Celebrating ‘Constitution Day’ in Classrooms Across San Diego County on Tuesday, September 17

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sept. 16, 2019

CONTACT:
Edward Sifuentes
esifuentes@aclusandiego.org
619-501-3408

SAN DIEGO – On Tuesday, thousands of middle and high school students will celebrate Constitution Day in classrooms across San Diego County by learning about the wisdom, complexity and enduring relevance of the United States Constitution thanks to a special ACLU program pairing volunteer speakers with host teachers.

Since 2007, the ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties (ACLUF-SDIC) has recruited attorneys, civic leaders, community advocates and others to give classroom presentations about the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights on or around September 17, the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution. Volunteers are asked to be nonpartisan, to share personal experiences and relevant examples of the Constitution as a living document and to do their best to engage students in thoughtful dialogue.

The ACLUF-SDIC has curated and created an array of nonpartisan, student-friendly Constitution Day resources and made them publicly accessible online – for host teachers and volunteer speakers, but especially for educators, parents, students and others who are not participating in the ACLU-coordinated program.

These resources include a downloadable full-color poster, Dare To Create A More Perfect Union and a coloring version. Inspired by Howard Chandler Christy’s iconic “Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States,” this original artwork commissioned by ACLUF-SDIC in 2018 imagines the Constitution’s living legacy as a document to be adapted and improved by future generations in response to our nation’s changing social, political, moral and cultural norms.

Other Constitution Day resources are a recommended outline; slideshow; interactive trivia quizzes; a detailed student study guide; and a speaker’s guide highlighting topical issues, suggested questions to engage students in dialogue, and key court cases that illustrate important constitutional questions. For teachers, we provide documentation of the history and social science content standards met by our program.

The ACLUF-SDIC founded this program in response to a 2004 congressional mandate that all schools receiving federal funds provide educational programming about the Constitution on or around the anniversary of its signing on Sept. 17, 1787. Today, the San Diego model is replicated by ACLU affiliates across the nation.

Volunteer speakers are still needed. To sign up, please send an email to constitutionday@aclusandiego.org.

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