Board approves controversial issues policy despite lingering concerns

May 15—After months of revisions and discussions, the Frederick County Board of Education has approved a new policy regarding the teaching of controversial issues and the use of historical artifacts in classrooms.

But some members of the community are still not happy with it.

Policy 516, as it's officially called, states that historical artifacts may be used in the context of curricular objectives and recognizes the importance of using artifacts to teach students to be critical thinkers. It defines controversial issues as "a point or matter about which there exist significant opposing viewpoints and/or multiple perspectives."

A discussion of controversial issues, per the draft language, may be held when the issue has political, economic or social significance, when students are provided access to credible and relevant information related to the topic, when the issue is presented in a setting free of bias or judgment and when students are able to form their own opinions on the issue without jeopardizing their relationship with the teacher or school.

Additionally, the policy states that teachers are responsible for presenting all views on a subject, and teachers may share their own personal views as long as it is presented as an opinion rather than a fact.

The Frederick County Public Schools Racial Equity Committee once again expressed concerns with the language of the policy. Committee member Dawn Lynch read a prepared statement during the public comment portion of Wednesday's board meeting.

"We understand that the board would like to establish this policy as soon as possible, however, we would like to continue to work with the board to ensure this policy and future policies are constructed using a racially equitable lens," she said.

The policy came about following an incident in early 2020, when a Nazi flag was seen by parents and students hanging in the window of a Gov. Thomas Johnson High School classroom during a Friday evening basketball game.

This week was the second time the Racial Equity Committee expressed dissatisfaction with the policy's language. The committee focuses on identifying discrimination or harassment within the school system, raising awareness of implicit bias and eliminating or mitigating racial inequity or its effects across the entire school system.

Previously, the committee expressed concern to board members about the title of the policy, saying the name had a negative connotation.

"Teaching of controversial issues has a negative connotation and does not adequately convey to our students that opposing viewpoints are acceptable," the committee said. "We would like to propose that the board consider renaming this policy a title such as discussions about historical and current events within the classroom."

Committee chair Kisha Coa previously told the News-Post the committee believes that framing issues as controversial will deter students and teachers from wanting to engage in discussions about issues that are important to have.

The committee also previously requested that the word controversial when used in the main language of the policy be substituted with the phrase "multiple viewpoints." However, there should be a distinction between events that can have multiple viewpoints and events, whether past or present, that are clearly right or wrong.

For example, historical and current events that express hate toward another group of people whether based on race, ethnicity, culture, creed or sexual preference should be presented as such in the classroom, Coa said.

"The Holocaust, Japanese Internment Camps in the United States and slavery— each of these events in our country's past have clearly demonstrated hate toward a group of people," Coa said. "Items holding multiple viewpoints, such as ... the proposal of the Green New Deal, FDR's New Deal, the passing of Obamacare should be discussed in the classroom through an equity lens."

The new version of Policy 516, which was presented to the board and unanimously approved on Wednesday, took into account some of the Racial Equity Committee's suggestions. The name was edited and now reads as "Teaching of Potentially Controversial Issues/Use of Historical Artifacts" and a section regarding professional learning for teachers was added.

But Lynch reiterated the need for substituting the word "controversial" with "multiple viewpoints" and said the Racial Equity Committee will continue to advocate for the addition of language mandating that the use of "any historical artifacts that explicitly represents hate against any race, culture, sexual preference or creed be portrayed in the classroom as such."

Lynch also said the committee feels professional learning should not solely be based on this policy.

"Professional learning should be inclusive of understanding privilege, understanding the experiences of those of us who have been historically marginalized and strategies for having courageous conversations about race within the classroom," Lynch said. "A professional learning experience on dos and don'ts based upon a policy will not support our staff who educates our students of color on a daily basis."

Follow Katryna Perera on Twitter: @katrynajill