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Parent tells Palmyra board online sixth‑grade assignment contained ‘mature’ material; board to review
Summary
Resident Kristen Hubbard told the board her sixth‑grade daughter, enrolled in Cougar/Accelerate Academy, was assigned discussion work about the Roman poet Ovid that highlighted sexually explicit reasons for exile; Hubbard asked the district to review the Accelerate Education materials and follow up.
Resident Kristen Hubbard told the Palmyra School Board on April 23 that her sixth‑grade daughter, enrolled in the district’s Cougar Academy online program (Accelerate Education), was exposed to material she considers inappropriate.
“My daughter was given a project…she was asked to research and discuss reasons for Ovid’s exile,” Hubbard said, pointing to materials in her packet that she said highlighted a passage described as “advice on how to seduce a woman.” She told the board students were asked to post responses to classmates, which increased her concern about peer exposure to the material.
Hubbard said she has raised the matter by email with district staff and provided the board a packet of pages and examples for review. “Out of all this information…they asked my daughter to pinpoint this one specific aspect. It is inappropriate,” she said.
Board president Martin thanked Hubbard for providing documentation and said the board would consider her comments and follow up with her. The meeting record shows no immediate staff rebuttal or detailed explanation of the curricular decision during the public‑comment period; district follow up was described in general terms by the president as a next step.
What the board heard: the parent identified the course as the Cougar Academy online program using Accelerate Education content and characterized the assignment as part of a discussion thread that asked students to list and justify reasons for exile in the Roman poet Ovid’s case. The parent asked the district to review the flagged content and the way discussion forums are used with middle‑school students.
What remains unresolved: the board did not take a formal action on the materials during the meeting, and no staff representative delivered a substantive, on‑the‑record defense or explanation of the specific assignment during public comment. The parent said she will bring additional concerns in future meetings if needed.
Next steps: President Martin said the board will review the submitted materials and work to follow up with the speaker. The record does not specify a timeline for review or any immediate policy change.
