Kimberly McKay said as someone who writes curriculum at the college level there are many good books available on a topic but limited time. Vitale said teaching things that are uncomfortable is also the way students can learn. “That causes me a lot of conflict as a parent and a school board member … that’s who’s making the decisions and that’s what I was told point blank, it was 4 to 5 students who are uncomfortable, that raises a lot of red flags to me,” Vitale said.

Vitale also said she was disturbed that teachers wanted the book included and that she was also bothered at the thought that children could come in and say, “we don’t want that.” She had questions about the book at the time and said parents were hearing one thing from the district and another from teachers. “Shouldn’t the board and the public be aware that if you’re pulling a book that was approved by the board, a Core Curriculum book, shouldn’t that be public knowledge,” Vitale asked. School board member Dainielle Vitale, who was not on the board in 2020 said the process was not transparent and she found the process concerning. “To Kill a Mockingbird” Multiple facets to issue Once complete, administrators will bring recommendations and any changes to the board regarding their findings. Saksa said the curriculum audit includes examining current teaching practices, curriculum, resources, assessments, and results as they relate to state standards and best practices.

Saksa also noted that not all books in the curriculum are used in classes. “Occasionally, a text will be reviewed outside of the cycle and shifted from a core resource to a supplemental one or paused in its use until it can be evaluated as part of the next curriculum cycle.” “At this time we review current and potential resources, eventually making recommendations to the board regarding curriculum and resources to be adopted for core instruction,” Saksa said.

School district of haverford township