Intense Brandywine Community School Curriculum Board meeting raises questions from parents and staff

NILES, Mich.— Seven weeks away from the upcoming school year, as the battle over the books continues for Brandywine Community schools, Thursday afternoon, a new debate was raised, the battle over the curriculum.

School may be out, but the Brandywine School Board Curriculum Board was still in session for a public meeting held to discuss the school year ahead, now just seven weeks away.

Many familiar faces were in the crowd and took the microphone. Some parents and educators have been coming out to meetings since January voicing their concerns about the controversial topic of book banning.

Some told ABC57, they even took time off work to sit in and speak out at the meeting, this time not about what’s in the library but what curriculum is taught to students.

School board president Thomas Payne, brought in a new face to the table, Jordan Adams who is the CEO of Vermilion, a curriculum consulting service, that has been highly criticized in the past.

Many parents and teachers are upset by this decision, especially when they feel there is not a seat at the table for their voices.

Superintendent Travis Walker questioned why the outsider was brought in at all, having full trust in his staff and district to make the decisions on the matter.

"I think it goes back to the question about our staff and our qualified staff being able to do this work, we've got a very supportive community, and were doing some great things in Brandywine, so we've got some things to brag about, so I think they just want to support that staff and see them do the work. Brandywine it's not a town it’s a community,” said Walker.

He hopes a new curriculum backed by the educators will be recommended to the board at the next meeting Monday, July 10.