As far as I can tell, the books are still part of the curriculum, they are just pushing them slightly up until after the early readers are done with.

I don't know who you think wants to exclude a whole culture, especially one that seems so vibrant and strong right now, sounds nutty to me.

I was just contrasting how well all the folks treat my boy at school in general, dealing with his little weirdnesses and idiosyncracies ( having to wear ear muffs for his auditory issues in Kapa Haka etc. ) with BallpeenHammers "Tough luck if you can't keep up, we won't cater to the lowest common denominator".

It doesn't have to be black and white, X wins or Y wins, alot of stuff can get handled well in a primary school education.