HOUSTON, Texas – Nearly a year after the Cy-Fair Independent School District made the controversial decision to remove chapters from state-approved textbooks, the debate remains unresolved.
As the third-largest school district in Texas, serving close to 120,000 students, Cy-Fair ISD drew statewide attention last year for eliminating 13 chapters covering topics like global warming, diversity, and vaccines.
For many, these are seen as essential components of a modern education.
In a recent interview with KPRC 2 Investigates, Superintendent Dr. Douglas Killian explained how the decision came about and the process behind it.
“We went through our regular process, we had our committee that looked at the textbooks and then recommended to the administration, and we brought it forward,” Dr. Killian said. “Part of the selection process is that the board actually makes the final selection, right? They are the ones that approve instructional materials. It’s part of the law and also part of our board policy that lines up with the law.”
Concerns raised by board members about the appropriateness of certain content led to the decision to remove entire chapters.
“You had to turn off an entire chapter on the electronic books, and that was kind of weird. It wasn’t that it was inappropriate so much as I don’t think they thought it was fair,” Dr. Killian said. “One of the things that we strive for when we’re doing our instructional resources is presenting both sides fairly.”
Although he supported the board’s authority, Dr. Killian shared that he personally favored keeping the chapters intact.
“I think that our staff are capable of making the changes that we want. I think it was sad that the way the textbooks are made electronically now, that we can’t just take excerpts.” He added, “It would have been preferable to keep the chapters and guide teachers on which sections to skip.”
When asked by KPRC’s Joel Eisenbaum if he felt removing the chapters was the right way to go, Dr. Killian answered, “I mean, I gave a professional recommendation for the chapters and the whole books, right? So, I think we could have dealt with the issue. Absolutely."
The decision has created a unique challenge for educators: how to teach required state standards without using the chapters originally designed to cover them.
“There’s a really great graphic that National Geographic made about CO2 emissions and sea surface temperatures, and that’s in the chapter we’re not allowed to use,” a high school science teacher said.
Instead, teachers are relying on supplemental materials, many pulled from online sources.
In high school biology, for example, new lesson plans on vaccines now direct teachers to avoid using value-laden language such as “good” or “bad.”
Dr. Killian acknowledged that these changes have caused frustration among staff.
“Sounds like we need to have a committee to relook at all this stuff, doesn’t it?”
Addressing the qualifications of the curriculum development team, he said, “You’re looking for folks with that kind of classroom experience, which is what we have.”
He also stressed the importance of continuous curriculum review.
“I think it’s very fair to bring teachers in and do some critical work over the summertime and see if there’s something else, we need to address.”
Ultimately, Dr. Killian emphasized the delicate balance between adhering to state standards and responding to community expectations.
“I think the issue was that they wanted to make sure that it was fair, it was fairly presented.”
