Months After Protests, Jeffco Board Scraps AP US History Curriculum Review
GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - The president of the Jeffco School Board says a proposal for a review of its AP US History curriculum has been scrapped.
Thousands of students took to the streets last fall after learning the district was considering the review, which was reportedly going to be done with an eye toward downplaying civil disobedience.
Now the board has decided to drop the idea of a Board-directed review of AP US History curriculum.
That curriculum has seen criticism from conservatives who believe it has been too critical of American mis-deeds and not strong enough on American exceptionalism.
Board President Ken Witt said, "I'm confident that the public outcry both locally and nationally, pressured the college board to correctly take a view of their own framework and revise it appropriately and we're delighted that they chose to do that."
Conservatives took over majority control of the School Board in 2014 and called for a plan to review the curriculum. The State of Texas had already decided to forgo the curriculum designed by the College Board amid objections to its content. But that move by the JeffCo School Board ignited widespread protests and student walkouts.
Board meetings in October became the scene of fiery debate over the content of the history classes, which were widely supported by historians, who had input into the AP designed curriculum.
Witt also said in his statement, "We are proud of the transparency and engagement that the addition of community members and, especially, students brings."
Alan Gionet is anchor of the CBS4 Morning News and reports on a wide variety of issues and "Good Question" stories. He started at CBS4 in 1994. Follow Alan on Twitter @AlanGTV.
