The district is considering the possibility of deviating from the state approved social studies curriculum and instead adopting the right-wing American Birthright Curriculum. The District has made the following press release:
Garfield Re-2 would like all Garfield Re-2 residents to share their VOICE in the CHOICE of Social Studies Standards.
At the August 23, 2023 School Board meeting, the Garfield Re-2 Board of Directors approved a community engagement plan to gather feedback about potential social studies standards. The District is in the process of evaluating which Social Studies standards will help Garfield Re-2 students grow into the best-informed citizens they can be with a comprehensive understanding of the world.
In August and September, Garfield Re-2 administrators will facilitate a series of Social Studies Standards Community Forums to gather feedback from parents and community members. In addition, comments will be gathered internally from staff as well as high school students. The Social Studies Standards Community Forums will provide an opportunity for families and community members to share their concerns and preferences for one of several options, including:
Community members can access complete documents for all three at www.garfield re2.net. In addition, community members can download a packet that contains just the first-grade or sixth-grade standards so they can compare a single grade level. These packets are available in both English and Spanish.
Meetings will be held on the following dates and locations:
Wednesday, August 30, Silt Library 6 -7 p.m.
Wednesday, September 6, Rifle Library 6 - 7 p.m
Thursday, September 7, Rifle Library 6 - 7 p.m.
Monday, September 11, New Castle Library 6 - 7 p.m.
Interpretation will be available on-site for all meetings.
Materials are available online at the web address above, at the front office of each Garfield Re-2 School, and the District Office. All comments will be documented and be part of the information provided to the Social Studies Curriculum Review Committee. This committee will evaluate all of the feedback as well as the options and make a recommendation to the School Board in October.
Additionally, community members can take a survey asking for comments and preferences regarding the possible Social Studies Standards. The survey can be found at the same web address on the Garfield Re-2 website and are linked below.