NORTH SALT LAKE ó So many Americans donít understand the Constitution that weíre lulled into a sense of security which means we give up our freedoms and rights because we are more interested in security than those freedoms and rights Eagle Forum member Dalane England believes. And the Bountiful resident is out to change that attitude among the youngest Americans ó school children. England, a member of the Eagle Forum, told members of the Bountiful Breakfast Ex-change Club last week that she is involved in a project which will offer high school students a course on the Constitution. ##M:MORE##

She told Exchangites that a federal law enacted on Sept. 17 ó Constitution Day ó in 2004, requires that schools teach students about the Constitution. ìI have yet to find a school principal who has done anything about offering it,î she said, even though there are curriculums available to be used in public schools.

So England is on a crusade of sorts to give information to schools about the law and support them as they begin teaching kids ìto learn about and celebrate the Constitution.î

The course she has in mind has all the tools teachers need, England said, including workbooks, quizzes and a movie, all created for use in the public school setting.

Once that high school curriculum is up and running, England sees the opportunity for the high schools to conduct Constitution fairs, in which high schoolers can invite junior high and elementary students to participate. ìItís fun and interesting to learn about the Constitution in an experiential way,î she said.

ìI felt a personal passion about the Constitution,î she said, and she worries that if the upcoming generation doesnít know about the Constitution, they canít protect it.

England spoke during the groupís first meeting in July, designated as Americanism month in the club.

She shared information about the Constitution, saying the founding fathers believed in natural laws and that none of them would have worked to usurp those laws. ìDoes it (the Constitution) work?,î she asked. She answered by saying the natural laws governing the Constitution are as valid as other natural laws. Holding up a pamphlet, she said, gravity is a natural law which works, whether we believe in it or not. She then demonstrated her point by dropping the pamphlet. ìThe principles work, always, and the Constitution was founded on principles.î

She told club members that in writing the Constitution, the founding fathers ìtook everything that was the best and made it work. They wanted as much freedom as they could get without anarchy.î

But through the years, the study of the Constitution has fallen, until, she said, even our leaders donít know what it says. ìHow can our leaders stand up and defend the Constitution, if they donít know it?î

mwilliams@davisclipper.com