Last week, students in a high school history class in Baltimore County, Maryland, got their own dose of leftist indoctrination, as a slide depicted President Trump next to a Nazi swastika and the Communist Party’s hammer and sickle.
The slide at Loch Raven High School showed Trump with the caption, “Wants to round up a group of people and build a giant wall.” Below that on the left was the swastika with the caption “been there” and below Trump on the right was was the hammer and sickle accompanied by the caption, “done that.” A banner to the side of the slide read, “Oh that’s why it sounds so familiar!”
The school system said Wednesday that the slide was "not intended to make a political statement" but also noted: "The referenced slide was not part of [AP curriculum resources]…" https://t.co/uToqAu8aek
— FOX Baltimore (@FOXBaltimore) February 21, 2020
One parent told Fox45, “The biggest problem is pushing an agenda on 16-year-olds. My understanding is that was just put up and it was left there for everyone to see the whole day. I was told that by another student who said the topic in that class was supposedly world leaders shunning other groups out. I said, ‘Is this part of the curriculum?'”
A spokesperson the Baltimore County Public Schools told Fox45:
This slide was used as part of a lesson in an AP History course. The topics being discussed included World Wars and the attempts by some leaders to limit, or prevent migration, into certain countries. In isolation and out of context with the lesson, the image could be misunderstood.
In our Advanced Placement (AP) classes, which are college level courses, we expect and encourage analysis and discussion around historical and current events even if they are considered controversial. This lesson was not intended to make a political statement. If a student has concerns when discussing a controversial issue, schools have the tools to address the concern and support the student.
The Baltimore Sun reported, “Charles Herndon, a spokesman for Baltimore County schools, said students in such advanced high school classes are ‘discerning, intelligent students who are going to be able to draw their own inferences and draw their own conclusions.’”
Baltimore County councilman Wade Kach, who represents the district where the high school is located, countered, “To even imply that our president is in any way a Nazi or a communist is outrageous. Is this curriculum for AP? Is it a purchased curriculum? Is it one that our school system wrote? Where is it coming from? I just think that it’s irresponsible to post anything like this in a classroom.”
Dr. Richard Vatz, a professor at Towson University, told Fox45, “High schools are not supposed to take advocacy positions against presidents. They’re supposed to explain how political advocacy works, if that’s what they’re doing. They’re certainly not to take a position that the president is comparable to these awful leaders of the past.”
Vatz added, “If they’re not presenting that as clear, outrageous argument against the president of the United States, then they’re not doing their job. It’s really contemptible. But I want to say it’s conceivable the teachers are doing a better job than has been communicated to you.”