Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose Assemblyman Joseph Malone

DeCROCE-McHOSE-MALONE BILL WOULD ENSURE MANDATED PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHINGS ABOUT VETERANS

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce, Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose and Assemblyman Joseph Malone introduced legislation yesterday that would repeal a provision in a bill approved by the Legislature last month that no longer mandates that public schools teach students about the significance of Memorial and Veterans' Day."Teaching our students about the sacrifices and selfless contributions our veterans have made should not be optional," said DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. "They and their fallen comrades have paid too high a price - from the Civil War to World Wars I and II to Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War and Iraq and Afghanistan. It is because of our veterans from each of these historic struggles that America is the great nation it is today."

McHose, R--ussex, Morris and Hunterdon, said that if schools are not required to include such teachings in its curriculum, "we run the risk of having future generations take for granted the freedoms all of our veterans have secured for them. As a military wife, I know the sacrifices of veterans and their families have been far too great and many to leave this to chance.

"Our veterans are the backbone of this country," she continued. "The freedoms we enjoy each and every day were won by their sweat, toil and blood. Surely it's not too much to ask that we remember them by teaching our children about their tremendously selfless sacrifices."

The bill, A-3928, makes it mandatory for public schools to hold appropriate exercises for the development of a higher spirit of patriotism on the last school day preceding Memorial and Veterans' Day. It also requires that public schools require instruction on the contributions and sacrifices of U.S. veterans as part of the Core Curriculum Content Standards for Social Studies.

Malone, R-Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean and Mercer, explained that the bill passed in December 2006, A-17, was the result of recommendations of the Joint Committee on Public School Funding, one of four committees established last year to study ways to reform the state’s property tax process. The bill is currently awaiting Governor Jon Corzine's signature.

"The original legislation was never intended to eliminate the need to teach students about such holidays as Memorial and Veterans' Day," said Malone. "Rather, its purpose was to provide school districts with greater flexibility in providing instructions to their students. We owe too great a price to those who fought for our freedoms to remove such teachings from our schools."

However, DeCroce, McHose and Malone said that because it's possible school districts may interpret A-17 as the elimination of their responsibility to teach students about the role of veterans in our nation's history, they have introduced A-3928 to correct this possible misinterpretation of the law.

The three lawmakers also noted that as with other so-called property tax reform bills, A-17, was drafted and placed before the Legislature for a vote without the opportunity for input by Veterans' organizations or the public.

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For more information, contact:
Republican Leader Alex DeCroce/973-984-0922
Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose /973-726-0954
Assemblyman Joseph Malone/609-298-6250