Politics has always been a sensitive topic in school, where disagreements and conflict are often avoided. Especially with president Donald Trump’s return to office, many polarizing and personally impactful issues are on students’ minds. Thus, it is critical that the school provides spaces for political discussion, setting ground rules to enable a respectful conversation while allowing for discomfort and differences of opinion.

The right time and place for these conversations is crucial. While current events discussions have increasingly been implemented into advisory, many students resent this change and feel that advisory should be a place for fun and relaxation. On the other hand, weaving current events discussions into class time would help facilitate natural conversation in a comfortable, educational, and safe environment. Without creating a space to share these opinions, bottled-up thoughts can be expressed through other outlets, such as inappropriate jokes or comments.

Humanities classes often task students with making connections between the course material and current events, drawing parallels between the past and present. Birthright citizenship is taught in U.S. History and has been challenged by the Trump administration. German language classes spent Jan. 27 examining how Germany marks Holocaust Remembrance Day. English 9 students learned about the Tulsa race massacre of 1920 and how that neighborhood is still racially segregated today.

Since these ongoing issues relate to the content covered in academic courses, bringing up current events in class does not seem out of place. Additionally, students are not forced to participate; the conversations are simply open invitations to share something that might be on their minds. Some teachers also provide optional and informal opportunities for students to stay informed, such as by attaching articles about current events related to the course on Google Classroom.

Allotted time at the beginning of classes could serve as a time to discuss politics alongside current events. Obviously, these conversations can happen anywhere and do not need to be restricted to one specific space; however, intentionally making room for political conversations in class allows for more deliberate consideration.

Teachers have an essential role in these conversations in acting as impartial facilitators. Unrestricted discourse requires teachers to remain unbiased, regardless of political leanings or personal feelings. Ultimately, students are in charge of leading the discussions, but to ensure a safe environment, ground rules should be set and enforced with a teacher’s help. These conversations are meant to be a space for learning and free of personal attacks.

In such a polarized political climate, it is vital that students have safe and genuine places to share their thoughts. Class is the perfect place to facilitate such discussions, not shying away from uncomfortable conversations while keeping respectful boundaries and guidelines in place. Partaking in these discussions with classmates will actively combat polarization and establish new understandings between divides in the political sphere.