Constitution Day: Necessary or Redundant?

A new date could soon be added to Pennsylvania’s school calendar, but is it really necessary? A bill introduced in the Pennsylvania General Assembly could add a little more to our plates this year. Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering making September 17th a new state observance: Constitution Day.

House Bill 1782 would officially recognize September 17th as Constitution Day in Pennsylvania to encourage publicly funded schools and universities to provide educational programs about the Constitution. However, this is not entirely new for schools. A federal law, Section 111 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005 passed in 2004, already requires educational institutions receiving federal funding to hold educational programs about the Constitution on or around September 17th.

While some may argue that Constitution Day is an important opportunity for students to better understand their rights and goverment operation, others may question whether another state observance is really necessary. On one side, learning about the Constitution is a crucial part in understanding one’s rights and responsibilities as a citizen. It teaches students how the government operates and helps them understand their individual freedoms and protections. However, as high school and university students are already balancing their hectic lives, adding a state observance could just become another activity on an already crowded schedule. This could potentially cause students to see the civic study as another obligation rather than an essential opportunity to learn.

The Constitution is undeniably important for anyone to understand and learn, but we must consider whether another state observance is the best way to encourage and approach that education. There is already federal law that requires schools receiving federal funds to hold Constitution Day programs, HB 1782 may simply be adding a superfluous layer to an existing requirement. Rather than creating another obligation for students, Pennsylvania should focus on making constitutional education students already receive more meaningful and engaging.