Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia had a teaching guide for the 25th anniversary of 9/11 that centered on deterring criticism of Islam.
Fox News reported on Sept. 10 that the teaching guide encouraged educators to “spend time familiarizing yourself with the complexity of 9/11” and to “leverage a critical lens with students.”
They were also told not to “associate the 9/11 attacks with Islam or Muslims” or to “center the extremists or the acts of the extremists.”
The document was six pages long, according to Fox News.
Roughly 15 percent of the document actually details specific instruction about 9/11.
Fairfax County’s new 9/11 teaching guide devotes roughly half its content to creating “safe spaces for Muslim and Middle Eastern students.” while mentioning military families just three times and first responders once.
The six-page document, obtained by Fox News Digital’s… pic.twitter.com/tlzlyxESPy
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) September 10, 2026
Beyond downplaying the role of Islam in inspiring the worst terror attacks in American history, the teachers were asked to “intentionally include Muslim Americans among the heroes, helpers, and victims.”
They were likewise expected to “intentionally disrupt the implicit associations between ‘Muslim,’ ‘outsider’ and ‘terrorist’ in our national discourse.”
Fox News noted in a report that Fairfax County Public Schools are only a few miles away from the Pentagon and multiple military bases.
While Islam had 30 references, military families only had three.
Fox News estimated that half of the document focused on creating “safe spaces for Muslim and Middle Eastern students.”
Retired Navy Vice Admiral Lou Crenshaw, who was in the Pentagon when terrorists flew a plane into the building, told Fox News that the Fairfax County Public Schools teaching guide was “sort of a vanilla way to do things.”
“Everybody can go through the deal and feel good about it. And at the end of the day, nobody complains,” he said.
“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.”
Fairfax County Public Schools provided a statement to Fox News saying that many in the community have 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 statement 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 education and workplace.”
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