Public commenters urge review of SEL curriculum, defend 'Wit & Wisdom' and raise Title IX concerns

During the public-comment period of the Jan. 9 Buncombe County Board of Education meeting, four speakers addressed the board on curriculum, library access and federal policy.

Aria Williams, who identified herself as a former student and candidate for the board and as an EMT and grief worker, urged the board to allow students and staff adequate time and space to grieve and to resist rushing “back to normal” after crises such as Hurricane Helene and the COVID pandemic. “When we rush to get back to normal, we end up abandoning those whose new normal is being defined and redefined every day,” Williams said.

Craig White, the Supportive Schools Director for the Campaign for Southern Equality, supported the district’s chosen K–12 curriculum “Wit & Wisdom” and urged the board to restore access to the EPIC digital library. White said the district’s curriculum is organized around the principle of “mirrors and windows” so students see themselves and other perspectives in texts, and he asked the board to “stand by Wit & Wisdom” when it considers the matter.

Kim Poteet asked the board to remove a sole-source procurement request for the social-emotional learning curriculum Character Strong from the consent agenda and delay any vote to allow parents and board members more time to review the materials. Poteet said the $33,087 procurement request (submitted by the special services department) had been posted only two days before the meeting and asked for a 30-day notice period before curriculum purchases, particularly for materials she described as potentially controversial for middle and upper grades.

Stacy Metcalf told the board that a U.S. district court in Eastern Kentucky had ruled that the U.S. Department of Education’s Title IX rule adopted under the Biden administration is invalid and urged the board to repeal the district’s interim Title IX policy (which she said was adopted after a shortened public-notice period). Her remarks urged the board to align its policy with the court ruling as she described it.

Board response and outcome

The board listed the sole-source Character Strong procurement on the consent agenda and later approved the consent agenda as presented; the consent package included the $33,087 sole-source request for Character Strong. The public-comment speakers were heard but the board did not respond directly during the comment period, consistent with its announced public-comment rules.

Speakers and affiliations

- Aria Williams — former student; candidate for board; EMT and grief worker (public commenter). - Craig White — Supportive Schools Director, Campaign for Southern Equality (public commenter). - Kim Poteet — resident, Inca District (public commenter). - Stacy Metcalf — resident, District 4 (public commenter).