Saga of a Long Board Meeting
May 26, 2006

Estimates are that somewhere around 1000 people came to the board meeting in Arlington Heights last night over the book controversy in District 214. The heated debate took place in the course of over 5 hours.

It began with the Superintendent of Schools, David Schuler, explaining the "well-defined" process of approval of books in place since 1996. Dr. Schuler did an excellent job making the case for a "high-quality, professional staff," indicating the district greatly values parental involvement and assuring all those in attendance that no student is required to read a book they find objectionable.

He explained that every year 1-2 students ask for another assignment and that they are ALWAYS given an alternative assignment. He assured us that "neither I nor the staff is teaching bestiality and pornography." That the books have been mischaracterized... the schools are some of the highest ranked in the state...ACT scores up.

Over one hundred students were present, all wearing stickers and some T-Shirts that said "Open Books: Open Minds." The kids came early to a rally that was advertised in school to fight "book banning." There was a number system that assured that people were allowed to speak in the order in which they received the numbers. Since the students came early, they got those numbers and were the ones who took the floor for the first hour plus of the debate, which included the privilege of having 3 minutes to speak instead of 2 for those later. One lone parent managed to get her number early and was actually the first one up. She was eloquent and articulate in her opposition, but she was one voice.

The students of District 214 who spoke in that first hour were eloquent, articulate. Their speeches were well written...revealing research and knowledge beyond their years. An English teacher with a camera stood at the front off to the side and photographed them proudly as they lined up to speak.

They spoke of the horrors of book-burning...compared Leslie Pinney and Culture Campaign to the Nazi's who wanted to ban books. One mom from Wheeling said Slaughterhouse-Five changed her life...it "brought peace and joy" when she was a teenager. She said we want "Open Books...Open Minds...not ideological madras."

They all reported how SAT and ACT scores had been climbing in the district, and this, it was inferred, was the result of such fine reading.

One student implored, "We just want to learn!" Reverend Julie Denny-Hughes informed the audience that churches are free to educate their children but that we must leave religious sectarianism out of public school. She invoked "separation of church and state." She scolded Leslie Pinney saying we have a "civic responsibility to leave our 'religious opinions' out of our public responsibilities."

OTHER STATEMENTS OF NOTE:

• "To allow a ban on these books is a greater evil...we are NOT naïve."
• "Kids can watch R-Rated movies, stuff on-line, daily news, just as bad as these books."
• "The teachers are the experts."
• "Reading these books is not decreasing morality, the harm is when the books are banned."
• "It's better to learn these things in a 'controlled environment' where a 'qualified professional' is there to guide the discussion."
• "I've been a student here and have not been damaged by language or violence. The language in these books is cleaner than what's used in the halls of Hersey High School."
• "Isn't it wonderful how all these people have come together to defend literature?"
• "If we can read the news, we can read these books."
• "Are we so immature, we can't be allowed to read these?"
• "We must trust our educators. They are the trained professionals."
• "Trust the teachers...trust your students."
• "We can't have Christian beliefs expressed in public school. What about Muslims? What about Atheists?"
• "Kids should be allowed to decide their own morals."
• "Bestiality happens. How many of you have had sex?"
• "My children's teachers are best qualified..."
• "I am a bisexual student. Are you going to ban me?"
• "They are making ignorant statements to get their name in the press."
• "It's wrong to withhold information from all kids to protect them."
• "I fear for students who will go into war without knowing what they're getting into."
• "No group has a right to impose their religious beliefs on others."
• "We must rely on the professional experience of teachers ..."
• "I pity those of you who haven't read those books."
• "If we allow these books to be banned, what's next?"
• "Do we want a Mary Poppins Curriculum?"
• "People of my generation are exposed to a lot more things...we are living a different life."
• "Finding your own truth...that's what we talk about in school."
• "Students overlook the 'F' word. It isn't important. We have growing minds, don't hold us back!"
• "I trust teachers and literary experts. I'm excited my kids are getting to read books I never got to read."
• "If we wanted religion in our schools, there are Christian schools."
• "Extreme Christianity shouldn't seep into the system."
  

MEANWHILE OTHERS WEIGHED IN WITH THE OPPOSING VIEW:

A former student spoke up about how she was punished because she would not read these books. She asked for an alternative assignment and was told she would still be tested on the books she had not read.

The "opt-out" system was described by another as "solitary confinement." Isolation from other students...the process exhausting and demeaning.

Bruce Tinknell tried to read explicit excerpts from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, as one male student yelled out "I masturbate!"

A Pastor Darren Howard was quoted by a teacher as sending an e-mail to board members, calling them "anti-Christ scum."

A concerned father asked the question, "So the only way you think a person can have a worldview is to see and read things that violate your morals?"

A mother whose babysitter is a student in the district cautioned that "any words you read become you. Words ARE powerful," she argued... "and a gift."

Rob Kennedy, who works with inner city gangs, spoke of how pornography works in increments and seduces its prey to more and more explicitness. He gave examples of the course interactions suggesting rape and violence that were the norm among gang members...very similar to scenes depicted in the books in question.

Katie declared we should "raise the standard, not lower it," and that "making a reading list is not censorship."

As First Amendment issues were continually raised, one father asked if student's seeming lack of understanding of its meaning was a symptom of bad instruction from the district's teachers.

Another mom said, "We do not need to accelerate the corruption of our children's lives. Character really does count."

OTHER COMMENTS:

• "We should raise the standard of decency and excellence."
• "Maybe a reevaluation of the criteria is needed."
• "I want my kids to honor and respect others. These books don't teach that."
  

Board Member Leslie Pinney finally made her statement after 1 AM in the morning to an audience of about 75. Each board member then made their remarks, mostly critical of Leslie Pinney.

In a vote of 6-1 the motion carried to allow all the books in question to be placed on the required reading list for the students of District 214.