On September 28, Officer Jake Day from the Columbus Police Department (CPD) visited with students at Westerville Central High School in Kyle King’s Modern World History classes (most of whom are sophomores) to discuss how police departments interact with the public. Day is a CPD trainer on Community Policing. His appearance was in response to questions pupils raised during the Human Rights unit, which uses materials from Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs to develop answers to the following questions:
- What exactly are human rights? Given the diversity of beliefs and values held by people around the world, is it possible to agree on a universal definition?
- Should certain rights be prioritized over others?
- How should the international community respond to grave violations of human rights?
- Is the United States a human rights leader? How should the United States address human rights concerns at home?
- What role should human rights play in U.S. foreign policy?
As a follow up activity to Officer Day’s visit, the students will reflect upon the presentation and develop questions he will respond to via video broadcast.