Many resources are available to schools to commemorate 25th anniversary of 9/11

On Board Online • August 31, 2026

By Gary Stern
Special Correspondent

As we approach the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, how should schools handle the topic?

Although the events of 2001 may feel like yesterday to many Americans, educators say they have come to accept that they must introduce the tragic day to students as an unfamiliar historical event.

The ranks of those who were too young to remember grows with each passing year, noted Paul Guzzone, principal of Wantagh High School on Long Island. It's been several years since any K-12 students were alive in 2001, and some parents had not yet been born or were too young to remember when terrorists hijacked planes that hit the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.

"Until a few years ago, I could walk down the hall and know that every single teacher could teach with impact about 9/11," said Guzzone, who noted that the community of Wantagh (pronounced waan-taa) lost about a dozen people in the attack in Manhattan.

"They had stories and memories with more impact than any video you could show," he said. "Now, every year, we have to make sure our faculty is educated about 9/11, so they can lead meaningful instruction about what took place. We can never forget."

On Sept. 1, the school district will unveil a 9/11 memorial on the high school grounds that features a 9-foot-tall steel replica of the World Trade Center. A district committee raised $174,000 for the memorial, including $50,000 donated by the Gary Sinise Foundation.

A 2019 state law requires at least a moment of silence in New York's public schools at the start of each Sept. 11.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, has called for all 50 states to include the events of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the curriculum of elementary and secondary schools.

"We have a responsibility to preserve the memories of the fallen, the heroism we witnessed, and the national security failures that left our country vulnerable to attack," Garbarino said in a 2025 news release. "We made a promise to 'Never Forget', but today, only a handful of states require 9/11 to be taught in their schools. My goal is to make that number 50, so every child in America grows up understanding the lessons of that day and the sacrifices that followed."

This summer, the New York State Council for the Social Studies posted a list of resources online so member teachers could start to plan for Sept. 11.

Council President Lisa Kissinger said the 25th anniversary gives social studies educators an opportunity to help students understand the impact of Sept. 11 on the lives of Americans and New Yorkers, in particular.

"As New Yorkers, we have a deep connection to the victims, their families, and the first responders," said Kissinger, who is academic administrator for social studies, grades 6-12, for the Shenendehowa Central School District in Saratoga County.

Kissinger and other educators said the 25th anniversary can be seen as an opportunity for teachers to tell students, in an age-appropriate way, about the gravity of the attacks and the resilience shown by New Yorkers and the nation as a whole. Older students can discuss the long-term impacts on the world. It can also be an opportunity to perform community-minded acts of service.

Eight school districts contacted by On Board in June and July said they did not have commemoration plans that were firm enough to share. Most said teachers and department heads were planning to do the bulk of planning in late August.

Those districts will have to work fast; 9/11 will fall within a week of the first day of school. Here are some resources:

• The 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City plans to offer a free 9/11 Anniversary Digital Learning Experience that includes a 30-minute film featuring first-hand accounts. Schools can register at https://www.911memorial.org/marking-25th-anniversary . Or, consider a field trip to the museum (see sidebar, above).
• The National Day of Service and Remembrance, or 9/11 Day, is a national effort by a nonprofit organization, also called 9/11 Day, that encourages volunteer local projects in memory of the victims of the attack. The School Administrators Association of New York State is a founding member of the nonprofit, which is currently focused on hunger relief. For more information, go to www.911day.org .
• The New York State Museum in Albany, which is supervised by the Board of Regents, has an ongoing exhibit called "The World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response." In July, the museum opened a new photography exhibit called "Witness to 9/11." It features the work of two photojournalists, Todd Maisel and David Handschuh, who covered Ground Zero for the New York Daily News.

There are many online resources. For instance, the State Museum has created a teacher's guide and other educational resources that are available on the museum's website at bit.ly/45n4QOW .

The State Education Department (SED) does not dictate local curriculum, but its K-12 Social Studies Framework includes multiple learning standards related to September 11 and the events that followed.

SED spokesperson JP O'Hare said that education is essential to ensure future generations understand the impact of the terrorist attacks on New York and the nation.

"As the 25th commemoration approaches and educators engage in meaningful discussions with students, we encourage them to also reflect on the bravery, resilience, compassion and leadership that followed the attacks," O'Hare said. "It's our responsibility to preserve history, foster civic responsibility and honor those who are always in our hearts so that New Yorkers - regardless of age or lived experience - never forget."