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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (March 30, 2022)
2A | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2022 | APPEAL TRIBUNE Answering questions about curriculum Address: P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309 Phone: 503-399-6773 Fax: 503-399-6706 Eddy Binford-Ross Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK What kids are learning in schools has been a discussion point for dec- ades. But the topic has been brought to the forefront of national conversations in recent years and become increasing- ly politicized. In Oregon, House Republicans intro- duced a bill in the 2022 short session that would have required all course cur- ricula to be made public. House Bill 4022 would have directed school boards to ensure the curriculum for each course offered was posted on the district website. Democratic legis- lative leaders never gave the bill a hear- ing or vote, essentially killing in the House Education Committee at the end of the session. With the bill’s death there are no laws to make curricula public. Howev- er, information is still available about what kids are learning in Oregon public schools. We reached out to local and state education officials to answer common questions about curricula and what students are learning. What is curriculum and who sets it? Curriculum refers to a series of “planned experiences” that students participate in so they can achieve profi- ciency in content and meet state stan- dards for that topic. Lesson plans, dis- cussion questions, assessments, homework assignments and more are all considered part of a course’s curri- culum, the Oregon Department of Edu- cation said. ODE does not have or require specif- ic curriculum — with one exception, tribal history. Decisions on everything else are left to individual districts, Marc Siegel, communications director for ODE, said. And each district has a slightly dif- ferent policy. For example, in Central School Dis- trict, board policy guides the district’s selection of core program materials. Students, staff, parents and communi- ty members have the opportunity to re- view and provide feedback on any rec- ommended instructional material be- fore the school board votes to approve it, Emily Mentzer, district communica- tions director, said. Central is currently in the process of adopting a new Elementary Language Arts curriculum. A committee of dis- trict staff and community members choose resources and material. After it is chosen, the materials will be shared at a school board meeting and community members will be able to provide feed- back. Then, the school board will vote, Mentzer said. What textbooks and books are used in classrooms? The textbooks, books and digital ma- terials allowed to be used in classrooms is decided by districts, in partnership with ODE. ODE reviews and approves instruc- tional material first. Then districts choose from that list or they can use a state-approved evaluation rubric to use non-approved materials, Siegel said. In Central School District, supple- mentary materials and library resources are chosen by staff and principals, with assistance from students and families sometimes, Mentzer said. What are my kids in Salem-Keizer learning? Email: sanews@salem.gannett.com Web site: www.SilvertonAppeal.com Staff News Director Don Currie 503-399-6655 dcurrie@statesmanjournal.com Advertising Westsmb@gannett.com Deadlines News: 4 p.m. Thursday Letters: 4 p.m. Thursday Obituaries: 11 a.m. Friday Display Advertising: 4 p.m. Wednesday Legals: 3 p.m. Wednesday Classifieds: 4 p.m. Friday News Tips The Appeal Tribune encourages suggestions for local stories. Email the newsroom, submit letters to the editor and send announcements to sanews@salem.gannett.com or call 503-399-6773. Classifieds: call 503-399-6789 Retail: call 503-399-6602 Legal: call 503-399-6789 Missed Delivery? Call: 800-452-2511 Hours: until 7 p.m. Wednesdays; until 3 p.m. other weekdays To Subscribe Call: 800-452-2511 $21 per year for home delivery $22 per year for motor delivery $30.10 per year mail delivery in Oregon $38.13 per year mail delivery outside Oregon Main Statesman Journal publication Suggested monthly rates: Monday-Sunday: $22, $20 with EZ Pay Monday-Saturday: $17.50, $16 with EZ Pay Wednesday-Sunday: $18, $16 with EZ Pay Monday-Friday: $17.50, $16 with EZ Pay Sunday and Wednesday: $14, $12 with EZ Pay Sunday only: $14, $12 with EZ Pay To report delivery problems or subscribe, call 800-452-2511 To Place an Ad Published every Wednesday by the Statesman Journal, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309. USPS 469-860, Postmaster: Send address changes to Appeal Tribune, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID: Salem, OR and additional offices. Send letters to the editor and news releases to sanews@salem.gannett.com. Salem-Keizer school district posts the foundation of its elementary school curricula online. Links direct parents to information about language arts, math, health, science and SEL curricula. For middle and high schoolers, Sa- lem-Keizer does not post curriculum in- formation online due to copyright laws, its website says. However, Salem-Keizer officials encourage families to contact teachers to discuss what is being taught in classes. Some teachers at the middle and high school levels also have websites and syl- labi outlining what they are covering. What is the state’s tribal history curriculum? Oregon does require that public school students be taught lessons around tribal history, Siegel said. In 2017, Senate Bill 13 was signed into law requiring educators to teach Tribal History/Shared History. Fourth, eighth and 10th-grade teachers are required to provide instruction based on “tribal ap- proved essential understanding” in five subjects, including English, math and social sciences. Lessons that teachers use have been created by ODE and local tribes, and vary in content by grade. For example, in 10th- grade history, there are lesson plans available on Indigenous People’s Day and tribal sovereignty. The state requires teachers to use these lessons, which are accessible online, Siegel said. to state standards? What are state education standards? The general standards are updated every seven years. However, more spe- cialized changes can and do come from the Oregon Legislature. In 2019, Senate Bill 664 was signed into law, requiring districts to teach stu- dents about the Holocaust and other in- stances of genocide. This law requires teachers to create and teach lessons that “prepare students to confront the immo- rality of the Holocaust, genocide and other acts of mass violence and to reflect on the causes,” among other things. Schools have freedom around how they teach these concepts, but they are required to address them and make sure that student knowledge meets the state standards. Other requirements will be going into place over the next several years. Starting in 2025, high schoolers will be required to take half a credit of civics education. The year after, Ethnic Studies and Inclusive Education will be imple- mented in Oregon social studies classes to “address the contributions” of differ- ent social and ethnic minorities across Oregon. Just like Senate Bill 664, these re- quirements don’t have to be taught one specific way, but students will work to meet a blanket set of standards. State standards help determine schools’ curricula, as they break down what students should know how to do at each grade level and for each content area. Teacher panels review these stan- dards every seven years and then they are adopted by the State Board, Siegel said. Every content area from the social sci- ences and mathematics to the arts and physical education have standards bro- ken down by grade level. As students progress through the grade levels, these standards become more complex. For example in sixth-grade language arts, students learn to “read closely to determine what the text says explicit- ly” and to “cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking.” By ninth grade, these students learn to analyze texts “explicitly as well as inferentially” and to cite “strong and thorough textual evidence” to support the analysis. Schools have freedom around how they teach to these standards, but each educator works towards ensuring that their students meet them. Have there been recent changes What are ‘ghost guns’? Here’s what you should know Virginia Barreda Salem Statesman Journal | USA TODAY NETWORK Last month, federal agents stumbled upon what they called Oregon’s largest privately-made firearm — “ghost gun” — manufacturing workshop in the base- ment of a South Salem home while serv- ing a search warrant. Salem police said they have seen an increase in appear- ances of these self-made guns in their in- vestigations over the past several months. While the phenomenon may be rela- tively recent in Salem, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) officials say the number of ghost guns ap- pearing across the nation has risen steadily over the past several years. Gun violence prevention advocates and law enforcement officials have sounded the alarm on ghost guns. Their untraceable nature, they say, makes them easily acquired by criminals who otherwise would not be permitted to pos- sess a firearm and nearly impossible for law enforcement to track. Here are some things to know about these untraceable guns: What is a ghost gun? A ghost gun, also called a privately- made firearm by law enforcement or “kit gun,” is an unserialized, homemade fire- arm built from parts that are widely available for purchase without a back- ground check. ATF-licensed gunmakers or importers are required to engrave identification in- formation, including a serial number, make and model, to a traditionally-man- ufactured firearm. Serial numbers are the best way for law enforcement to trace these guns to their first retail purchaser when investigating a crime, according to ATF public information officer Jason Chudy. But since ghost guns are made using kits and incomplete parts of a firearm they are not required to have a serial number under federal law. Similarly, those buying and selling the components for ghost guns are not re- quired to undergo a background check. U.S. Department of Justice officials, as well as gun violence prevention advo- cates, say this makes them easily ac- quired by criminals who otherwise would not be permitted to possess a firearm and nearly impossible for law enforcement to track. “And that’s the main reason they’re re- ferred to as ‘ghost guns’ — because you can’t tell where they came from,” Chudy said. Are ghost guns legal? Federal law allows a person to make a firearm for personal use, Chudy said, un- less that individual is otherwise prohib- ited from possessing a firearm. If some- one is a convicted felon, they are not al- lowed to possess a firearm. Chudy said he was unaware of any federal law that limits the number of fire- arms an individual can manufacture for personal use. Any person who is in the business of making guns to sell them must obtain a federal firearm license to do so, he said. The seller is required to serialize the fire- arms, as well as follow other require- ments that make the weapon traceable. These laws were determined by the Gun Control Act of 1968. The act, which came after the assassinations of Presi- dent John Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., imposes licensing and regula- tion on the firearms industry, established new categories of firearms offenses, and prohibits the sale of firearms and ammu- nition to felons and certain other prohib- ited persons, according to the ATF. How are ghost guns made? Ghost guns are most frequently pur- chased and assembled from kits. They can also be 3D-printed. A key component to a firearm is called a frame or “receiver,” which houses the firing mechanism. Under federal law, only a frame or receiver of a firearm must carry a serial number. And anyone pur- chasing a receiver is subject to a back- ground check, according to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. “Unfinished frames and receivers are often marketed as “80%” complete, meaning a buyer needs to do only 20% of the work for the frame or receiver to be assembled into an operable firearm,” ac- cording to a report by Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun violence preven- tion organization. Chudy says it’s perfectly legal and easy to buy firearm components, includ- ing a frame and receiver, from a legiti- mate retailer. “Anybody can go online and just type up 80% receiver and you’ll find stores le- gally able to sell them,” he said. Privately-made firearms can also be created using new manufacturing tech- nologies such as 3D printing, which al- lows a person to produce a three-dimen- sional object much in the way that a tra- ditional printer can produce a printed document, according to Giffords. “A high- quality, easy-to-use model is available for about $2,500, roughly the cost of a high- end AR-15–style rifle. Entry-level 3D printers are available for under $200.” Why is a serial number on a gun important and what happens when there isn’t one? Firearms’ serial numbers are key in- vestigative tools for police. When law en- forcement officials recover a firearm at a crime scene, they use serial numbers to trace the weapon back to the owner and retailer. The ATF’s National Tracing Center (NTC) traces firearms associated with crimes and provides investigative leads for local, state, federal and foreign law enforcement agencies. Officials say 490,800 trace requests were processed in the fiscal year 2020. In Oregon, 5,288 firearms were recov- ered during investigations and traced in 2020, according to the ATF. Salem was ranked third among Oregon cities for fire- arm recovery in 2020, with 335. Portland holds the number one spot with 1,121 fire- arms recovered; Eugene holds the second with 353. Without a serial number, guns are harder for police to trace. “What we have to do is figure out if it was recovered from someone, where they got that firearm from and basically work the process backward,” Chudy said. Salem police officials said they’re not immune to this problem. Detectives add- ed because they’re harder to trace, there are additional “complications” in training investigators and evidence techs to prop- erly document PMFs for entry into data- bases. How often are ghost guns used in crimes? In recent years, the number of ghost guns recovered from crime scenes across the country has increased. Nearly 24,000 suspected ghost guns were recovered by law enforcement from potential crime scenes from Jan.1, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2020 and reported to the ATF, according to a report written by At- torney General Merrick B. Garland on be- half of the Department of Justice. This includes ghost guns recovered from 325 homicides or attempted homicides. The numbers are rising in some municipalities. In 2019, 6% of the fire- arms recovered by the San Francisco Po- lice Department in connection with homicides were ghost guns. Last year it topped 44%, according to the lawsuit filed by the city district attorney’s office. New York County hasn’t had as many ghost gun cases as San Francisco, but they have doubled in the last two to three years, said Cyrus Vance Jr., the Manhat- tan chief prosecutor. In 2020, the New York City Police Department recovered 225 ghost guns through Dec. 3, surpass- ing the 145 recovered in 2020. In 2019, of- ficers recovered just 48. Ghost guns have also been used in at least three mass shootings in recent years: A 2013 shooting in Santa Monica, California, that left five people dead, a 2017 shooting in Tehama County, Califor- nia, that left four people dead and a 2019 shooting in Santa Clarita, California, that left two students at Saugus High School dead. Have efforts been made to regulate ghost guns? Gun control advocates and some law enforcement officials alike have sounded the alarm over ghost guns, which they say is a growing threat to public safety. According to Giffords, 10 states (Cali- fornia, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Is- land, Virginia, and Washington) and the District of Columbia have enacted laws to at least partially address the undetect- able or untraceable guns. USA Today’s Kevin McCoy and Ryan W. Miller contributed to this report. Virginia Barreda is the Statesman Journal’s public safety and courts report- er. She can be reached at vbarreda@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6657.