Fort Worth kids get real-life civics lesson as D.C. reels

Dozens of local eighth-graders won’t have to learn about the ongoing government shutdown from the pages of a history book.

About 80 Trinity Valley students are in Washington, D.C. right now, learning about the shutdown — and how it’s affecting them and others — up close, in person, during a week-long trip.

National parks are closed. Access to many federal buildings and monuments is shut off. Doors to Smithsonian museums are closed and locked.

“I think the kids have felt strangely like they are getting a history lesson they wouldn’t get otherwise,” said Michael Kris, head of the Trinity Valley middle school in Fort Worth...

By Monday, they had made it to the Arlington National Cemetery. And, in the midst of heavy downpours, the group headed to the U.S. Capitol.

Parents worked together with lawmakers, including U.S. Reps. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, and Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, to get their children into the Capital.

And Monday afternoon, they were sitting in the U.S. House gallery, despite the government shutdown, meeting with Veasey.

“He spoke to us in the gallery and was truly generous with his time,” Kris said. “[He] talked about how he got into politics and encouraged our kids to do the same.”