After heated debate and public outcry, Elizabethtown board approves The Great Gatsby and Little Women for 10th-grade unit

The Elizabethtown Area School District board on Wednesday approved two novels — The Great Gatsby and Little Women — for immediate use in a revised 10th-grade English novel unit after an extended workshop discussion about proposed replacements for texts previously removed from the curriculum.

Board member Mr. Linda Moose moved to approve the two titles and the motion carried on a roll-call vote. The decision was the culmination of several hours of discussion, faculty remarks and extensive public comment from parents, community organizations and students.

Several board members raised concerns about three of the other proposed titles, describing them as "mature" or overly focused on darker themes. Board member comments included requests for more uplifting options and for clearer guidance to teachers on maturity levels in curriculum materials.

English department representative Liz Yearsley, a tenth-grade teacher, pushed back that the department structured the proposed unit around themes of happiness and purpose, defended the pedagogical reasons for the selections and said educators had read the full proposals before presenting them to the board.

"We structured this entire unit around happiness, asking students to consider what brings purpose and joy to our lives," Yearsley said. "I've read all of these books in their entirety, and I would disagree with the assessment that they are only depressing."

Public speakers were sharply divided. Several community members and a local volunteer group urged restoring books such as The Glass Castle and other titles they called "award-winning and highly engaging." Several students and teachers urged the board to trust classroom educators and preserve access to diverse, age-appropriate literature.

To allow classroom instruction to proceed in March, the administration said approving at least some titles now would ensure the unit can run while curriculum committee members and the English department continue to review and propose additional alternative texts for later terms.

The board recorded a roll-call vote approving the two classics; President Kelly Carter recorded the sole dissenting vote. The board and administration agreed to continue discussion about a longer-term curated list and to ask the curriculum committee and English department to vet additional candidate texts and report back.