By Hank Russell
A week after President Donald Trump pardoned all of those who were arrested and imprisoned for the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. — even those who assaulted Capitol police officers — a Nassau County politician is introducing a bill in Albany in which schoolchildren would learn about the attacks as part of the curriculum.
State Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) has introduced legislation to require K-12 instruction on the January 6th, 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol and its aftermath. The proposed change to the education law comes in response to what Lavine called President Trump’s unceasing efforts to whitewash what is one of the most disgraceful episodes in our nation’s history.
“Not since the War of 1812, when British forces set fire to the Capitol, have the halls of power in Washington been overtaken by violent intruders as they were on Jan. 6,” Lavine said. “With this legislation, we ensure that it’s a day that will not be forgotten despite the efforts of our current president,” Lavine said. “Young people are looking to their teachers to help them understand both history and current events. New York’s educators have a responsibility to help our students understand what happened on that day and assist them in analyzing the legacy of that historical moment.”
“During the War of 1812, British troops burned the United States Capitol,” Lavine continued. “The Capitol represents our American people, our American democracy, and our American Constitution. It is sacrosanct. Until January 6, we Americans had protected it for 213 years. 650,000 Americans died in combat to protect our nation and nearly 550,000 died in non-combat-related incidents. Mine is not the only American family that was honored to include Gold Star parents. Our American Capitol is hallowed ground. It is consecrated ground.”
When asked at which grade this subject will be taught, Lavine replied, “New York educational policy and curriculum are determined by highly respected education experts in our New York State Board of Regents. As is true of every subject field, the Regents decide in which grades age-appropriate subject matter is taught.”
He was also asked if this would result in indoctrinating the students into thinking one way about the events. “Oxford Languages defines indoctrination as ‘teaching people to accept a set of beliefs uncritically,'” he said. “[President] Trump called the January 6 riot ‘a beautiful day.’ Not only is his statement ‘uncritical,’ it is an obnoxious lie. Channeling Groucho Marx, my response is:
‘Mr. President, who am I supposed to believe, you or my lying eyes?’”
Long Island Life & Politics has expressed disagreement with Trump’s pardoning of the violent January 6 demonstrators. In addition, LILP is currently running a poll asking if the ones who attacked Capitol police should have been pardoned. As of this writing, 32.05% said they agreed with Trump’s actions, while 62.82% did not and 5.13% said they did not know or had no opinion.
“The conduct that occurred on January 6 [was] shameful,” Lavine said. “It was a threat to our democracy. It was the opposite of ‘beautiful.’ We would indoctrinate our students by refusing to instruct them of that day’s profound danger to our democracy and of the treacherous presidential pardoning of the participants.”
LILP has reached out to members of the Legislative Minority and is waiting to hear back.