To address parents’ concerns about the content of the newly board-approved English Language Arts curriculum, the Sierra Vista Unified School District hosted a public Q&A session with curriculum publisher McGraw Hill at the Rothery Educational Service Center conference room on Tuesday.
More than 60 members of the public attended. Most brought concerns about race, prejudice and critical race theory being included in McGraw Hill’s curriculum.
“There isn’t a single piece of material that McGraw Hill creates for K-12 students that has anything in it about critical race theory,” said D.J. West, senior national director of Professional Learning at McGraw Hill Education, who appeared via Zoom during Tuesday’s meeting.
West and Brandon Harvey, the senior national literacy specialist at McGraw Hill, gave an overview of the company’s “Wonders” K-6 curriculum and answered questions about the curriculum the SVUSD board approved for use in the 2022-23 school year.
So, what are the public’s thoughts after the meeting?
The answer is mixed.