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Board approves trial of 9th-grade ELA honors textbook after teacher and board discussion
Summary
The board approved a trial request to use a new 9th-grade ELA honors textbook this year, with the district to evaluate student feedback before any expansion; an English teacher described existing processes for handling parental objections and alternate texts.
The Central Square board approved a trial adoption of a 9th-grade English-language-arts honors textbook for the coming year, with the plan to review student feedback before considering broader use.
The motion for H2 (approval for 9th-grade ELA honors use) was seconded and followed by questions from board members about evaluation and whether content might later be used for the general 9th-grade curriculum. A board member asked if there was "any kind of a timeline or an evaluation process" in place to determine future use; the response was that the district would "try it out this year" and consider expansion based on student feedback.
An English teacher who identified themselves as having "been teaching English here for 17 years" told the board that the district already maintains alternate texts and handles objections privately and on a case-by-case basis. The teacher said, "I haven't seen 1 in over 10 years of me being here, someone objecting to 1 of the pieces of literature that we're doing," and explained that when concerns arise a student may be separated from a classroom discussion while staff and families work through sensitivities.
Board members signaled support for the trial and called for the vote. The meeting record shows the board approved the item during the session; no formal evaluation criteria or dates were recorded in the discussion and the transcript does not list any official timeline beyond the district testing the text this year.
