Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 Meeting Summary — August 24, 2026
Key Actions
- The School Board approved the meeting agenda 6–0.
- The Board approved the consent agenda 6–0. The consent agenda included personnel and financial reports, several facility and athletic agreements, 2026–27 substitute and temporary pay rates, and a City of Anoka school resource officer contract.
- The Board did not approve the proposed Northern Lights Third Edition textbook for Grade 6 Minnesota Studies. A motion to purchase the textbook and use a two-step process allowing Board review of curriculum documents before implementation failed on a 3–3 vote.
- An earlier motion intended to provide additional time for Board discussion and development of guidance before returning to the new materials also failed 3–3.
- The Board voted 6–0 to enter closed session for labor-negotiation strategy and an attorney-client privileged discussion.
Major Discussion Topics
Grade 6 Minnesota Studies Textbook Remains Unapproved
The meeting's central discussion focused on whether to purchase the Northern Lights Third Edition for Grade 6 Minnesota Studies. District administration said the Minnesota Historical Society resource was recommended by the curriculum adoption team and is specifically designed for Minnesota Studies; the district's subscription to the second edition runs through June 2027.
A Grade 6 curriculum-writing team met August 10–14 to develop pacing guides and unit plans aligned with the new Minnesota standards and the third edition. Teachers had received digital access to the new edition beginning August 10 to support that planning.
Board members debated whether the textbook should be approved now, whether curriculum documents should receive additional Board review first, and whether the district should develop clearer guidance for teaching standards involving controversial subjects.
One proposal to continue work on guidance and return to the issue in roughly a month failed 3–3. A subsequent motion to purchase the third edition while using a two-step review process for curriculum documents also failed 3–3. As a result, the Board ended the discussion without approving the new textbook.
Policy 604.4 Became Part of the Curriculum Debate
Superintendent Greg Cole addressed concerns about connecting the curriculum decision to possible changes to Policy 604.4, the district's respectful learning environment policy. He said the purpose of considering the policy was to explore whether staff needed greater clarity when teaching topics likely to involve differing perspectives.
Cole explicitly said there was no intention to return to the district's former neutrality policy from more than 14 years ago and said the potential review of Policy 604.4 was unrelated to that former policy.
Board members differed over whether Policy 604.4 itself needed changes. Discussion included the possibility of developing a separate guidance or directional document rather than changing the policy, as well as whether more specific Board guidance was needed before approving curriculum materials.
No amendment to Policy 604.4 was adopted at this meeting.
The Board received comments from 11 speakers, with speakers limited to two minutes because of the number of participants.
Several speakers urged the Board to move forward with social studies curriculum materials and objected to linking curriculum approval to possible changes to Policy 604.4. Speakers raised concerns about student safety, teacher support, transparency, curriculum delays and the history surrounding the district's respectful learning environment policy.
Other public comments included a request to consider adding a seventh School Board member and concerns about accessibility. Speakers also raised broader questions about district funding, staffing and educational resources.
District Recognized for Music Education
The district recognized its receipt of the NAMM Foundation's Best Communities for Music Education Award for the 12th year.
District music educator Ryan Palmer highlighted the growth of beginning music courses at Coon Rapids High School, saying the program has connected with more than 100 new music students when students enrolled for fall 2026 are included. He emphasized the role music programs can play in helping students build community, persistence and connections to school.
Board Questions
- Question: If the Board delayed action on the Grade 6 Minnesota Studies materials, would the matter automatically return at the next regular meeting in September?
Answer: The discussion established that a simple motion to table did not set a specific return date. Administration also asked for time to determine a realistic timeline depending on what additional work the Board requested.
- Question: If the Board chose not to purchase the third edition immediately, could teachers simply continue with the planned curriculum work using the existing resource?
Answer: Administration explained that not purchasing the new edition would require returning to curriculum-writing work because the materials and planning completed over the summer had been aligned with the third edition. The district retains access to the existing second edition through June 2027.
- Question: Was changing Policy 604.4 originally part of the district's social studies curriculum process?
Answer: The discussion clarified that a Policy 604.4 change was not presented as part of the original curriculum-writing process. Superintendent Cole described the potential policy review as a later idea intended to create a possible path toward curriculum-material approval and provide clearer guidance for controversial topics.
District Updates
Superintendent Cole reported that the 2026–27 school year begins September 8, using a phased start for students. District open houses are scheduled for September 1 and 2.
The district has moved its digital activity ticketing from GoFan to Bound. Fall activities are underway, with football beginning September 3.
The district reported that 540 students earned up to four college credits through proficiency testing in languages other than English. Of those students, 95 earned the Gold Bilingual Seal and 64 earned the Platinum Seal, with a combined 1,630 semesters of college credit earned across six languages.
The district also introduced GoGuardian Parent as an optional tool allowing families to manage internet access on district devices outside school. Superintendent Cole said the district selected Google Gemini as an authorized artificial-intelligence platform for students and staff and plans to filter other AI platforms from district devices and networks as part of its data-security approach.
A new district enrollment center also opened at the Educational Services Center in Anoka. The superintendent described it as a centralized location for enrollment and family support services following the closure of the Coon Rapids Family Mall location as part of budget savings.
What Happens Next
The Board left the Grade 6 Minnesota Studies textbook issue unresolved after both substantive motions ended in 3–3 votes. The Northern Lights Third Edition therefore was not approved for purchase at this meeting.
Discussion indicated continued interest in addressing how the district teaches standards involving potentially controversial subjects and whether that should be handled through Policy 604.4, separate Board guidance, curriculum documents or some combination of those approaches. No specific return date or final process was approved during the open-session discussion.
The Board then moved into closed session to discuss labor-negotiation strategy with the Education Office Professionals group and attorney-client privileged matters related to Parents for Good v. Anoka-Hennepin School District.
