Despite opposition from part of the Hollidaysburg Area School Board, a psychology textbook was approved for adoption Wednesday and is available for public review.

A motion to approve “AP Psychology: Psychology for the AP Course” passed by a 6-3 margin, with Jesse Blank, Michele Luther, Joseph Antonowicz, John Wells, Missy Sullivan and Carmen Bilek voting in favor, while Ying Li, Kenneth Snyder and Cara Eardley were opposed.

Debate surrounding the book began during the board’s March meeting, as Li raised concerns that the textbook contains references to topics such as social justice and gender identity, including George Floyd and LGBTQ issues.

She proposed finding an alternative to the textbook to supplement the AP course instead.

Eardley said she was in favor of finding an alternative.

“Are there other options out there to not even expose children to it at all?” she asked.

Assistant Superintendent Tracy Boone said during the March meeting that those sections likely would not even be included in the course curriculum, but would simply be present in the textbook. Students would have to go looking for the material on their own time to find it.

She also said the district was rather limited in terms of finding alternatives since the College Board dictates AP course materials.

Blank and Antonowicz were opposed to dropping or censoring the book, as they said it was the recognized standard for the AP course.

Antonowicz said it was understandable how much the LGBTQ community was mentioned, considering how a lot of students in that community feel invisible or undervalued.

The discussion got a little tense as some board members seemed to laugh to themselves quietly or shake their heads while Li was explaining her reservations.

Luther reprimanded those members, saying it was unacceptable behavior.

“I am not going to sit here and watch grown adults make fun of other adults who are raising concerns,” Luther said.

Revisiting the topic

In Wednesday’s meeting, however, the tone was much more cordial and professional.

At the start of the discussion surrounding the textbook, Li asked to make a motion to table the vote instead.

“I want to add an alternative textbook to this item,” she said.

The motion was seconded, but a roll call vote resulted in a 3-6 denial of tabling the item, instead proceeding to the original approval vote. Li, Eardley and Snyder were the votes in favor of tabling, while Luther, Blank, Antonowicz, Wells, Sullivan and Bilek opposed.

Li explained her reasoning behind suggesting an alternative textbook, saying she feels the original book is “designed to make students accept consensus rather than critical thinking.”

“I think this book has multiple sections that contain left ideological narratives, biased opinions, presented as fact,” Li said.

She said the book she was proposing contains a lot of the same content, but presents it in a stronger and “more objective way.”

In her scenario, students would have two courses to choose from for AP Psychology.

Wells asked if her book was on the list of approved course materials, and she said it was.

Eardley agreed with Li, saying “I think the book is very biased.”

Luther asked if a letter will be sent home to parents notifying them of the option to opt their children out of the class if they were uncomfortable with any of the material in the textbook. Boone and Superintendent Curtis Whitesel said it would, as that was a stipulation in place from the March meeting.

Boone said the difficulty with approving a secondary book was that it would reset the 30-day review window, pushing back final adoption and purchase of the book. The earliest the textbook could be purchased in that scenario is July 1, meaning teachers wouldn’t receive it until late July, early August.

Blank said he was in favor of moving forward with the original textbook on its own to avoid any delays for teachers in their preparations for the course.

“It’s the most prominent resource in the area,” he said. “It was easy to read and I found it very interesting.”

Blank said the book is also attributed with a high success rate for students passing their AP exams.

Li acknowledged that the original textbook might lead to higher test results, but that shouldn’t be the only factor in approving course material.

“A better grade doesn’t mean a good education,” she said. “I think that book is indoctrination.”

Boone said having two separate courses would create a bigger workload for teachers. It would also split students between the classes, making it harder to reach the minimum enrollment of 10-12 students because the course historically averages 15-18.

“They would be prepping two different versions of the same class,” Boone said.

Sullivan emphasized the importance of placing the decision in the hands of parents, saying the note was satisfactory in her mind.

“It was important for me to remember that it is an elective, not a required course,” she said.

Board President Carmen Bilek said that although there were portions of the textbook that felt slightly biased, the overall content was pertinent and well written.

“Are there biases in it? Yes. But I had no problem with it,” she said, adding that she would have no problem with her son reading it.

The textbook is available for review at the administrative offices until April 28 and can be viewed by calling 814-696-4454 ext. 1123 for an appointment.