At a board meeting, the district’s high school presented two new courses — an art-history course and an advanced ceramics studio — intended to support an arts graduation pathway that allows students to substitute a creative-arts portfolio in place of one exam.

Why it matters: the courses expand elective and pathway options at the high school and include a required parental permission process for content that may show representations of the human form in historical artworks.

The presenter described course safeguards and a draft parent permission form: “One of the things that we asked our attorneys to look over was this permission slip,” the presenter said, noting the slip allows families to opt in or out of viewing specific imagery and to request alternative assessments or cropped images if they prefer. She added, “There is no live models coming in. This is all through the college textbooks that the teacher would be using.”

Classroom practices, as presented
Staff said materials would be housed in the art classroom, and the room would be closed to other students during those lessons. When images contain nudity or elements some families might find objectionable, staff said teachers will use cropping, sensor bars or alternate images that preserve the learning objective. The presenter gave the example of cropping the upper half of Michelangelo’s David to focus on artistic elements without exposing nudity.

Board questions and vote
A board member asked how teachers would manage mixed consent (for example, a single student whose family did not provide permission in a class where other students had permission). The presenter replied that teachers would crop images or select alternate materials so the learning objectives remain achievable while respecting family preferences.

The board moved and voted to approve both new courses at the same meeting. The motion carried with the majority in favor and no recorded opposition.

Ending
Staff said the district will finalize the permission slip language with the district attorney’s input, provide parents the option to register consent or request alternatives, and move the classes into the school’s course schedule for the coming year.