Board splits on proposed CTE novel; extensive public comment prompts study session and no adoption tonight
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Summary
After hours of questions from trustees, students and residents, the board did not approve the proposed adoption or a one-semester pilot of the dystopian novel presented for the Build 10 CTE core. Trustees agreed to schedule a curriculum study session on adoption policy and curricular diversity.
English teacher Julie Forrest presented a request to add a dystopian novel to the new Build 10 core, describing its literary awards, the unit's classroom supports (audio version, teacher-led discussions) and the plan to purchase class sets with grant funds that would remain in the CTE program. Forrest told trustees she would "create a curriculum... for tenth graders with an intention of understanding self, identity and community," and emphasized she would provide alternatives for students who found material triggering.
Board members pressed Forrest and staff on student-safety protocols, opt-out procedures and whether alternatives would be feasible for students who decline the text. Many public speakers and students addressed the board: teachers and parents urged trust in professionals and classroom safeguards; other trustees and community members said the text included scenes that could be triggering (suicide, violence, "gleaning" language), and asked that options be offered. Students and several teachers said the book could be an accessible entry point for reluctant readers and that teacher-led discussion would provide a safer forum than encountering similar material online.
Trustee Bill Adams moved a two-part plan: pilot the book in Julie Forrest's Build 10 class for a semester and concurrently conduct a broader study session to review curriculum-adoption processes and expand diversity in reading lists. The motion and several related amendments were debated and put to multiple votes but did not receive a five-member majority for formal adoption in the forms presented that night. The board did not adopt the novel for district-wide use. Trustees agreed to schedule a study session in late January to revisit curriculum‑adoption procedures, opt-in/opt-out protocols and potential pilot designs.
Julie Forrest and her supporters emphasized the presentation was the result of a multi-step district review process and that class sets would remain in the Build program; opponents urged caution and broader curriculum diversification before approving new, potentially sensitive texts.
