For nearly three decades, fifth-graders at Marquez Charter Elementary in Pacific Palisades have been performing original musicals that bring American history to life — and excelling at it.
The plays, written by longtime teacher Jeff Lantos with music by jazz pianist Bill Augustine, have covered everything from the Constitutional Convention (Miracle in Philadelphia) to Lewis and Clark (Hello, Louisiana!) to the Industrial Revolution (Water and Power). Students consistently scored far higher than their peers on history assessments, and many alumni credit these musicals with sparking careers in the arts and a lifelong love of history.
By every metric that matters — student engagement, knowledge retention, creativity — these plays have been a success story. They’ve survived fires, relocations, and changing times. But now, they may not survive the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, LAUSD has announced its intent to ban the musicals, calling them “culturally insensitive” and “not appropriate” for fifth-grade students. District officials flagged lines that, for nearly 30 years, drew no complaints: a character joking about the Three-Fifths Compromise, a George Washington lamenting his absence from enslaved workers in Philadelphia, or the phrase “cotton-pickin’ minute.”
Officials also objected to a deaf character being described as “hearing impaired,” to a male suitor calling a female “cutie pie,” and to the framing of slavery as a “North vs. South” issue rather than focusing on the enslaved themselves.
Community pushback has been strong, but LAUSD has so far only agreed to preserve Miracle in Philadelphia — and even then, only with “politically correct” revisions. Lantos, the author, says he offered to rework scenes and dialogue to meet concerns but hasn’t heard back from the district in over a year. In the meantime, he’s been barred from campus altogether.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Lantos told reporters. “We’re essentially doing Hamilton three times a year for fifth graders — it’s hard to imagine anyone would object to this.”
The irony is striking. At a time when schools are struggling to keep students engaged in civics and history, one of the most effective, creative, and proven programs in Los Angeles is on the chopping block. Instead of embracing it as a model, district officials seem determined to smother it under the weight of DEI committees and cultural audits.
The result is predictable: less creativity, less engagement, and less history. And for the students who might have found their passion for art or learning in those fifth-grade plays, it’s a loss that can’t be measured on a test.
