New Jersey Middle School Teaches Protesting Skills
A middle school in New Jersey is facing backlash for teaching students how to protest, with critics arguing that these activities are unproductive.
Clinton Township Middle School, situated in the well-off Hunterdon County, has drawn significant criticism for organizing mock assemblies aimed at imparting “civic concepts,” including First Amendment rights, as shared by district Superintendent Melissa Stager in a released email.
A video shared on X on April 7 displays students holding signs outside the school. It’s unclear what the signs say from the footage.
School Principal Luke Mason, along with Assistant Principal Christina Hunt and Social Studies Teacher Jennifer Taylor, observed the students as they participated in the mock protest.
Students pretended to demonstrate against their homework, with Stager noting that the class was designed to be non-political and suitable for their age.
However, education experts disagreed with her stance.
“It is incredibly frustrating and appalling that school officials and teachers are using valuable class time to teach children about protesting, even as nearly 70% of students nationwide cannot read at a proficient level,” remarked Ryen Staley, director of research at Defending Education.
Weber, a K-12 education policy fellow at the Manhattan Institute, expressed concerns that these civics lessons are not fostering independent thought among students.
“What happened in Clinton is troubling because the lessons seem to cross from explaining civic processes to influencing how students participate in these issues,” she stated. “This could lead to normalizing student involvement in various movements.”
Neither Stager, Mason, Hunt, nor Taylor provided comments when approached.
While the mock protest at Clinton Township was focused on homework, there are genuine protests against entities like ICE occurring in schools nationwide. Some experts warn that classes like this one may signal a broader trend.
Groups like the Soros-funded Sunrise Movement have been instrumental in organizing protests against ICE in educational settings.
Initially formed in 2017 as a climate activism organization, the group has shifted to focus on anti-Trump and anti-ICE efforts, actively advocating for young Americans to be involved in government reform.
A presentation from a March membership meeting revealed the group’s agenda, which includes halting the climate crisis and calling for a political transformation to achieve “environmental socialism, multiracial democracy, and Green New Deal legislation.”
The Sunrise Movement did not respond to requests for comments.
“Our academic institutions should serve as platforms for exploration and spirited debate on ideas and policies, rather than being used to push a specific political agenda,” stated Staley.
