AP History Students in Virginia High School Forbidden to Research Outside Classroom

Oct. 20, 2020— -- Students in one Virginia history course will have to take what they learn in the classroom at face value, as their teachers forbid the use of any outside resources, including conversations with their parents.

A form titled "Expectations of Integrity" that went home to all parents of students in Westfield High School's AP World History course threatens disciplinary action and a failing grade for students who go beyond class handouts, their own notes or their textbook for information for their assignments, unless a teacher specifically directs them to do so.

"You may not use/access/refer to/peruse/skim/look at ANY Internet sites or Wikipedia or Encyclopedia Brittanica Online or any other reference site available online, including the Westfield High School databases to help you answer questions," the form read.

Students were told they were also not allowed to "discuss/mention/chat/hand signal/smoke signal/Facebook/IM/text/e-mail" their parents, friends, classmates, relatives or "complete strangers" on any questions, opinions or ideas relating to the coursework.

The research regulations, new this year, are a collaborative effort developed by all those who teach the AP World History course, the only college-level advanced placement course offered to sophomores at the Fairfax County, Va., school.

"It's not right," Fuentes said. "The rights of students are being violated left and right."

Relying solely on their textbooks and lecture notes, "they're not given all sides," Fuentes said. "They're analyzing when they're only given one interpretation of history."

Paul Regnier, spokesman for the Fairfax County Public School District, said most parents signed the AP World History integrity form and sent it back within three days.

"The idea was to think for yourself," he said, "rather than to pick up something from somewhere else and parrot it back."

"It's a little tongue-in cheek from the teachers," Regnier said.