Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2024 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Spanish Fort AP Gov't Class Attracts Complaints

Spanish Fort High School
Wikimedia

Complaints are continuing over the curriculum in an advanced placement government class at a high school in south Alabama.

This past summer, the reading list for Gene Ponder’s AP Government class at Spanish Fort High School made news for its inclusion of titles like “Liberalism is a Mental Disorder: Savage Solutions” by conservative radio host Michael Savage and “Guilty: Liberal Victims and their Assault on America” by commentator Ann Coulter.

That reading list was pulled by the Baldwin County School Board back in June. But students and parents are still expressing concerns with the content of the class, including classroom instruction that allegedly included criticism about social welfare programs leading to the “nation’s downfall” and comparisons of President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler.

High school senior Julia Coccaro confronted school board members at a board meeting last week, telling them taxpayers are not paying for students to be “indoctrinated”.

Baldwin County Schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler says the school system will take some of the public's suggestions under consideration.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.