Pentagon witness blasts Virginia school district's 'vanilla' 9/11 teacher guide

A wealthy , suburb's public school district is advising teachers not to link 9/11 with radical Islam and to be sure to create "safe spaces" for Muslim students as the nation somberly marks the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.

The guardrails in a six-page instructional guide, "25th Anniversary and Commemoration of 9/11" and distributed to teachers, has prompted critics to accuse (Virginia) Public School's liberal leaders of coddling post-9/11 sensitivities rather than teaching history.

s"It's sort of a vanilla way to do things," retired Navy Vice Admiral Lou Crenshaw, who was stationed inside the Pentagon when al Qaeda terrorists crashed a hijacked passenger jet into the building. "Everybody can go through the deal and feel good about it. And at the end of the day, nobody complains. 

CBC TELLS JOURNALISTS NOT TO CALL 9/11 TERRORIST ATTACKS IN INTERNAL GUIDANCE

"To me, that's not exactly what we need to do. We need to make sure that the kids have learned a lesson here. And that's not going to happen if we try to shave the facts to the point where it's hard to figure out what we're talking about."

A digital content analysis reveals that about half of the 1,740-word document is devoted to tips for creating "safe spaces for Muslim and Middle Eastern students," about 15% spells out specific 9/11 instruction and the rest of the document tip-toes around managing "emotional responses" to the lesson.

The guide by the school district, which sits only a few miles from the Pentagon and several military bases, mentions military families only three times and first responders only once, saying at one point, "Many families of military personnel and first responders experienced loss and hardship."

Meanwhile, it has 30 references to Islam, "Muslim families," "Muslim students," "anti-Muslim racism," "anti-Middle Eastern" rhetoric, "Islamophobic rhetoric" and "Middle Eastern students" and families. It includes a bulleted list of "critical considerations" to challenge anti-Muslim bias.

The curriculum guidance speaks to a wider tension about how the 9/11 attacks are described by influential figures from teachers, journalists and politicians to social media influencers as a network of powerful Muslim organizations have built educational programs over the past 25 years downplaying discussions about the extremist interpretations of Islam that motivated al Qaeda and the 19 hijackers involved in the 9/11 attacks.

On Thursday, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch called for "moral clarity" about what happened on 9/11, saying in a speech, "The men who attacked this city were terrorists. The men and women who ran into the towers to save innocent lives were heroes.

"Twenty-five years cannot be allowed to blur that distinction, and shame on those who do."

Last month, after a major public backlash, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reversed earlier guidance that instructed journalists to avoid calling 9/11 a "terrorist attack."

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, Fairfax County Public Schools said the school community has a "deeply personal connection to September 11 because of our proximity to the Pentagon and the many military-connected families we serve.

"On the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, we remember the nearly 3,000 people who were killed, including 184 at the Pentagon. We remember the victims, their families, the survivors, and everyone whose lives were forever changed. We honor the first responders whose courage and sacrifice continue to inspire us," the school district said.

"FCPS remains committed to creating an inclusive environment in our schools where all students feel welcome and respected as we strive to provide a world-class educatio