President Trump’s education secretary, Linda McMahon, spoke Friday at a public school in Colts Neck, N.J., during the first week of a national civics tour that has drawn sharp criticism from parents concerned that the lessons have been crafted by overtly partisan and religious organizations.
The America First Policy Institute, Turning Point USA, Moms For Liberty and the Faith and Freedom Coalition are among more than 40 groups sponsoring Ms. McMahon’s 50-state “History Rocks!” barnstorm. The initiative, timed to coincide with next year’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, is meant to promote patriotism and to advance a “shared understanding of America’s founding principles,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Education.
On Friday morning, a small group of protesters holding handwritten signs — “Propaganda is not educational,” one read — stood outside Cedar Drive Middle School as parents dropped off their children before 8 a.m.
One driver rolled down his car window to shout at the protesters. “Venezuela — move there!” he yelled.
The education secretary’s visit began with a meeting of the Colts Neck Board of Education that was closed to the public and most members of the media, followed by a schoolwide assembly featuring an address by Ms. McMahon and a game-show style history quiz.
“I chose to visit here because I am so proud of the work you have been doing, so proud of this generation of New Jersey patriots who share that same spirit as the founders,” Ms. McMahon said, according to video taken by a reporter who was permitted inside. A reporter for The New York Times was barred from entering.
Families from the school were notified about the assembly on Tuesday, in a letter from the superintendent that thanked the school board president, Angelique Volpe, for her “early outreach” to the U.S. Department of Education and leadership that helped to “position our district for consideration in this unique opportunity.”
The note came on the same day that Ms. McMahon announced the first three states of her nationwide tour: Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Opposition coalesced rapidly in New Jersey, a left-leaning state that last month elected a new Democratic governor, Mikie Sherrill, by a resounding, 14-point margin.
Kyler Dineen, a former Democratic candidate for State Assembly who leads the New Jersey Voters for Church and State Separation, circulated a petition calling for the event to be canceled. Michael Gottesman, founder of the statewide Public Education Coalition, organized a letter-writing campaign. And Vin Gopal, a Democratic state senator who represents Colts Neck, lambasted the event as “forced indoctrination.”
“It is unacceptable that the kids are being thrown into the middle of politics, and I share the parents’ outrage,” Mr. Gopal said in a statement.
Several of the protesters said they were aware of families who chose to keep their children home from school on Friday to avoid the assembly.
Two of the primary organizers behind the tour are right-wing groups: the America First Policy Institute, a think tank, and Turning Point USA, a political group whose founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated in September.
Hutz H. Hertzberg of Turning Point Education, an offshoot of Turning Point USA, said in a news release that his organization was “more resolved than ever to advance God-centered, virtuous education for students” through the America 250 Civics Education Coalition, which is sponsoring the “History Rocks!” program.
The Trump administration has emphasized patriotism in K-12 education and criticized curriculums that depict racial groups as “either victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color and other immutable characteristics.” Critics have said that this runs the risk of whitewashing some of the ugliest moments in American history.
Calls and emails to the U.S. Department of Education were not returned. Ms. Volpe and MaryJane Garibay, the Colts Neck schools superintendent, did not reply to requests for comment. The school’s principal, Colin Rigby, also did not reply to a call or email.
Alison DeNoia, a former Colts Neck school board member whose sons attended the middle school where Ms. McMahon spoke, was among the protesters who gathered outside on Friday. She said the event’s overtly partisan overtones ran counter to the mission of public education.
“What are they going to teach the kids in there?” Ms. DeNoia asked. “I don’t know. We don’t know, and that’s what’s concerning.”
She said she had spoken with other residents about taking legal action over the district’s decision to bar members of the public from the 7:45 a.m. board meeting.
Fewer than 10,000 people live in Colts Neck, an affluent region of Monmouth County dotted with horse farms and massive, single-family homes. The median income is nearly twice the statewide average, and roughly 85 percent of the township is white.
This is the second time in a month that the Colts Neck school district has found itself at the center of attention in New Jersey.
On Nov. 19, the district became the first in the state to adopt a measure ensuring a parent’s right to know if their child changed their preferred name, pronouns, or gender-specific bathroom or locker room.
The same policy also emphasized a guardian’s right to “be informed in advance about any guest speakers, presentations, or school assemblies, especially those addressing health, sexuality, or other sensitive topics.”
Mr. Gottesman cited the new policy as he urged parents to demand more information, and access to the assembly.
Late Thursday, the district sent out additional details about Ms. McMahon’s visit. The letter said that no one from any of the “History Rocks!” member organizations would be present.
“This program will be presented as a set of two interactive games that allows students to demonstrate their knowledge of U.S. history and N.J. history, as presented in our current curriculum,” the letter said.
Julie Flynn, a Democrat who is running to represent the Fourth Congressional District, which includes Colts Neck, stood for hours outside the school, holding a small sign. She said the willingness of people to protest the event was an equally important history lesson.
“There’s nothing more American,” she said, “than what we’re doing right here.”
Tracey Tully is a reporter for The Times who covers New Jersey, where she has lived for more than 20 years.
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