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Residents object to portions of proposed CKLA phonics curriculum at Casa Grande school board meeting
Summary
Two members of the public spoke during the Oct. 8 call to the public to oppose parts of the district—s proposed CKLA/phonics curriculum, citing parental rights and age-appropriateness concerns; one speaker also raised objections to specific historical and literary content.
Two residents used the public-comment period at the Casa Grande Elementary School District governing board—s Oct. 8 meeting to object to portions of the district—s proposed CKLA phonics curriculum.
Jake Pierce told the board he supports parts of the curriculum but is opposed to a second component he described as teaching "spiritual principles" in an elementary curriculum. "I just would say to all of the people here, whichever way you're leaning on this, spiritual principles should be taught at home," Pierce said during the three-minute public-comment slot. He argued that parents should retain authority over spiritual instruction and said including such material in early elementary instruction would usurp parental rights.
Later in the public-comment period, Robert Castro urged the board to re-examine the CKLA material and the review process. Castro said he has discussed the curriculum with district administrators and board members and raised concerns about specific passages he considers inaccurate or not age-appropriate. He cited a passage about the early history of Islam that in his view minimizes coercion and a book used in the material, The House on Mango Street, saying the book contains mature themes including sexual assault and child abuse that he considered inappropriate for the grade levels where it appeared in the pilot.
"How are you expecting an overworked teachers to do a good thorough evaluation in this amount of time?" Castro asked, noting the curriculum pilot period was only two months and saying district outreach to the community had produced few responses. Castro said district staff told him teachers who were uncomfortable with parts of the curriculum would be given options not to teach those parts.
The board did not take action on the curriculum during the meeting. President Varela explained the district—s posted public-participation guidance and cited Arizona Revised Statutes that limit board action on items not on the agenda to directing staff to study the matter, responding to criticism or scheduling the matter for a future agenda.
No vote or formal policy change on the CKLA curriculum was recorded during the meeting. The speakers requested additional review, clearer community outreach and assurances about parental choice and teacher options during curriculum implementation.
