Some southwest Michigan educators are asking local residents to make their voices heard.

The Michigan Department of Education is currently considering proposed changes to the state’s social studies curriculum for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The standards were last updated in 2007.

The newly proposed standards, drafted by a focus group containing a number of conservative lawmakers, strips or cuts down references to a number of items that are currently in the social studies standards, such as references to LGBT history, Roe v. Wade, climate change, the Ku Klux Klan and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. One of the most controversial changes included in the proposed standards is the removal of the term “core democratic values” from the curriculum, with some members of the drafting committee having stated that the term “democratic” implies partisanship.

Now, local educators are responding the proposed changes and encouraging community members and other educators to have a voice in the matter.

“History is history. You can’t take away from it,” said Dave Roeder, a social studies instructor at Brandywine High School. He is also the supervisor of the Brandywine History Club. “We shouldn’t be changing that.”

Roeder, like many others, including democratic members of the State Board of Education, believes the proposed changes are politically motivated, which is something he said has no place in education.

“[The social studies standards] should be a bipartisan exercise,” he said. “We should not be changing the curriculum because one party is in control of the house or senate.”

Individual teachers develop lesson plans for their classrooms and could incorporate the deleted subject matter. Because of this, Roeder said he does not believe that even if the newly proposed standards pass that it will affect his classroom, saying he will continue to have what he calls “reasoned and balanced discussions” about current events, civil rights and other complex topics that have been affected by the proposed changes.

“We talk about climate change. We watch an ‘Inconvenient Truth.’ … We talked about gay marriage and LGBT rights,” he said. “We study Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. We discuss how the KKK grew out of the civil war. I don’t understand why certain politicians in the state want to take those things out, but it’s not going to change the way I teach. … I think many of us will continue to teach how we were trained.”

Despite this, Roeder said he believes it is important to take a stance against the proposed changes as state standards set expectations for what students are to learn in each grade.

From an administration standpoint, Deputy Superintendent of Dowagiac Union Schools Dawn Conner said an update to the social studies curriculum has long been needed.

“Overall, most of the changes have been positive and this area of curriculum desperately needed [to be] updated. The new standards reflect an increased emphasis on questioning, evaluating data and communication, which aligns much better with what students need to know and be able to do,” Conner said.

However, she said she understands that many may be concerned about the proposed changes as social studies is a core subject that teaches students to become responsible citizens. She added that some of the examples that have been removed from the proposed standards may have been due to political influence.

“One example might be the elimination of core democratic values to core values. I also

personally like examples to be included because it gives teachers more resources to draw from

when teaching the concepts,” Conner said. “I don’t believe a mandated curriculum should be politically influenced by either political party.”

Both Conner and Roeder are encouraging others to share their opinions on the standards with policy makers — no matter what their position may be.

“Since we do live in a democracy and we do have an obligation to provide input when asked, I

have encouraged staff to examine the standards and provide feedback at [the public comment survey site],” Conner said.

Roeder echoed this statement.

“I would tell everyone what I tell my students,” Roeder said. “You get civically involved. You vote. You attend meetings. You write your elected officials. That is how you affect change. That is how it has always been done in this country.”

The Michigan Department of Education is still seeking public input on new social studies standards. Anyone can leave a public comment on the matter by filling out a survey at the Michigan Department of Education’s website, under academic standards. The Department of Education will receive comments until June 30. There is currently not a set date for the State’s Board of Education to either accept or deny the changes.