NCAC was thrilled to hear that the Frederick County Board of Education decided to retain the textbook Social Studies Alive! Our Community and Beyond, which had come under challenge after parents objected to “left-leaning” or “socialist” statements in the text.
A single parent rallied others to object to the ways topics such as environmentalism, community involvement, volunteering and health care were discussed in the book. A reconsideration committee composed of teachers, administrators and other education professionals met to reevaluate the book after the complaint was lodged and recommended keeping the book until it was up for review in 2014. (Read the committee’s decision here, made available through a Freedom of Information Act request). Schools superintendent Teresa Alban agreed with the committee’s findings, rejecting only their suggestion that the search for a new textbook begin immediately, citing concerns over budget and potential future adoption of online resources in the place of a text.
The complainants were not satisfied with the superintendent’s decision and appealed to the BOE to have the book removed immediately. To read the complaints click here.
On the occasion of the hearing, the Kids’ Right to Read Project issued a letter, below, urging the Board keep the book unless objections were pedagogically sound.