITEM...performed a felony stop on my family. My sons, of age, had picked me up from work. I am a schoolteacher in a school affliated with the National Urban League. Gangs and poverty are issues, as well as education at my place of work. The several vehicle unmarked unit followed us for awhile, and pulled us over. They were in full riot gear...guns drawn. When asked for his ID, my son mistakenly reached for his wallet and was threatened. This was serious, he said "Mom, if I had been black, I would have had a huge hole in my chest". This escalated into his having a severe asthma attack...as we were all cuffed in heavy traffic when school was letting out. We begged them to put his cuffs in front of him , so that he could breathe...one of the officers was laughing and talking on a cell phone next to him, as I watched his eyes roll back in his head and lose consciousness. He was not even under arrest, just cuffed for no reason we were told. I was drug off to jail, as the ambulance pulled up. Many hours later, to find I had written a bad check for $15.74, supposidly 3 years previous. No other arrest was made. I came to understand that this unit advertises as not having the same constraints as standard police departments. What is going on in this country? That was a team of terrorists, who treated us like we killers, and had NO RESPECT for our rights or safety at all or dignity, or very lives. This unit is connected to the Department of Public Safety. SAFETY???? the only safety that was on that scene for us, was the one NOT enabled on thier GUNS. That asthma attack could well have been fatal as they ignored it. He is ok, thank God. Has anyone else experienced these kinds of attacks on thier persons?