Murphy – After the N.C. Board of Education approved changes to the content of the K-12 social studies curriculum last week, some aspects are causing concern.
However, officials say it’s just part of bringing history lessons up to date.
The updates to the statewide curriculum have been in the works for a while. They were planned to be approved for this school year but delayed, Cherokee County Schools High School curriculum director Lisa Fletcher said. She believed the multiple rewrites were a response to recent events.
“They were trying to be more sensitive to everyone,” she said.
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a member of the state board, was opposed to the proposed standards because of its “divisive language, and the clear radical agenda being pushed on our students.” Before the vote, he shared on social media the contact information for all state Board of Education members, telling people to share their thoughts on the curriculum with board members.
A local state board member – Dr. Donna Tipton-Rogers, president of Tri-County Community College – voted for the proposed changes Thursday. She could not be reached for comment.
Fletcher said the updates would just try to cover history correctly.
“I think (students) will be able to make up their own minds. We have great teachers in North Carolina,” she said. “We have great teachers, and they are going to teach facts.”