In the field of Social Studies, we address many issues which may be considered sensitive or controversial. While these conversations can sometimes be uncomfortable, they help us to understand the motivations of people in the past and the present as they shape the events that form the history of humanity. This page will provide resources for addressing sensitive issues in general as well as topic-specific resources for issues which are covered in BCPS curricula. 

General Guidelines:

• BCPS Policy 6102 presents the Board's philosophy with regard to teaching controversial issues, defines the term "controversial issue," and establishes standards by which issues may be considered for use in classroom instruction.
• BCPS Rule 6102 provides specific guidelines for teaching controversial issues, describes the approval process for selecting resource speakers on these topics,  and lists the responsibilities of te teacher, administrator, and curriculum office with regard to teaching about controversial issues.
• Rule 6002 "Evaluation and Selection of Instructional Materials" guidelines.
• Guidelines for Commercial Media Products
• Teaching Tolerance This is a great website for lesson plans and materials. 
• Teaching in Times of Tragedy- This TeachingChannel page provides some guidelines for dealing with sensitive issues in the classroom. 

Articles:

• Why Teach Sensitive Issues? From the Department of Education, this article lays out a case for evidence-Bases Social studies and teaching controversial issues.
  
• A Practical Guide Teaching Sensitive Issues Adapted from the work of Paul C. Gorski for EdChange, this document summarizes the characteristics of a classroom environment conducive to teaching sensitive issues and lays out a process teachers and students can follow.
• Trauma and Trigger Warnings in History This article describes the unintended consequences of addressing traumatic historical events and what teachers can do to be sensitive to student's emotional reactions.
• Speaking of Digital Literacy... This lesson and list of terms associated with assessing the reliability of digital information is from Teaching Tolerance. 

Topic-Specific Resources