Forest Hills board approves Great First junior-kindergarten curriculum amid public objections on content and data collection

The Forest Hills Board of Education voted May 19 to approve the district’s recommendation to adopt the Great First junior-kindergarten curriculum despite public commenters and one board member urging additional review.

The vote: The board conducted a roll-call vote on agenda item BC‑1 and approved the recommendation; one board member recorded a “no” vote (Mr. DeBorde) while other members voted yes. (Board roll-call names and recorded votes were entered on the record during the meeting.)

Why it matters: Commenters and at least one board member raised concerns about required readings, the curriculum’s stated emphasis on transformative social-emotional learning (transformative SEL) and equity, and unspecified student data collection tied to the program. Supporters on the board said the curriculum is research-aligned and that district curriculum experts and teachers recommended the adoption to allow materials…