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Board approves 2025–26 digital resource list after debate over Flocabulary
Summary
Chandler Unified’s governing board approved its 2025–26 district digital resources list after a divided vote over whether to remove Flocabulary (Nearpod, a Renaissance company). An amendment to remove Flocabulary failed; the full list passed on a separate vote.
Chandler Unified School District’s governing board on Wednesday debated and then approved the district’s 2025–26 list of digital resources after a contentious exchange focused on one product, Flocabulary.
Board member David Heap moved to remove Flocabulary (described on the agenda as Flocabulary by Nearpod, a Renaissance company) from the approved list, citing concerns about promotional material he said might mix entertainment and social messaging with instruction. “I would like our district to focus on having resources that are teaching skills,” Heap said. He asked that the board favor materials that prioritize academics and avoid perceived political messaging.
Teaching-and-learning staff explained to the board that the district distinguishes core, adopted curriculum from supplementary resources. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jessica Edgar and curriculum staff described a vetting process for digital resources: materials are first reviewed by the district’s EdTech team for student-privacy and system integration and then by curriculum staff for standards alignment. Edgar said supplementary materials are intended to be used by teachers at their professional discretion and are not part of core, adopted curriculum.
The board first debated an amendment to remove Flocabulary. The amendment to remove the product failed on a roll-call vote. The board then voted on the original motion to approve the full 2025–26 digital-resources list as published; that motion passed by a 3-to-2 vote.
Why it matters: The dispute illustrates tensions districts face as they add digital content that blends engagement techniques and multimedia with instruction. District staff emphasized that supplementary materials are reviewed and that teachers must align materials to state standards and to grade-level expectations. Board members said they wanted stronger transparency about which resources are “core” versus “supplementary” and asked staff to provide a clearer breakdown.
Clarifying detail: Curriculum staff agreed to prepare a follow-up report showing which items on the approved list are core (tier 1 and tier 2) versus supplementary (tier 3) and to describe the district’s online approval form for teachers who seek to add tools to their classroom.
Quotations: “We do rely on our teachers and their professional judgment to align the resource to a standard,” Dr. Jessica Edgar said. Heap said he was concerned by promotional material and asked the district to avoid resources he said “straddl[ing] a fine line between ideas or maybe some social progressivism.”
What happened next: After the vote the board approved the rest of the consent agenda and moved on to other items. Staff said they would provide the requested tier breakdown to the board.
