Board advances several curriculum items to full board after 30‑day displays; Spanish‑heritage resource tabled for more data

At the Jan. 14 committee meeting, Plainfield SD 202 administrators asked the committee to forward several curriculum items to the full board for approval and to place others on 30‑day display.

Action requests included forwarding the High School 2026 summer curriculum guide to the full board and approval moves for the middle‑school health resource and the Spanish language arts resource after 30‑day displays with no substantial committee questions. Administration also requested 30‑day display for the middle‑school English‑language development resource and for a slate of high‑school new adoptions, including astronomy (OpenStax pilot), precalculus, residential electrics and plumbing, and Spanish for heritage speakers (levels 1–3, honors).

The astronomy recommendation specifically proposed using an OpenStax free online textbook (pilot) with a small hard‑copy cost for students who need printed materials; staff said teachers vetted the resource and the pilot would limit district expenditure while ensuring access. The Spanish for heritage speakers resource drew more detailed questioning: trustees asked whether the resource would increase enrollment, whether demand surveys had been done (administration said not yet), and about the age of the current resource (about eight years; some copyright 2008). The committee asked staff to run student surveys and bring enrollment/demand data back before final adoption; the item was placed on 30‑day display with that homework requested.

Administration also reminded the committee that item D (an honors biology adoption) was intentionally removed from the agenda and deferred to February to allow additional review.

Next steps: staff will forward items recommended for approval to the full board, run the requested student/parent interest survey for Spanish heritage courses, and return with additional data before final adoption of that resource.