The El Paso County Colorado School District 49 Board of Education voted to approve a districtwide social studies alignment and a statement of intent for U.S. history and civics instruction, and then approved three elective course proposals after debate and a motion to consider an amendment.

The alignment and statement of intent (action item 7.1) were approved 4–1, with the roll call recorded as: DiValla, Aye; Haile, Aye; Livia Wright, Aye; Schmidt, No; Thompson, Aye. The board then split a packet of elective course proposals and voted on each course individually; board members approved Film and Literature (Patriot High School), Colorado Folklore (Patriot Applied Learning Campus) and Culture and Literature (Patriot Applied Learning Campus).

The vote followed an extended discussion about the scope of the board’s role in curriculum and a narrow, contested proposal from Director Schmidt to add a dedicated Federalist Papers unit to the syllabus. Director Schmidt argued for a unit focused on several key Federalist Papers to help students “understand the reasons this is a great country” and proposed a discrete unit covering the most-used papers. Several board members, Superintendent Peter Hiltz, and student board representatives pushed back, saying curriculum unit design should remain with teachers and that the board should set intent and alignment rather than prescribe unit-level content.

“Call your folks at CASB and ask them if that crosses a line,” Superintendent Peter Hiltz told the board when asked about whether specifying unit content would cross governance into instruction. Hiltz asked the board to “respect our teachers and trust them.”

Student board members Benjamin and Emma both urged the board to trust teachers’ judgment. Benjamin said the student board supports teaching the Federalist Papers but not board-level unit design, and Emma said teachers “understand our students more than anyone” and that integrating the papers into lessons, not a single unit, works better for students.

Despite the disagreement, directors agreed to postpone Director Schmidt’s amendment; Schmidt then withdrew her motion and the board voted to approve the alignment and the statement of intent. The board later approved the three elective courses after splitting the packet so each could be considered on its own.

Votes at a glance
- Consent agenda: Passed. (Recorded roll call earlier in the meeting: DiValla, Aye; Kyle, Aye; Livia Wright, Aye; Schmidt, Aye; Thompson, Aye.)
- Action 7.1 — Approve social studies course alignment and statement of intent: Approved 4–1 (DiValla Aye; Haile Aye; Livia Wright Aye; Schmidt No; Thompson Aye).
- Action 7.2 — Film and Literature (Patriot High School): Approved (recorded roll call: Tuvala Aye; Haile Aye; Laveah/Olivia Wright Aye; Schmidt No; Thompson Aye).
- Action 7.2 — Colorado Folklore (Patriot Applied Learning Campus): Approved (recorded roll call: DeVola/DiValla Aye; Haile Aye; Laveah Wright Aye; Schmidt Aye; Thompson Aye).
- Action 7.2 — Culture and Literature (Patriot Applied Learning Campus): Approved (recorded roll call: DiValla Aye; Haile Aye; Olivia Wright Aye; Schmidt Aye; Thompson Aye).

Why it matters: The board’s action affirms a districtwide alignment of when U.S. history and civics courses are taught and issues a statement of intent that will guide teachers and schools. The debate underlined a recurring governance question in District 49 and many districts: how far trustees should go in specifying curriculum versus leaving unit design and instructional sequencing to classroom teachers and administrators.

Board discussion and next steps: Directors who opposed prescribing unit-level content said the change would undermine teacher autonomy and could displace other required standards. Supporters said explicit references to foundational documents would strengthen civic understanding and asked for clearer statements of intent. The administration said it will continue work with teachers and department chairs on resources and implementation and return with materials as those refinements are completed.

Ending: The board’s approvals put the new alignment and electives into the district’s course offerings and leave teachers responsible for unit planning. The administration and task force will continue to refine resources and materials and return to the board with related curriculum documents and implementation details as needed.