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Religion & Law

: Thoughts in a Haystack

School Board Follies

By John Pieret

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Toni Morrison, a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning American author, editor, and professor, wrote a book, Song of Solomon, that won the National Books Critics Award and was specifically cited by the Swedish Academy in awarding Morrison the 1993 Nobel Prize in literature.

But is that good enough reason for 11th graders (about a year shy of college) in Advanced Placement English classes at Franklin (Indiana) Central High School to be reading it? Not according to a couple of local school board members:

"I was about as appalled as I've ever been in my life," said board member Scott Veerkamp. "I wouldn't want to expose my children to that garbage."
Veerkamp said he and fellow board member Randall Bland received complaints about the book. Veerkamp then asked district administrators to pull it, which triggered a formal review.
"I couldn't even sleep last night when I read some of the excerpts," he said, adding that descriptive sex scenes, profanity, demeaning language and suicide were some of the material he found offensive.

Excerpts? This moron thinks he's qualified to or capable of judging great literature by reading excerpts? Or that it should be judged by what he finds "offensive"? He better hope that I don't get to decide what the state should do based on what I find "offensive"!

Sadly, the local educators don't seem much better:

Franklin Central Principal Kevin Koers said he had read about half the book Wednesday and wanted to be sure to have a complete understanding of it.
"There is a lesson in the book," he said.

I'm a little surprised that the principal of the school wouldn't already be familiar with the books being used in class but he nonetheless seems to be somewhat unsure that there may be "a lesson" in a work by a Nobelist in literature!

This last bit would be funny ... if it wasn't so sad:

Veerkamp, the Franklin Township School Board member, still contends it isn't appropriate for students.
"I don't care who said that it's worthy, that it's classical literature," he said.
"I'm embarrassed that we're even having to address this. . . . These are still children."

Yeah. Like 11th graders have never heard about sex, profanity, demeaning language and suicide. The only one who needs protection from this are adults who have forgotten what it's like to be a teenager.

If I were him, I'd be more embarrassed about broadcasting what a dolt I am.

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Thanks to an Anonymous commenter.
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Full post as published by Thoughts in a Haystack on May 24, 2010 (boomark / email).