St. Tammany board approves high‑school social studies materials, adds companion guide after AP Psychology dispute

The St. Tammany Parish School Board on March 20 approved recommended high‑school social studies instructional materials, including a new AP Psychology textbook, and directed staff to provide a companion guide for sensitive topics, the board president said. The motion passed 12 yeas and 2 nays.

Supporters said the textbook is a limited, academically aligned resource that helps students prepare for AP exams and college. Jason Bordelon, an 11‑year veteran teacher who teaches AP Psychology at Mandeville High School, told the board the textbook’s section on transgender and gender identity is brief — “only 5 paragraphs, on 2 separate pages” — and that the course spends “about a total of 2 minutes on this the entire year.” Bordelon urged the board to approve the text so students would have materials to prepare for the AP exam.

The debate drew multiple student speakers who described classroom benefits. Joseph Christian Schexnider, a Mandeville High junior, said a lesson on neuroplasticity from AP Psychology helped him correct a vision problem; “that has a % changed my life,” he told the board. Nicholas Ingram, another AP student, said removing the updated textbook or banning the course would be “detrimental to student education and morale,” and said the cited passages on gender occupy a tiny fraction of the book. Reese Parker, a senior, called AP Psychology “the highlight of my day” and said the course provides “financial benefits” through potential college credit.

Board and staff discussion focused on cost, access and implementation. Curriculum staff said teachers were surveyed with six options (textbook for every student with/without digital access, class set with/without digital access, digital only, or none). Staff reported about 84% of teachers responded and the plurality requested a class set of textbooks with digital access. The presentation emphasized the board was voting to accept the teachers’ recommendation and would not exceed the curriculum budget; staff said the dollar amounts presented were worst‑case estimates and actual spending would likely be lower.

Several board members noted a compromise agreed in committee: the district will adopt the recommended materials and include a companion guide to clarify how staff should teach sensitive topics and to provide parental notification options. “If you’re talking about controversial subjects, they have the right to be the parent and be informed,” said board member Miss Fauntleroy during debate, urging a companion notice practice similar to what the district uses for other sensitive subjects.

The motion carried 12–2. The transcript does not record the names of voters for each tally. Staff indicated scheduling and exact purchase quantities will be refined as schools finalize next year’s block schedules; precise implementation dates were not specified in the meeting record.