During the Sierra Vista Unified School District’s board meeting April 19, SVUSD superintendent Dr. Eric Holmes made a presentation to address concerns raised about the district’s new English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum — as members of the public have previously made accusations that the curriculum contains instruction on Critical Race Theory (CRT).
“This year, we’ve had several community members who participated in the process — a larger number than we normally have — and that’s a good thing,” said Holmes during last Tuesday’s board meeting. “The district requested and received written assurance from the publisher of the curriculum that its materials do not incorporate Critical Race Theory.”
According in a letter drafted by the superintendent dated April 14, the district asked and received written statements from McGraw Hill — the publisher of the new ELA curriculum — that CRT is not included in the curriculum. Holmes reiterated this statement in last Tuesday’s meeting.
However, some members of the public were still not convinced.
Kim Depue, a member of the public, said during the public comments section of the meeting that she is alarmed of how “America’s educational culture was changing from opportunity and merit to equity and social justice.”
“We must stop this trend, jump out of the boiling pot and slowly turn back to traditional teaching methods,” said Depue.