Can Iowa legislate patriotism?

Yet another bill on public school education is up for consideration by the Iowa Legislature. Lawmakers are attempting to set a national example for how to safeguard public schools from hijacking by illiberal activists.

House Study Bill 604 provides schools with “patriotic exercises” and relevant civic and historical instruction on a list of certain national holidays, such as Columbus Day and Martin King Luther Jr. Day. Some legislators and organizations don’t agree with the bill, some out of concern for school compliance with new requirements, and some who object with the overall patriotic goal of the bill.

For example, The Iowa Standard reported Connie Ryan with the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa said her organization is opposed because public schools are not intended to “ensure our children and youth are patriotic.”

That viewpoint is at odds with the broader American project. Patriotism ought to be a key feature of all education, both public and private. It’s essential for children to learn about what makes America great, just as it is for Italian people to learn about the nation of Italy, or Agentinain people to learn about their history and unique national identity. As The American Historical Associations points out a “majority of young Americans do not go to college, it is obvious that American history must be taught with sufficient completeness in the public schools to satisfy the minimum requirements for good citizenship.”

Part of our national project is passing on of the philosophy and culture we inherited from previous generations. This is both a private and public responsibility — a responsibility that is not being met in some schools around the nation.

Looking outside of Iowa, California elementary school forced third-graders to deconstruct their racial and sexual identities, then rank themselves according to their "power and privilege." Similarly, North Carolina’s largest school district launched a campaign against "whiteness in educational spaces.” This race-focused language which was once only common to woke college classrooms has now trickled into elementary education.

The examples may seem far away, but I promise they are not far off. The Ankeny High school drag show controversy was less than two years ago. In college I remember sitting through a DEI seminar class where a professor described how colonialism and white supremacy are passed on and enforced in daily habits.

It’s important to protect public education in Iowa from activism that seeks to depress freedom and stoke division.

Schools are, of course, more than day care, but they are also more than math lessons and spelling tests. They have a unique duty to communicate the intangible pieces of wisdom that make America what it is.

Iowa lawmakers are correct to take a closer look at what is being taught in classrooms. Patriotism cannot be mandated, but it easily can be taught. America will only last as long as Americans can answer the question, “what does it mean to be an American?”

Patricia Patnode is from Waterloo, graduated from Loras College and is a research fellow for the Competitive Enterprise Institute.