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Residents urge Williamson County Schools to delay science-textbook adoption, cite limited review access
Summary
Speakers at public comment criticized the district’s science textbook review process as confusing and restrictive, said reviewers had only 23 hours over six weeks to review materials, and asked the board to delay curriculum adoption for a year so publishers and the state can update materials.
Two public commenters asked the Williamson County Schools Board to delay adoption of new science textbooks, citing problems with the local review process and limited access to teachers’ editions.
Peg Rasetti told the board the review process was uneven and restrictive, with no regular schedule and differing session lengths. "As of today, we've only had a total of 23 hours to review these textbooks over the past 1 and a half months for all science book options from K to 12," Rasetti said. She said reviewers were not permitted to take photographs of pages, which she argued slowed community review and limited the ability to provide informed feedback.
Genevieve Ahojos said the current process felt designed to keep people out of curriculum review and asked the board to delay adoption for one year. "We are requesting, if it's possible, that we delay the adoption of the science curriculum for a year," Ahojos said, arguing that new federal guidance and forthcoming publisher updates could make an immediate selection premature and waste district funds.
Superintendent Golden acknowledged the public comments, said the state has been working to increase online accessibility for review materials, and said he would share the feedback with state officials. The board did not take a vote on science curriculum adoption during the meeting.
Commenters requested clearer, consolidated digital access to review materials (single login or password management), longer and more consistent review windows, and direct availability of teachers’ editions during public review. They suggested the board wait for updated publisher materials and state guidance before final adoption to avoid spending local funds on materials that may soon change.
