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Board declines to adopt proposed TCI social-studies curriculum after concerns about perceived bias
Summary
Trustees declined to adopt the TCI social-studies curriculum for grades 6'12 after several board members said excerpts read like advocacy rather than neutral history; staff will re-evaluate other vendor options with teachers.
The Santiam Canyon School Board considered adopting the TCI social-studies curriculum for grades 6'12 but the motion to adopt did not receive a second and therefore did not pass.
Board members raised concerns that some language and framing in the TCI materials applied a contemporary interpretive lens to historical figures and events. One board member read a passage about Thomas Jefferson and said the phrasing—"For all his fine words about liberty and equality, he was unwilling to apply his self-evident truths to the people he held in bondage"—felt opinionated rather than neutral. Several board members explained they support critical thinking in the classroom but want textbooks worded in a way that allows teachers to facilitate discussion without the impression of advocacy from the text itself.
Staff and teachers who vetted TCI said they valued the curriculum's interactive activities and flexibility for classroom implementation, but the board asked the social-studies team to return with additional options, including McGraw Hill and other textbooks that staff flagged as more neutral in wording. The board indicated any adoption would involve teacher input and a multi-step vetting process before a final decision.
