Fact check: Public schools still teach the Declaration of Independence, contrary to claim

The claim: Public schools don't teach the Declaration of Independence

An April 6 Facebook video features a man speaking into a microphone about the public school system.

"Why does the public education system not teach the Declaration of Independence?" the man asks.

The post garnered more than 1,000 shares in less than a week, while the original TikTok got more than 700,000 likes in two and a half weeks. Similar versions of the post have been shared on Facebook.

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Our rating: False

Public schools are required by state learning standards across the country to teach the Declaration of Independence at the elementary or secondary school levels.

Schools teach Declaration of Independence

The clip originated from a conservative radio show called The Victor Nieves Show, according to a post shared on Facebook by the network.

The show airs on Real Talk 93.3 FM in Missouri, where students are required to learn about the Declaration of Independence, according to learning standards available on the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's website. The Declaration of Independence is mentioned multiple times in the learning standards, which define the subjects students must study in each grade level and course. The declaration is referenced as early as the 4th grade. It's also mentioned in the state middle school curriculum.

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The declaration is also taught in schools across the country.

Meira Levinson, an education professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an expert in curriculum development, told USA TODAY in an email that the Declaration of Independence is "consistently taught in public elementary and/or middle schools across the nation."

For example, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana learning standards require the introduction of the document in fifth grade, while Mississippi and Texas teach it as early as third grade.

David Law, superintendent of Minnetonka Public Schools in Minnesota, Lee Ann Wentzel, superintendent of Ridley School District in Pennsylvania, and Shari Camhi, superintendent of Baldwin Union Free School District in New York, told USA TODAY over email their school districts teach about the Declaration of Independence.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment. The TikTok user couldn't be contacted.

In a Facebook message to USA TODAY, Victor Nieves, the host in the Facebook video, acknowledged the declaration is mentioned in schools, but he claimed minimal focus is placed on it.

PolitiFact debunked the claim as well.

Our fact-check sources:

• Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, accessed April 10, Missouri Learning Standards
• Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, 2016, MLS Social Studies Standards Grades K-5
• Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, accessed April 10, Social Studies MLS Crosswalk - MS American History
• Meira Levinson, April 13, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• David Law, April 13, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• Lee Ann Wentzel, April 14, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• Shari Camhi, April 13, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• Minnesota Department of Education, December 2020, 2020 Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies First Draft
• Illinois State Board of Education, September 2007, Illinois Social Science Assessment Framework Grades 5, 8, and 11
• Indiana Department of Education, Jan. 6, 2020, Indiana Academic Standards
  Social Studies: Grade 5
• Kentucky Department of Education, April 2019, Kentucky Academic Standards: Social Studies
• Mississippi Department of Education, 2018, Standards for the Social Studies
• Texas Education Agency, accessed April 13, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies

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Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.