Education Matters US

Pinney herself fosters that kind of labeling when she acknowledges that she has not read any of the books and says, “I don’t know if I would want to.” We don’t question the board’s authority to overrule the recommendations of its paid and highly qualified educators if it is convinced those recommendations are in error.

But it is clear that Pinney cannot adequately weigh the merits of those recommendations unless she has examined the books as closely as those educators have. To do otherwise would be a disservice to the electorate and to the students — and would not set the stage for the kind of thoughtful discussion the issue deserves.

Literature though they may be, the books are not, as Pinney would note, necessarily easy calls. They deal in part with sexuality, drugs or politics. And clearly, some include passages that because of language couldn’t be quoted in this newspaper.

We can see why reasonable parents would be, at the least, uneasy with some of the selections. We’re uneasy with some. That discomfort doesn’t mean those books should be restricted — especially given the district’s policy of allowing parents to ask for substitute reading assignments if they disapprove of a book. But it does bring merit to a discussion of whether some books should be on the required reading list.

Working off a list of texts recommended for purchase in District 214 next year, she browsed the Internet for details – and uncovered, she says, a number of explicit excerpts she says make her question the books’ validity as literature and their place in the curriculum.

Some of the passages, she argues, are barely cleaner than magazine pornography.

“As I saw what I reading there, it’s like, ‘Wow,’æ” says Pinney, who was elected to the school board in 2005. “Why would these be books you’d want the students to study? I just really thought better of our system.”

Excerpts she highlights feature extensive swearing, violence and references to sexual acts including masturbation, bestiality and homosexuality. One part of “Freakonomics” that raised her ire hypothesizes that legalized abortion could lower the homicide rate.

As well, district policy allows parents who find material objectionable to call the teacher and request an alternative.

Board member Miriam “Mimi” Cooper said classrooms are a good, controlled setting for teenagers to read about and discuss adult situations they will encounter later in life.

“These are high school students who I think have the maturity,” Cooper said. “A book with adult language or adult situations – those are teaching moments for kids.”

Before the books get to the school board, they’ve been selected by teachers who have read the works and, often, chosen them with help from national curriculum guides. Teachers’ choices are reviewed by division heads as well.

The texts flagged by Pinney have for the most part been used in District 214 before, said Hersey High English division head Chuck Venegoni. He adds the books are common in high-performing high schools across the nation.

“To think that this is some willy-nilly selection of some sexed-out teacher who wound up in some high school is just absolutely ludicrous,” he said.

“People think what’s being shoved down their throat is some type of gutter trash,” he added, “and in reality, if they want their kids to have an education that is competitive, these kids will be exposed to these works.”

“I don’t find the content of the book to be appropriate for 15- to 18-year-old children,” he says. “What I’ve read so far, to me, defines pornography.”

He and others say they don’t care if the texts are common in classrooms across America.

“Just because somebody else does something, that doesn’t mean it’s right,” said Mike Phelts, whose children will attend Prospect High. “You have to have a standard of what is right and of what is wrong.”

The school board will listen to concerns, board President Bill Dussling said, but adds it’s unlikely to change where the district stands.

“This is an not an attempt on the part of the staff of this district to try to warp the minds of students,” Dussling said. “You have to have faith that what they’re doing is the best that can be done for the students.”

Even if you do not speak, your presence indicates your concern. Only District 214 residents should speak and possibly one exception to “out-of-district” speakers would be an educator.