Traditionally, school boards have been nonpolitical. The health book controversy forced the board of education to deal with a political issue that should be debated in Sacramento, not in Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD).

During my 6½years as a trustee, board members have seen some issues differently. In all cases, every board member attempts to reach a decision in the best interests of students.

To achieve this goal, we hear staff recommendations and their supporting rationale, ask questions, receive input from the public, read pertinent information and engage in quality discourse about issues under consideration. After evaluating the facts, each board member casts his vote based on what they believe will be in the best interests of all students.

At the June 28 board meeting, 26 speakers spoke for the adoption of the Glencoe ninth edition and 34 spoke against it. The board voted 4-1 to adopt it, with Mr. Dunn voting no.

In the process, a teacher committee reviews the state framework, selects textbooks that are aligned with the framework and directs selected teachers to pilot the textbooks. The committee then makes its recommendation.

The current textbook controversy arose over the wording in a ninth-grade health textbook regarding the definition of marriage. The Glencoe fifth edition, the textbook that’s been used in the district since 1996 and is no longer in print, included a definition of marriage using the terms “husband and wife” in the glossary and in the text. The ninth edition removed the definition from the glossary and used neutral terms.

The teachers recommended the Glencoe text because it was aligned with the framework and was more “student friendly.”

The chapter in question in the Glencoe ninth edition addressed marriage and parenting and attempts to educate children on how to have a successful marriage. In the ninth edition, the sentences that sparked controversy are “a commitment is a promise or pledge that partners make to each other. Marriage is life-long commitment.”

Out of context, the sentence could imply that the textbook is about different kinds of marriages. Within context, if one reads the chapter, one would infer that marriage requires commitment. There’s no definition of marriage in the state health framework.

The Glencoe health text ninth edition is sold in 50 states. Only the Texas Board of Education requested that Glencoe change the wording, which it did, to depict that “marriage is a life-long union between a husband and wife who develop an intimate relationship.”

Because Glencoe sells books in every state, the publisher elected to use neutral language. To date, 32 districts in California, including Las Virgenes Unified School District, have adopted this book.

CVUSD is one of the finest school districts in California and I am optimistic that staff and community will continue to work together to build 21st Century schools for all students. Tim Stephens, President Conejo Valley Unified School District