Some SUSD parents concerned over curriculum; district responds to claims

The Brief
The Scottsdale Unified School District is defending itself against claims that it's providing a "one-sided" curriculum.
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne held a news conference on June 11, saying he would report the district to the federal government for adopting a "DEI-oriented textbook."
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Arizona's top school official is threatening to report Scottsdale to the federal government, claiming the district has adopted a "DEI-oriented textbook" and curriculum.
What they're saying
All the speakers at a June 11 press conference, and state superintendent Tom Horne, admitted that they did not read the textbooks they were critiquing in their entirety, just excerpts.
Still, they call the text "indoctrination" – something the district vehemently denies.
"I will report to the federal government that the Scottsdale school district has violated the statement that they signed that they would not teach DEI," Horne said.
He's talking about a social studies curriculum.
"A very one-sided, propagandist statement without giving again, different points of view," Horne claimed.
Speakers pointed to several issues they felt textbook publisher Savvas presented unfairly or in a biased manner, including the pandemic, climate change and policing.
"At a time when law enforcement agencies are expanding their focus and training on things like community outreach and de-escalation of conflicts, it is counterproductive for schools to push a politically misguided agenda that would make students suspicious and fearful," said Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan.
SUSD parent, Karen Martinson, who says she has a child who is a junior in high school, also shared concerns about how religion is discussed in a separate textbook with a separate publisher.
"When I read this, I was actually in shock. 'But the historical accuracy of the stories in the bible is questionable.' This is under the heading of the origins of Judaism," she said about a section in the textbook.
The other side
Several parents were in support of the curriculum at a May 13 meeting.
"Is it messy? Yes. Is it uncomfortable? Yes. You may not like the fact that George Floyd is brought up, but Derek Chauvin is spending time for murder. If you have a problem with that, and think it's anti-police, I don't know what to tell you," a parent said.
Another parent said, "Our students deserve a quality curriculum that includes the rich, essential facts and the reality of our true history and avoids future embarrassment of our children when they find out that they are uneducated."
SUSD, Savvas respond
SUSD released a statement, defending itself against the claims.
"We reject the baseless accusations made during today's press conference by State Superintendent Tom Horne. His claims of indoctrination and a so-called 'leftist curriculum being imposed' on students are simply untrue and unsupported by fact. Curriculum decisions in SUSD are made through a transparent, collaborative, and non-partisan process, guided by a curriculum adoption committee and aligned with Arizona state standards, standards for which Mr. Horne and the State Board are ultimately responsible. Our duly elected, non-partisan Governing Board, approved the social studies curriculum following months of review and community input. To single out SUSD while other districts, including Peoria Unified and charter schools like Legacy and American Leadership Academy adopted the same curriculum materials is disingenuous and politically motivated. SUSD remains committed to providing world-class, future-focused education. Our mission is to cultivate critical thinking, not to promote any ideology. This type of inflammatory rhetoric distracts from the real issues facing Arizona schools, most notably, the need to raise student achievement in math, science, reading, and writing. That is where our focus lies heading into the 2025-26 school year."
SUSD also says other districts like Peoria and charter schools, like Legacy and ALA, also use the same curriculum.
Savvas released a statement, saying, in full, "We uphold the strictest editorial standards and take pride in developing the highest-quality K-12 instructional materials so that all students have access to rigorous, research-based, standards-aligned curriculum. The development process for all of our instructional materials, including our social studies programs, is rigorously designed to include the input of authors who are experts in their discipline, external content-area experts, academics, teacher reviewers, and third-party fact-checkers to ensure accuracy. Great care is taken to ensure that all of our social studies programs present balanced, unbiased, accurate, and fact-based content. We are proud of our social studies curriculum and fully stand by our high-quality instructional materials that challenge, engage, and inspire students to learn."

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