Officials on a Kansas school board have rejected a social studies curriculum due to concerns that some materials are biased against Donald Trump.
In a 4-3 vote, Republicans on the Derby Board of Education rejected the proposed contract with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the curriculum which was recommended by Derby High School teachers, who reviewed six social studies programs over the past year, according to KCUR.
The conservative members on the board said parts of a textbook and online materials are biased against Trump.
“My biggest concern … involved what I would define as bias of omission,” board member Cathy Boote said.
Boote said some materials did not fairly reflect Trump’s position on several issues during his first term including, Cuba, trade deals with China, relationship with allies and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
“Then there was the ‘Muslim ban,’” Boote said. “With no mention of the fact it wasn’t aimed at all Muslim countries, just those that have no ability to vet. Safety was the top priority, but they leave it sit there, with no explanation, to make you think he was xenophobic.”
Some board members also voiced concerns about anti-racism statements on the publisher’s website, as well as the company’s statements about diversity, equity and inclusion, KCUR reports.
Michael Blankenship said he was concerned about a statement Houghton Mifflin Harcourt made following the murder of George Floyd by police.
“We believe Black Lives Matter. We believe in social justice. We believe learning is a fundamental right,” the company said in a June 2020 message posted on its website. “We believe the education system needs to change, and we will continue to use our platform to make that change.”
“That’s a pretty bold statement,” Blankenship said. “Wouldn’t anybody want to know, ‘What do you mean?’ I still don’t have that answer.”
KCUR noted that Derby administrators pushed for a new high school social studies curriculum because teachers have been working without textbooks and other common materials for several years.
Teachers who tested Houghton Mifflin Harcourt curriculum believed it would benefit students.
“It ultimately has the potential to help … improve student writing. It will be something that we can use,” said Kendall Warkentine, a Derby High School social studies teacher.
Tanya Jacobucci, one of the three board members who voted to approve the proposed curriculum, slammed her conservative colleagues for not believing teachers who have done their research.
“We are telling our teachers … ‘You’re bringing us your best choice and the one that you think will do the best job, but we want you to find a different choice,’ and I’m not OK with that,” she said.
