Conservative Legal Group Investigates Virginia School District's 9/11 Teaching Guidance

America First Legal (AFL) has initiated an investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia concerning its guidance for teaching the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The investigation follows reports that the district's instructional materials advise teachers not to "center the extremists or the acts of the extremists" and to avoid associating the attacks with Islam or Muslims.

AFL stated that it is seeking to understand the origin of the guidance and to determine if any outside organizations were involved in its development. "We wanna know where this comes from. We wanna know who the school is working with to develop these guidances," Ian Prior, senior counsel for America First Legal, told Fox News Digital. He added, "We're still seeking to determine how far this goes. That's why we're investigating so that we can get to the bottom of it."

The guidance, titled "25th Anniversary and Commemoration of 9/11," was published on August 27 and edited on August 31. It directs teachers to use only instructional resources available through the district's Atlas site. FCPS notes that lessons about the attacks can unintentionally stigmatize Muslim and Middle Eastern students, and instructs teachers to prepare for anti-Muslim rhetoric, create safe spaces for these students, and challenge expressions of bias.

In a statement released on September 11, FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid said the district "unequivocally condemn[s]" the attacks and highlighted its connections to the Pentagon, military families, first responders, and survivors. Reid also stated that FCPS was "reviewing our materials" in response to community feedback, emphasizing that "the actions of terrorists should not define the entirety of any faith, culture, or community."

The district's guide does suggest making it clear that al-Qaeda carried out the attacks, distinguishing the organization from Muslims as a whole. "Al-Qaeda’s ideology and actions should not be attributed to Islam or to Muslims as a religious community," the document states. However, the primary focus, according to the guidance, should be on "those whose lives were lost and those who sacrificed to help others — not those who attacked the United States."

For younger students, FCPS suggests opening lessons with a general statement like, "Twenty-five years ago today, there was an attack on the United States," allowing student questions to guide further discussion. For older students, the guidance is more specific, mentioning the hijacking of planes by "members of the extremist group al-Qaeda" and detailing the casualties. The guide also points to the actions of the passengers and crew of Flight 93.

America First Legal criticized the district's approach, with counsel Will Scolinos stating, "Fairfax County Public Schools is attempting to sanitize history and strip truth from our children’s classrooms." The group argues that schools can teach about the ideology behind the attacks without assigning collective responsibility to an entire religious group.

FCPS did not directly address questions regarding the authorship or approval of the guidance, or the involvement of outside organizations, referring inquiries to their September 11 statement. AFL has indicated that the next steps in their investigation will depend on their findings.