Students and faculty in Jefferson County Public Schools, Colorado’s largest school district, carried out protests and walkouts the week of Sept. 23.

The protests were in response to a school board proposal to change aspects of the Advanced Placement U.S. History (APUSH) curriculum.

Julie Williams, a conservative member of the school board, drafted the proposal, which includes establishment of a curriculum review board and specific amendments to the history curriculum.

Under the guise of striving for objectivity, the proposal aims to “promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free enterprise system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights” while ensuring materials do not “encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.”

The issue with this proposal is it attempts to ignore and undermine fundamental aspects of American history, while supporting a nationalistic and inauthentic picture of how America came to be.

Disobedience and social strife are an essential part of the history of America. Vietnam War protests, the Boston Tea Party, women’s suffrage and slavery are just some examples of important moments in our history where deviant thought and action were necessary for the advancement of our society.

The proposal appeared in response to College Board changes in the APUSH curriculum framework. The new curriculum focuses more on “historical thinking skills” and less on rote memorization.

A fine line exists between curriculum review and biased teaching. In an interview with a Colorado news station Sept. 18, Williams stated “I don’t think we should encourage kids to be little rebels.”

Besides being a rather patronizing view of how 17-year olds absorb knowledge, the message Williams is sending goes against the very core American values of honesty and integrity that she is claiming to defend.

American schools should be promoting nonconformist thinking and rebellion because these are the very qualities that make America great.

And actually, Jefferson County schools do encourage kids to be “little rebels.” The Rebels are the mascots of one of the county’s schools: Columbine High School.

In a press release posted on Facebook Sept. 23, Williams states, “I believe all children graduating from an American school should know three things: American Exceptionalism, an understanding of U.S. history, and know the Constitution.”

The aspect of her argument that is the most flawed is the necessity for a belief in American Exceptionalism. A respect and appreciation for America demands an understanding of our faults and the humility that must accompany them.

We’ve imprisoned our citizens because they had the same skin color as those we were fighting a war against. We’ve ordered drone strikes on innocent civilians and refused comment. We’ve traded in the commodity of human life.

Our successes and our faults define us equally. If we don’t give equal time and weight to acknowledge and reflect on both in our educational system, we fail to honor our past and intentionally shape our future.