Brandon Leuallen, The Business Times

As Mesa County Valley School District 51 prepares to consider new Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum resources, district officials are encouraging parents and community members to review the materials and provide feedback through an upcoming curriculum open house.

District 51 has scheduled public sessions on Jan. 7 and Jan. 8 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Harry Butler Board Room at R-5 High School.

According to district communications, the open house is intended to give community members a chance to examine recommended SEL resources for elementary and secondary students, ask questions of staff and share feedback before any final adoption decision is made.

The invitation follows the completion of an evaluation process conducted by District 51’s Social Emotional Learning Resource Selection Team, which reviewed multiple instructional options and identified recommended resources for potential districtwide use.

How District 51 defines, communicates SEL

District 51 maintains a dedicated Social Emotional Learning page on its website describing SEL as instruction focused on skills such as self awareness, self management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making. The district aligns its definition with nationally recognized SEL frameworks and emphasizes connections between these skills and academic success, workforce readiness and long-term life outcomes.

According to the page, SEL instruction is intended to support students’ ability to manage emotions, build healthy relationships and make constructive choices, alongside traditional academic learning. District communications describe SEL as “explicit instruction of skills that are crucial for success in life and career.”

National debates over SEL and local control

National debate over Social Emotional Learning has intensified in recent years, with federal actions and parent advocacy groups having sharply different interpretations of what SEL represents and how it should be used in schools. 

A March Education Week article reported that recent U.S. Department of Education guidance, warning that SEL could be used to “veil discriminatory policies,” has drawn criticism from SEL proponents while energizing opponents.

Lakeisha Steele, vice president of policy for the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), told Education Week the federal government was “misusing the Office for Civil Rights to violate state and local control and to mislead the public about social and emotional learning.”

At the same time, Tina Descovich, co-founder and executive director of Moms for Liberty, said she hopes the guidance will result in the removal of SEL from schools, arguing that while “all parents want children to be able to regulate their emotions,” she is concerned SEL encourages an equity lens that she believes ties the practice to critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Contrasting views nationally underscore why local community input is more important than ever with curriculum decisions ultimately resting at the district level.