America First Legal has launched a records probe into Fairfax County Public Schools after a Fox News Digital report revealed a six-page 9/11 teaching guide that urges teachers not to "center the extremists" or link the attacks to Islam or Muslims. The guide, published Aug. 27 and edited Aug. 31 for the 25th anniversary, recommends age-appropriate language, highlights victims and responders, and advises protecting Muslim and Middle Eastern students from stigma. AFL is seeking records to determine who authored the guidance and whether outside groups were involved, while FCPS says it is reviewing materials and condemns the attacks.
Legal Group Probes Fairfax County Over 9/11 Teaching Guide That Urges Not To ‘Center The Extremists’
AFL is seeking to examine how the school district arrived at the guidance for teaching 9/11 to students.
America First Legal (AFL) has opened a records probe into Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) after Fox News Digital reported on a six-page instructional guide for commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The guide recommends that teachers avoid "centering the extremists or the acts of the extremists" and warns against associating the attacks with Islam or Muslim students.
What the FCPS Guide Says
The document, titled "25th Anniversary and Commemoration of 9/11," was published Aug. 27 and edited Aug. 31. It instructs teachers who choose to observe the anniversary to follow district guidance and to use only approved resources from the district's Atlas site. FCPS advises educators that lessons can unintentionally stigmatize Muslim and Middle Eastern students, and it recommends preparing for anti-Muslim rhetoric, creating safe spaces, and challenging bias.
Fairfax County Public Schools provides teachers with a guide that includes "critical considerations" to avoid discussing the extremist interpretation of Islam that motivated the 9/11 hijackers.
For elementary students, the guide suggests a simple opener such as, "Twenty-five years ago today, there was an attack on the United States," with further details provided at the teacher's discretion. For older students, suggested language is more specific: "Members of the extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four planes in a coordinated terrorist attack on the United States," followed by an account of the 2,977 people killed and examples of heroism, such as the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who resisted the hijackers.
Why AFL Is Investigating
AFL senior counsel Ian Prior told Fox News Digital the group is pursuing public records to determine who authored the guide, whether outside organizations participated in drafting it, and how the district arrived at the guidance. AFL accuses FCPS of "sanitizing history," arguing the guidance downplays the role of radical Islamic terrorism in the attacks and strips important context from classroom instruction.
For elementary students, the district suggests teachers could open by saying, "Twenty-five years ago today, there was an attack on the United States."
"We want to know where this comes from. We want to know who the school is working with to develop these guidances," Prior said. AFL's public announcement points readers to a Freedom of Information Act request but does not list the specific records it seeks in the two-page release.
FCPS Response
Fairfax County Public Schools did not directly answer questions about the guide's authorship, approval process, or possible outside involvement. Instead, the district pointed reporters to a Sept. 11 statement from Superintendent Michelle Reid condemning the attacks and saying the district was reviewing its materials after community feedback. The statement emphasized that the actions of terrorists "should not define the entirety of any faith, culture, or community."
FCPS said its approach reflects the diverse experiences of Northern Virginia families, including many military families and first responders personally affected by 9/11, as well as Muslim families who may fear harassment around the anniversary. The guide directs teachers to focus commemorations "on those whose lives were lost and those who sacrificed to help others — not those who attacked the United States," while using age-appropriate detail about the violence.
Flowers and American flags are seen next to inscribed names at a reflecting pool at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on Sept. 11, in New York City.
What Happens Next
AFL has not specified what legal or administrative actions it may pursue; officials say next steps will depend on what public records reveal. FCPS is reviewing the guide after community feedback. Reporting on the guide by Fox News Digital prompted AFL's inquiry, according to the legal group.
Context: The guide highlights both factual context — naming al-Qaeda as the group responsible and citing the 2,977 victims — and concerns about protecting students from bias. The dispute centers on how much emphasis schools should place on the attackers and their ideology versus focusing on victims, resilience, and community impact.
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