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Committee recommends OpenStax Physics as supplemental high‑school textbook following two‑week public review
Summary
Julie Barker, science department chair, recommended OpenStax Physics (a free online resource) as a supplemental content resource for Cheshire High School’s algebra‑based physics courses; the committee voted to forward the recommendation to the full board after a two‑week public review.
Julie Barker, science department chair and one of the district’s physics teachers, recommended that the committee forward a proposal to adopt OpenStax Physics as a supplemental resource for the district’s algebra‑based high school physics courses. Barker said the online resource is free to access and praised its guided problem solving, embedded simulations and ongoing editorial review for inclusivity and accessibility.
“The online access is completely free,” Julie Barker said, and she emphasized that the resource is intended as content support rather than a replacement for the district’s instructional practices. Barker and physics colleague Bud Agarwal described a multi‑year review that compared OpenStax to other texts and concluded it best met the district’s needs for supplemental content and visualizations.
Committee members discussed logistics, including providing hard copies on a case‑by‑case basis for students with IEPs or 504 plans and the need for a district privacy policy before rolling any platform out. The committee agreed to post the resource for a two‑week public review (online links and library access with a feedback form) and moved, by voice vote, to recommend adoption to the full board after that review.
The motion to forward the recommendation was made and seconded during the meeting; the committee approved the recommendation by voice vote and will consider the final adoption when the full board next meets.
