GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. — An effort to adopt a controversial, conservative set of social studies standards fell flat in Garfield County Wednesday night, after its district Re-2 school board voted to stick with the state-approved curriculum.
The board's 3-1 decision to adopt the state standards comes after months of debate over the American Birthright Standards (ABS), which promote patriotism, Christianity, and American exceptionalism.
Board President Tony May, a vocal supporter of ABS, tried to stop the vote from happening by pulling the discussion off the agenda days before the meeting in Rifle.
May claimed he was concerned the district could be sued for picking their own standards. At the meeting, community protest prompted other board members to overrule him and reinstate the agenda item.
Before voting, the board listened to public comment and a presentation from a standards review committee, both of which were overwhelmingly against ABS. Over 100 community members attended the meeting, according to a release from the West Garfield Education Association. Of 31 speakers, 30 were against the implementation of the alternative standards.
In the heated public comment, many speakers were concerned about the impacts ABS would have on the quality of their children's education.
"This is also what the American Birthright Standards would do - teach our children to absorb and regurgitate information and repeat partisan messaging points," a New Castle parent said. "It will fail our children and gut our school district."
Others emphasized that the majority of the community opposed ABS.
"You have brought us together, Director May, by inciting this outlandish, political conversation, people from across the spectrum are now united in our community," one Rifle parent said. "I want to walk my kids to school every morning...but I also want to know that where they're going is a place that's full of inclusion and love and support for all members of our community."
"The majority of people are asking for diversity, for inclusion, for equity, for teaching children the actual facts," another community member said. "It is your duty to represent the community, not your own agenda."
Many argued that adopting ABS would harm teacher retention in a district that was already facing staffing shortages. According to the Garfield Re-2 employment page, the district is seeking to fill 42 open positions already.
The Re-2 district had the option to adopt one of three social studies curriculums, which included the 2022 Adopted Social Studies Standards, the Revised 2022 Social Studies Standards or ABS.
Members of the standards review committee told the board that in a ranked choice vote, no one picked ABS as their first choice.
ABS was rejected by the Colorado Board of Education in October 2022.
The decision in Garfield means Woodland Park remains the only school board in Colorado to have adopted ABS. Since making the switch earlier this year, the district has lost roughly 40% of their staff.
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