For 35 years, Douglas Bruce has carried a pocket-size copy of the U.S. Constitution.

He calls the Constitution “America’s political bible” and considers it the linchpin of civic life.

This year, Bruce, an El Paso County commissioner and author of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, decided it’d be an appropriate graduation present for high school students in El Paso County. He ordered 5,500 of them through his nonprofit, Active Citizens Together, to which he contributes his salary as a county commissioner.

But not every school district sees value in the gift. Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 and Lewis-Palmer School District 38 said thanks but no thanks to the offer.

Bruce has accused them of turning a motherhood-and-apple-pie issue into a political one, pointing out that he distanced his name and politics from the giveaway, and there were no strings attached.

Bruce did not ask that they be passed out at graduation ceremonies. He delivered them to school districts for school staff to distribute. The pamphlets consist of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and quotes from Founding Fathers. A sticker for the nonprofit, founded by Bruce as an educational organization on government, is on the back.

Lewis-Palmer spokeswoman Robin Adair said her district misunderstood the proposition, thinking that Bruce wanted to pass out the Constitutions on graduation day. She said the district was not opposed to accepting them.

“We really don’t have anything against the Constitution,” she said.

Dave Herrmann, board president of Fountain-Fort Carson, said the district turned down Bruce’s offer because the giveaway would distract from a time of year that is supposed to be between students and their families.

He also said the Constitutions would set a precedent for accepting donated materials by other groups.

Bruce dismissed that concern, saying a copy of the Constitution is not the same as promotional material. “That’s about as lame as saying this is the equivalent of a pizza coupon,” he said.

Herrmann also noted that Fountain-Fort Carson teaches about the Constitution, and the document is readily available on the Internet.

Bruce concedes that most copies of the Constitution will get a passing glance at best. “I don’t expect most high school graduates to sit around on their own time and have Constitution sessions,” he said.

Even so, he considers the effort worthwhile: “Seniors are on the verge of voting for the first time.”

Pocket-size Constitutions cost up to $4 when bought individually, he said. Bruce paid about 45 cents apiece, including postage, buying them in bulk.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0198 or bnewsome@gazette.com