Gwinnett residents criticize history course

A group of Gwinnett County residents reiterated their concerns to school board members Thursday evening about some history textbooks and course materials from a controversial elective course some students are taking.

Several school board members said they agree with many of the concerns but said they are grappling with what to do about the situation.

“We are wrestling with many of these issues,” board member Carole Boyce told residents during the meeting.

The critics say the College Board’s revised Advanced Placement U.S. History course framework presents an unbalanced view of American history that is “liberally-biased” and “Marxist.”

“This book does not depict the United States I know and love,” one speaker, Billy Wise, said of a book the College Board approved for the course.

Gwinnett administrators have acknowledged the A.P. course doesn’t identify some historical figures, but note the course is an elective and that other social studies taught under the district’s curriculum standards offer a more balanced and thorough account of U.S. and world history.