Missouri public school bans Kurt Vonnegut's 'Slaughterhouse Five'.

[DiapDealer]

Linky

REPUBLIC -- Two of the three Republic High books singled out in a public complaint last year will now be removed from the school curriculum and library.

Shortly before 9 p.m. Monday, the school board voted 4-0 -- three members were absent -- to keep Laurie Halse Anderson's "Speak," an award-winning book about date rape, and remove Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five" and Sarah Ockler's "Twenty Boy Summer."

Wesley Scroggins, a Republic resident, challenged the use of the books and lesson plans in Republic schools, arguing they teach principles contrary to the Bible.

"I congratulate them for doing what's right and removing the two books," said Scroggins, who didn't attend the board meeting. "It's unfortunate they chose to keep the other book."

I can only imagine some of the drivel they've chosen to keep.

[queentess]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Linky


I can only imagine some of the drivel they've chosen to keep.

While I don't agree with banning any books, I can get behind the school's decision to not teach any particular book in the classroom. Reading through the article, it sounds as though it was a well thought out process to develop "age-appropriate" curriculum standards. Just wish they wouldn't have yanked the books from the school library shelves

Minor said students wishing to read materials that fall outside of the standards -- including the two books -- can select those books for classwork as long as they have signed parent permission.

"If the parent thinks 'For Johnny, it is age-appropriate,' then we'll let the parent make the call," he said.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by queentess

While I don't agree with banning any books, I can get behind the school's decision to not teach any particular book in the classroom. Reading through the article, it sounds as though it was a well thought out process to develop "age-appropriate" curriculum standards. Just wish they wouldn't have yanked the books from the school library shelves

"Wesley Scroggins, a Republic resident, challenged the use of the books and lesson plans in Republic schools, arguing they teach principles contrary to the Bible."

That is a well thought out process?

[jgaiser]

Banning books is just plain wrong. It's the parents responsibility, not the school system. If Wesley Scroggins doesn't want his children to read Slaughterhouse Five, more power to him. Don't tell me what my children can read.

[JSWolf]

Any time you bring religion into the process, you toss well thought out and flush it down the toilet. Basically, this is censorship.

[Scott Nicholson]

I think it's awesome--what better way to drive kids to read great books than to publicly and loudly declare they shouldn't read them? Far better outcome for "education" than being forced to read it in a classroom.

I'll bet half the kids in the jurisdiction have the books already downloaded on their Ipods, Kindles, and phones. Point of pride.

I covered the school board for 12 years, and if there is a deader, more rigid, and hopelessly failing bureaucracy than education, I haven't seen it, and I've covered government at every level. Not to minimize the great passion and dedication of our teachers, but they are getting ground beneath the stone.

[SCION]

Contrary to what parts of the Bible? Ignoring chunks of passages that don't portay their god as good and loving.

[newlaza]

So it goes.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

"Wesley Scroggins, a Republic resident, challenged the use of the books and lesson plans in Republic schools, arguing they teach principles contrary to the Bible."

That is a well thought out process?

IMHO, it amounts to illegal violation of the separation of church and state.

[DiapDealer]

I think it's best to allow Vonnegut to defend himself post-mortem with his own words:

“All these people talk so eloquently about getting back to good old-fashioned values. Well, as an old poop I can remember back to when we had those old-fashioned values, and I say let’s get back to the good old-fashioned First Amendment of the good old-fashioned Constitution of the United States — and to hell with the censors! Give me knowledge or give me death!”

[Shimarenda]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

"Wesley Scroggins, a Republic resident, challenged the use of the books and lesson plans in Republic schools, arguing they teach principles contrary to the Bible."

That is a well thought out process?

Try reading the article that was linked.

[DiapDealer]

Try reading the article that was linked.

That bit WAS in the linked article. Regardless of what criteria the board used to make their decision, the recommendation to examine the books in the first place was made because of religious reasons. I did read the article. The board is back-pedaling and making sure that their decision to cave in to the demands of narrow-minded community leaders sounds legit. "Age appropriate" blankets are not something you can drape over large, diverse groups of individuals.

[Penforhire]

Removal from the library is what I object to. Lesson plans can account for their narrow-minded provincial attitudes. Hard to argue against a Missouri school board keeping their students in the lower percentile of education. They must want their future neighbors to fit right in. Can't have high school seniors exposed to adult topics, lol.

But a library ban on a book already purchased? That's over the line, even if they did leave the door open for parent authorization to use those titles.

[jrnemanich]

If there is one thing that will make a middle/high school student read a book is for a school district to ban a book. New of the banning spreads like wildfire and soon everyone is talking about it and is wondering why it was banned. One month later, a large amount of students have read the banned books.

I can say this exact thing happened while I was in middle school. While not in our school district, one to the north of us banned "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" from school libraries. The news spread down to our school and soon everyone wanted to read it. The local library district only owned 4 copies and by the time I placed a hold on it, I was around 175 in place. I checked a week later and I was 170 out of 250.

If school districts don't want students to read the books, don't talk about them and there will be very little interest in them.

[frquixote]

Originally Posted by dwig

IMHO, it amounts to illegal violation of the separation of church and state.

Sorry, but the First Amendment says:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. "

I don't see anything that says Congress was involved in this decision. Further, the Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld the right of local communities to establish and maintain community standards.

I really do wish people would READ the Bill of Rights.