THE ENEMY WITHIN: ‘P’ is for propaganda.

Let’s dump the curriculum and teach Palestinian propaganda instead, said a group of Oakland (CA) teachers. They proposed an all-day “teach in.” Um, no, said district officials.

One early-elementary lesson proposed for the “teach in” encourages children to identify what they “will chant at a Palestine protest,” reports Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle. In an alphabet book titled P is for Palestine, the letter “I” represented “intifada,” which refers to armed uprisings by Palestinians against Israeli control of disputed land. (The book says the word means”rising up for what is right!”)

“It is the job of educators to teach students how to think critically, not to teach them what to think,” said a district statement. It reminded teachers “to keep their personal beliefs out of the classroom.”

Well, good — but here’s the kicker: “Only one third of students met or exceeded state English standards in Oakland Unified in 2023. One quarter met or exceeded math standards. Enrollment is declining.”