By Ronald Sampson
We probably don’t need to tell you that social justice was one of the biggest hot-button issues of the last few elections on the national level. Its need motivated much of the political left, and its excesses motivated much of the political right. However it has generally been the domain of national politics and not as much of a local story. But a new development within the Scottsdale Unified School District is bringing this sort of controversy local, to much contention.
SUSD recently approved new U.S. history textbooks, and let’s just say…it has people talking. The textbooks, which include content on the Black Lives Matter movement and the death of George Floyd, have been labeled by some as “anti-police” and “racially divisive.” Critics including law enforcement officers and elected officials are arguing that the material portrays law enforcement negatively and could influence students’ perceptions of police.
In a 3-2 vote, the SUSD Governing Board proceeded with the adoption, emphasizing the importance of presenting comprehensive historical events. As is to be expected with any somewhat controversial subject, the public meeting was fairly full of people who were mostly against the new curriculum. The small number of supporters stated that it was essential for fostering critical thinking and understanding contemporary social issues.
The highest minded of us might say that the debate importantly underscores the challenges educators face in balancing diverse perspectives within educational materials. It remains to be seen how the implementation of these textbooks will impact classroom discussions and community relations, but it’s a conversation worth having, even if it’s somewhat unlikely that it’s done so in a serious and balanced manner (except on this blog).
Now perhaps we’re old fashioned, but we don’t remember social studies books covering issues that were so recent. Perhaps it would have been better off to leave that for books about a decade from now, when it is a part of history and not the recent past, or best left to college lectures (although any bias would likely lean even further to the left). And any conversation about these issues should be bookended by an acknowledgement of some of the serious riots that ravaged some cities such as Minneapolis and Portland.
That said, if these are the things we have to complain about in our city, then we’re doing pretty well. Parking garages and mentioning George Floyd to teenagers…meanwhile, other cities have real problems.