SANTA PAULA : District to Buy Texts Sanctioned by State
The only state-approved social science and history textbooks were accepted by the Santa Paula Elementary School District for use in seven schools.
In a board meeting Thursday, trustees voted to buy the books published by Houghton Mifflin Co. for use in fourth to eighth grades. The texts for kindergarten to third grade will be considered later.
Approved in October by the state Board of Education, the books take a new approach to teaching history, de-emphasizing such events as Columbus’ “discovery” of America and including more information on non-Western and non-European history, culture and religions. At state hearings, the series was criticized by minority groups, including Latinos, blacks and Asian-Americans.
The publisher made some changes in response to the criticisms, including taking out a reference to slavery as a “lifestyle.”
District officials in Santa Paula, where the books have been used in a pilot program since October, complained Friday that the state approved only one kindergarten-to-eighth-grade program.
“Usually, there is a choice of 13 texts,” said Bonnie Bruington, district assistant superintendent of educational services. “This year, you take it or leave it.”
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