During the Oct. 30 work session, the Moore County Board of Education tabled a decision on book restrictions and removal from libraries until the Dec. 4 work session.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Mike Metcalf and Donna Gephart, director for curriculum and instruction, led the discussion on questionable books for students that contain graphic content and language.
The District Media and Technology Advisory Committee did not include students in the book investigations because the reviews are public record, and students may be called out later and because the books contain what some say is inappropriate material.
On Sept. 26, the committee reviewed nine books in their entirety.
The committee voted unanimously on the following recommendations:
“The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini for Union Pines High School and Pinecrest High School with no restrictions.
“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison for Union Pines High School with no restrictions.
“Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell for Union Pines High School with no restrictions.
“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie for Union Pines High School with no restrictions and to remove it from Crain’s Creek Middle School.
“Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher for Union Pines High School with no restrictions and only with parent permission for grades six through eight at West Pine Middle School.
“Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson for Union Pines High School with no restrictions.
“Looking for Alaska” by John Green for Union Pines High School with no restrictions and only with parent permission for grades seven and eight at Crain’s Creek Middle School.
“Crank” by Ellen Hopkins for Union Pines High School with no restrictions and only with parent permission for eighth grade at Highfalls K-8 school.
“City of Heavenly Fire: The Mortal Instruments” by Cassandra Clare for Union Pines High School, North Moore High School, New Century Middle School and Crain’s Creek Middle School with no restrictions.
“We have an amoral approach with no consideration for community standards. We didn’t know that when we were running [for board of education],” school board member Kenneth Benway said in support of school board member Pauline Bruno’s statement on not understanding how the books infiltrated the school system.
“We need to read all these books because the public does not want these books. I don’t care about committees,” member Pauline Bruno said.
“I did not read the books. Our job was to support the committees,” Metcalf said.
“You guys were duped,” board member David Hensley said about removing books at the high school level being practically impossible and that “vulgar” was based on a Supreme Court case against Hustler Magazine.
Board member Philip Holmes asked if anyone would feel comfortable reading these books aloud in a classroom and how did “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell support the curriculum. “Do I smell like cum?” “Is that not vulgar?” Holmes asked.
The Banned Books Project shares that “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell has 277 cases of profanity.
“It’s on them,” board member Stacy Caldwell said about monitoring what students read as a parent’s responsibility because school media specialists are not responsible.
Policy 5410 Selection of Instructional Materials states that a book must be pervasively vulgar, have no educational value, or be age-inappropriate and the removal must not affect state curriculum standards.
To read more on this topic, please click here.
In other meeting matters, Tracy C. Metcalf, director of student support services, presented the first quarter’s report on discipline.
Aberdeen Elementary School had 25 aggressive behavior incidents in last year’s first quarter and had 83 for this year’s first quarter.
Pinecrest High School had nine fights last year during the first quarter and five during this year’s first quarter.
The Community Learning Center at Pinckney had three assaults last year during the first quarter and four during this year’s first quarter.
To watch the video on these topics and other discussions during the Oct. 30 meeting, please click here.
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel journalist Stephanie M. Sellers; BS Mass Communications and Journalist, MFA Creative Writing.
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