BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Alabama State Board of Education recently punted on deciding what social studies textbooks public school students would soon use, delaying a vote indefinitely.
Board members this week told Alabama Daily News concerns about content, gaps in the adoption process and confusion over public access to the books lead to the delay.
The pause pushes back a tight schedule for local school systems to choose and then buy new social studies textbooks until the board approves a state list, even though the new standards take effect next August.
The vote to approve a list of recommended textbooks for local schools to choose from had been scheduled for Nov. 14 but was removed from the agenda before the meeting began. Superintendent Eric Mackey said the days leading up to the meeting brought “a lot of questions” from board members, and he did not want to present the item while those concerns remained unresolved.
“Out of respect for the board,” he said, “I did not place something before them that there were still a lot of questions on.”
With the Legislature convening in early January, Mackey told board members that the delay could mean the issue may not return until spring 2026.
“It’s on the back burner,” he said.
The delay comes nearly a year after the board adopted new social studies standards – reshaping Alabama history, U.S. history, world history, geography and civics – by a 7-0 vote, with two abstentions. State law requires the board to adopt a list of textbooks aligned to those standards, though it does not set a deadline.
Board member Wayne Reynolds, who represents much of north and northwest Alabama, said he supports delaying the vote because some materials were, in his view, not acceptable.
He said one book focused heavily on Japanese internment with too little attention to the broader World War II context. He also objected to language he believed portrayed European settlement in an overly negative light.
Reynolds said meaningful local control requires a state list parents and educators can trust.
“I have to adopt textbooks, but they have to be adoptable,” he said.
Without changes to the selection process, he argued the state should consider stepping back entirely.
“What I think we’re going to do is abdicate the whole responsibility at the state level and let it go to the local school systems,” he said. “I believe in local control.”
Board President Pro Tem Kelly Mooney, whose district covers parts of central Alabama, also raised concerns about the content she reviewed. One of her worries was that the materials did not adequately reflect “Alabama values.”
“I felt like the values themselves, overall, seemed a little bit short of what Alabama would want for their schools to instill the trust that we want to build with our families,” she said.
Mooney said many publishers tailor materials for larger states and may not revise them enough for Alabama.
“I think for the majority of our families, that we serve in our state, that we want to educate their kids in like-mindedness to the way they’re trying to raise their families – to be patriotic, God-loving, God-fearing.”
Mooney said Alabama may need to “cast a wider net” in requesting bids to reach smaller publishers who could work more closely to match Alabama’s needs.
Gov. Kay Ivey, who presided over the meeting, backed Mackey’s decision to delay.
“There were concerns and questions that remained related to this social studies textbook (process),” Ivey spokeswoman Gina Maiola told ADN. “Governor Ivey agreed with his recommendation to delay the vote. As she has always done, the governor wants to ensure we protect students from any potentially bad material. She is confident Dr. Mackey will continue to handle this properly.”
To begin the selection process, the board appointed a 14-member textbook committee in April, and Ivey appointed nine additional members. Publishers submitted materials for review, and the full list of submissions – a full 90 pages – is posted on the Alabama Department of Education’s website.
The list does not indicate which books the committee recommended for approval or rejection. The committee’s list was given to the board at their Oct. 9 work session.
Board Vice President Marie Manning said supporting local control meant adopting a range of textbooks and allowing local boards to choose from among the list.
“Local school systems have a textbook committee that goes through the textbooks,” she said. “They can choose any textbook they want.”
“I trust the local people in our school system to choose a textbook that will meet their needs in the classroom,” she added. “I trust the local teachers to teach what is relevant to the subject and to the community.” Manning’s district includes much of north-central and northeast Alabama.
She said she had not received any complaints or concerns about content from constituents in her district.
Board member Jackie Zeigler, who represents much of south Alabama, said supported delaying the vote because she wanted more time to review the books.
“It’s my responsibility to go through those books,” she said.
“The textbook committee made sure – before they’re put on the list – that those books have each of the standards in them,” she said. “My view was to look at (the book), look at the verbiage, do a comparison (with other books).”
Zeigler and Reynolds also raised concerns about how the public could review the textbooks. State law requires a “reasonable amount of time” for the public to examine the materials.
Publishers placed copies at designated university libraries, but Zeigler said she worried the hours made participation difficult for working families.
Reynolds took issue with the fact that parents are shown every submitted book, including those the committee may have already recommended rejecting. The committee’s report is not made public until the board votes.
That process, he said, confuses parents and undermines the spirit of the law.
“The public has the right to know the committee’s report,” he said. He argued that parents cannot meaningfully review books without knowing which ones are actually under consideration.
Reynolds also said that while the committee fulfilled its duty to check alignment, “It appears to me that the committee did not review to the level that the board expects them to review.”
Other board members expressed confidence in the committee’s work.
Board member Tonya Chestnut, whose district includes parts of west and southwest Alabama, said she trusted the committee fully.
“I’ve had the opportunity to serve on textbook committees at the state level, and I think it’s an insult to the practicing educators that actually teach the content for us to not have confidence in what they have done,” she said.
Board member Yvette Richardson said she reviewed the committee’s rubrics and materials and felt the process worked as intended.
“You can actually look and see how the rubric lined up with each one,” she said.c“I felt very comfortable with the process.”
Her district includes central and west-central Alabama.
Board member Tracie West, whose district includes east-central and southeast Alabama, also expressed confidence.
“We absolutely must trust our locals – that we’re providing them a robust list to consider,” she said.
Board member Allen Long could not be reached for comment.
Several board members said they would support Alabama developing its own textbooks in the future, though they acknowledged that would not address the immediate need for materials for next August.
Board members said they expect teachers to continue teaching the standards regardless of when the board votes. Manning noted that textbooks are just one tool among many and that local educators will keep moving forward.
Chestnut said that while disagreements over content are inevitable, the purpose of teaching social studies remains constant.
“History is history. You can’t change it,” she said. “We may not like everything that has happened in the past, but it is what it is. And our job as educators is to teach it – all of it – not pieces of it.”
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