Pine Richland board approves revised 9th-grade English curriculum; proposed purchase of Angel of Greenwood fails

The Pine Richland School Board on Jan. 13 approved a revised academic and honors English 9 curriculum for the 2025–26 school year, then voted down a separate motion to purchase Angel of Greenwood by Randy Pink as an additional core text for ninth-grade classes.

Board members voted 5–4 to adopt the updated academic and honors course guides after staff and teachers described how the new parent-facing curriculum aligns representative learning goals with classroom units. Later in the meeting a motion to buy classroom copies of Angel of Greenwood failed by roll-call: three in favor, five opposed and one abstention.

District and school leaders framed the curriculum vote as an alignment and communication step. "We went through a comprehensive process to identify where core texts best fit in the unit-based curriculum," said Dr. Brian R. Miller, superintendent. "These are representative learning goals drawn from the unit-based curriculum teachers already use." Dr. Pasquinelli, the high-school principal, thanked teachers for their work and said the change clarifies how resources will be used in different units. "Mrs. Mitchell is one of the best that you could possibly have," he said of the English department chair who helped draft the proposal.

Members of the English department and high-school students who spoke during public comment urged the board to approve Angel of Greenwood as a contemporary text that can be used alongside classics. "We chose Angel of Greenwood by Randy Pink ... together, they have thoughtful conversations," English department chair Alyssa Mitchell said, describing the book as "accessible and meaningful" for a broad range of ninth-grade readers. Students and teachers said the novel would provide intertextual connections with existing texts and classroom-ready themes tied to history instruction.

Opponents questioned whether the novel’s complexity and instructional value were appropriate for the honors level and objected to adding a new contemporary title before a broader curricular review. Several board members expressed concern about precedent and asked for more time to consider how new titles would be integrated across academic pathways.

How the votes fell: the curriculum revision passed on roll call with five yes votes and four no votes. The record shows the five yes votes were cast by Board members who supported the staff-recommended curriculum framework; four directors opposed. The separate motion to purchase Angel of Greenwood failed by a roll-call tally of 3–5 with one abstention.

What the curriculum change means: The district presented the revised, parent-facing English 9 course layout showing three primary literature units with clarified representative learning goals, and how core texts would be integrated. District staff said the unit-based curriculum (the teacher-facing documents and standards-based learning goals) has not been undone; the new material is meant to make explicit how core texts would support those goals and where a contemporary text might best fit.

Next steps and context: District administrators told the board they will continue routine curriculum review and bring any further substantive changes through the standard annual process. The superintendent recommended a pause to reflect on next steps after the contested vote over Angel of Greenwood and indicated staff will present options at upcoming planning meetings.

Votes and procedures: The board’s approval of the revised academic and honors English 9 curriculum is effective for the 2025–26 school year; the separate purchase motion for Angel of Greenwood did not pass, so staff will not buy the proposed classroom set under that motion.

The meeting included extensive public comment on book selection, curriculum and the district’s library policy review. Board members and school staff said they would continue discussions with teachers, librarians and the community to clarify process and next steps.