Listen to Superintendent Explain Why He Refuses to Remove Workbook With Outrageous Definition of Second Amendment

The superintendent of Springfield Public Schools told 970 WMAY on Monday that he doesn’t plan to remove a workbook that contains an outrageous definition of the Second Amendment, despite the outrage it has generated among parents.

The workbook, currently being utilized by seventh-graders at Grant Middle School in Springfield, Ill., teaches students that the Second Amendment gives people the "right to certain weapons, providing that they register them and they have not been in prison."

Superintendent Bob Hill told 970 WMAY that the workbook is not the only resource that provides a definition of the Second Amendment and argued that the interpretation found in the material teaches students "what happens with the right to bear arms in the context of 2014."

He argued that "no place in the book does it portray that that is the Second Amendment -- it's a study guide summary of the Second Amendment and the impact of the Second Amendment on the lives of people today." In "reality," he added, some places do require the registration of firearms.

Hill also claimed the material is not "proselytizing" a certain political point of view and said removing the material at this point in time is "pretty unfair relative to what the teacher has going on." Micromanaging teachers in the district by reviewing all material they want to teach, he said, would be insulting to educators.

The material was created by a teacher who is now retired, but it continued to be used. Hill said several parents have asked him to remove the material, "which I've told them I wouldn't do."

Listen to Hill's full interview with 970 WMAY here.

The full "definition" of the Second Amendment found in the workbook states:

This amendment states that people have the right to certain weapons, providing that they register them and they have not been in prison. The founding fathers included this amendment to prevent the United States from acting like the British who had tried to take weapons away from the colonists.

Facebook

The Second Amendment as written in the U.S. Constitution states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

The father who first brought attention to the workbook on Facebook confirmed to TheBlaze in a previous interview that his son made him aware of the inaccurate content. The parent met with his son’s history teacher and the head of the history department, where he was assured that his concerns would be addressed.

He said on Friday that he expected the issue to be resolved "very soon." That was before Hill addressed the controversy on Monday.

(H/T: Illinois Gun Owners Rights)