Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Board approves grades 6'11 social studies curriculum; union and residents respond to district comments
Loading...
Summary
The board included grades 6'11 social studies curriculum in a consensus approval; public commenters, including the teachers'union president, criticized a board director's earlier remarks about educators leading students to opinions and requested a retraction.
The Elizabethtown Area School District board included grades 6 through 11 social studies curriculum in a consensus action it approved June 24, after public comment raised concerns about prior remarks and curriculum review.
During public comments, Jim Safford, president of the eTown Area Education Association, asked Director Daniel Lindemuth to retract a previous remark that Safford said cast suspicion on social studies teachers' professionalism. Safford said, "Our teachers are trained professionals who take seriously their duty to educate, not indoctrinate," and requested a public apology for what he called an unfounded implication. Several other commenters, including parents and a visiting educator, praised the district's curricular work and said Pennsylvania Department of Education standards had been addressed.
Board members discussed the curriculum in the context of a consensus vote package that also included grants, bills authorization, and second-reading policies. Mrs. Carter said the district had provided curriculum documents and that the eleventh-grade government and economics course meets Pennsylvania civics requirements. A public speaker, Elizabeth Lewis, recounted the June 10 meeting and said she found the district's curriculum revision thorough and aligned to state standards.
The board approved the consensus package, which included the grades 6'11 social studies curriculum, by roll call. Directors and administration noted that civics content is embedded across courses and that the district had taken steps to remedy previously reported deficiencies.
No formal motion to rescind or revisit the curriculum was presented at the June 24 action meeting; the item passed as part of the consensus grouping. Public commenters asked the board to avoid undermining teacher professionalism and to engage in fact-based dialogue when curriculum concerns arise.
The board directed no further immediate curricular action; administration said it would continue to post curriculum documents on the district website and encouraged board members and community members to review the materials and raise specific, evidence-based concerns to administration for follow up.
