SPS won't hand out copies of Constitution provided by Moms for Liberty without disclaimer

The chair of the local Moms for Liberty chapter asked the Springfield school board to support its effort to distribute pocket-sized copies of the U.S. Constitution to each eighth-grader in the district.

Megan Patrick, who addressed the board for the first time Tuesday, said every district in Greene County — except for Springfield Public Schools — has "graciously agreed" to distribute them without imposing any conditions.

"We were told by SPS that these Constitutions cannot be given out to students. They could be placed on a community table with flyers only if we added the disclaimer that they were not supported by SPS," said Patrick, who brought copies to the meeting. "While we respect the need for transparency and accuracy, we believe that requiring disclaimers on a pocket Constitution sends a message that undermines the importance of teaching the Constitution."

The copies are provided free-of-charge by the nonprofit 917 Society and have been distributed by Moms for Liberty chapters and others to middle school students across the U.S. The name, logo and website of the 917 Society have been printed on each copy.

"There is only a handful of school districts in the United States that have not accepted them," Patrick said.

Stephen Hall, chief communications officer, confirmed the local Moms for Liberty chapter first reached out a month ago and the district explained the steps required to comply with board policy KI.

Under board policy KI, which was adopted in 2015, the district limits what advertisement — including pamphlets and handouts — can be distributed directly to students. It must be curriculum-related, district-sponsored or from groups affiliated with the district.

"We handled it exactly like we do requests from any organization for materials to be distributed directly to students, which does not occur," Hall said.

The News-Leader obtained emails between Jessica Blake, coordinator of community relations for SPS, and Patrick and Lizzie Nothum, vice chair of the Greene County chapter.

In a Sept. 8 email, Blake explained the district "maintains a closed forum" and flyers and materials from groups not affiliated with SPS are not eligible to be distributed directly to students.

Blake wrote that the district will allow the copies to be placed on "community tables" in the school setting if they include this disclaimer: "The information in this flyer does not constitute the district's endorsement of the activity, organization, organization's mission, organization's message or any opinion expressed by the organization, its members or persons who attend the activity."

In an email, Nothum questioned the response, contending the copy is "absolutely something that would enhance the curriculum."

"If you look at the PDF we sent, it is strictly the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The SPS website clearly states that the students are to be learning about the Constitution in eighth grade," she wrote.

On Sept. 11, Blake emailed Nothum to confirm students do study both foundational U.S. documents during eighth grade and receive related curriculum resources.

"It is important to note that the attachment you provided contains information beyond text related to the Constitution, including organization branding and marketing," Blake wrote. "Accordingly, all requests from outside organizations are addressed by our guidelines."

The same day, Patrick said she planned to take the issue to the board. At the Tuesday meeting, she asked the board to get involved.

"I would like to request that the board have a vote on this matter," she said.

Consistent with its longstanding practice, the board did not respond to Patrick during its public comment period.

More: Chair of Moms for Liberty group talks about starting Greene County chapter

Patrick expressed frustration that conditions were placed on distributing the copies.

"The Constitution is not a partisan document and it should not be treated as such. It belongs to all Americans regardless of political affiliation or endorsement and should be embraced as an educational resource that fosters critical thinking and civic engagement," Patrick told the board.

"By requiring disclaimers, we risk diluting the significance of these pocket Constitutions and sending a message that we discourage their use. Instead, we should encourage our students to study the Constitution, ask questions and engage in discussions about its profound impact on our nation's history."

"We are parents who are concerned"

Moms for Liberty started in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic and now has chapters in more than 40 states. In Missouri, there are other chapters in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas.

Leaders of the group say they are fighting for parents' rights and against the "woke indoctrination" of students.

Patrick and Nothum live in Willard and established the Greene County chapter of Moms for Liberty in March. They have both been involved in the effort to restrict access to controversial books in school libraries.

They met Springfield board member Maryam Mohammadkhani at a June special meeting of the Nixa board, which was focused solely on book challenges. Shortly after that, they attended their first SPS board meeting.

Over the summer, Patrick appeared on the Elijah Haahr Show on KWTO. In August, she was invited back to the show by Springfield board member Steve Makoski, who was the guest host.

During the show and a follow-up interview with the News-Leader, Makoski said the local chapter has not received a fair shake and encouraged parents to check out the group for themselves.

More: Moms for Liberty starts local chapter, SPS board member invites its leaders to meeting

Makoski also denounced the Southern Poverty Law Center and its declaration that Moms for Liberty was one of the nation's “anti-government extremist groups." The civil rights group has long tracked, and drawn public attention to, hate and extremism.

"People are trying to take down Moms for Liberty. Moms for Liberty is not a hate group in my opinion but the law center says they are a hate group so who do you believe? Who has the clout? Who has the authority to be able to make that decision," Makoski asked, saying people should listen to the group and make up their own mind. "There is a lot of opinion out there and I felt it necessary to have that (radio) program."

At the Tuesday meeting, Patrick officially introduced herself to the rest of the board and reiterated that her group is not about hate.

"We are parents who are concerned. We are parents who are standing up for some of the nonsense happening in our public schools," she said. "We are parents who want our children to be educated and not indoctrinated."

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: SPS won't pass out pocket Constitutions provided by Moms for Liberty