York High School Class One-Sided: Students

ELMHURST, IL — Two York High School students told the school board this week that one of their classes in particular was one-sided and that alternative views were dismissed. A third student said a number of classes have that same problem.

Students Paul Nicoli, Emily Hyink and Rianna Roberts spoke during public input. They contended the school's Advanced Placement Language and Composition class skewed toward one perspective.

Nicoli, the first speaker, did not identify the bias in the class, but he mentioned the race unit.

He said he and his peers reviewed the AP Language class. He said they found it included 40 articles, 15 videos, two-hour long documentaries, two books totaling 796 pages and four hours of screen time of "political content all slanted and skewed in one direction."

"Keep in mind, I haven't even mentioned what direction the bias is in, but I'm pretty sure that we have a good idea where the bias may lie," Nicoli said. "It's not even a slight bias, but a hard skew."

The class, he said, is a means to an end of a political agenda. The political material, which was part of the race unit, lasted from September to March, he said.

He also contended worthy sources with alternative viewpoints brought in by students did not get the same respect as those sources that go along with the political materials in class, he said.

"So instead of learning how to write an essay or rhetorical analysis or read books, a majority of the school year was squandered in that class over a political maneuver," Nicoli said. "This cannot continue to happen, as it's an insult to the students' right to a quality education under the Illinois constitution, and the school board needs to take the necessary means to stop whoever and whatever is writing the curriculum to include such political material."

Hyink reflected Nicoli's points.

"Not every student supported the repetitive opinions voiced by the literature we read," she said. "At times, we felt intimidated by voicing our opinions and concerned we'd be risking a grade if our contributions were considered illogical or off topic simply because they were not in line with the popular viewpoint. By limiting curriculum to one-track agendas, which provide only singular perspectives, you're just creating a learning environment that is not conducive to open discourse."

Hyink said that at times, students "surrendered their genuine opinions" to ensure an A, which she said was a decision no student should have to make.

Ryan spoke about English and social studies classes in general, saying they failed to give a spectrum of views. Students agree on nearly every topic, she said, which is unrealistic.

"I believe students need to be given a spectrum of documents throughout their courses," she said. "As of right now, we are given a one-sided perspective."

The school board did not respond to the students. It's the board's practice not to answer public commenters.

Patch has filed a public records request for documents related to the AP Language and Composition class.

According to an online district document from 2016, the class requires students to demonstrate a "sophisticated ability to read and analyze texts."