KAPOLEI (HawaiiNewsNow) – The race for the White House is reaching local classrooms and one lesson has some parents raising their eyebrows.

The controversy is related to a two-page document that was handed out to classrooms at Kapolei Middle School.

It broke down where the US presidential candidates — Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump — are sitting on the issues.

The state Department of Education confirms the document was developed by a group of school teachers who simplified information in a New York Times candidate comparison article.

The material given to the students lists six problems.

Examples:

Crime:

Harris: “Give the police money”

Asset: “Send soldiers into the cities”

Democracy:

Harris: “He wants to keep our country a democracy”

Asset: “We tried to overturn the 2020 election

Immigration:

Harris: “Hire more people to police the border”

“Limit how many people can move to the US

Asset: “Find and Apprehend People Illegally in the US”

“Take the children from their parents”

The lesson upset some parents like Angel Morales, who felt it was biased against the former president.

“Very angry,” Morales said. “I think teachers should do their jobs because teachers are about education and not about politics.”

The Hawaii DOE said in a statement:

The department aims to engage students in civic topics with care and impartiality. Recently, a Kapolei 6th grade class used an exercise called “It’s a match”, adapted from an article in the New York Timesto help students understand the candidates’ positions on key issues.

Teachers have simplified this information to make it accessible to young students, striving to remain factual and unbiased. The intention was to encourage independent thinking and discussion among students, not to promote any particular view. We recognize that interpreting and simplifying complex issues can sometimes lead to perceived imbalances, particularly when presenting nuanced political topics to a younger audience, but we remain committed to maintaining a balanced learning environment.

Reactions from parents at other schools were mixed.

“I do not mind. I actually value that because it’s important to teach students how we make informed decisions when we go to the polls,” said Christine Russo, a parent at Ewa Elementary.

“I thought she was a bit biased. I don’t think it’s fair especially at this age level,” said Natasha Heffernan, another public school parent.

Teachers’ attempts to break down complex problems are defended by the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

A statement said:

“Both HSTA, the Board of Education, and the DOE support student discussion of issues that may generate opposing viewpoints as an important part of the learning process. Age-appropriate civics helps students develop a meaningful awareness and respect for the U.S. Constitution and individual rights. It encourages students’ recognition of the individual freedom and social responsibility to vote. Teachers create lessons to enable students to study, investigate, process and develop their own views of the world and themselves.”

The DOE didn’t say whether the teachers involved face any disciplinary action or if there’s any chance of a policy, but it did give us the current policy that says DOE staff must teach on an “objective and factual basis.”

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