Blue Valley book banners

[proud2BlibKansan]

I am more appalled by this group of parents in Blue Valley the more I read about their efforts to ban books in that school district. This morning I read in The Star that the leader of this group is a homeschooling parent. So pardon me if this is a dumb question, but if her kids don't attend the schools, why in the world does she care what books are read in the schools?

There is also an editorial by a guest writer on the first page of the opinion section that points out that all this criticism of public schools and reading lists would be unnecessary if vouchers were a reality.

So is that the agenda of this group in Blue Valley? Are they really trying to build support for vouchers? And does anyone know if these are the same concerned parents who opposed the Marillac facility in Blue Valley?

Finally, is there any attmpt to organize a group to oppose the efforts of this book banning group?

[onecent]

1. Be sure to check the editorial page out, there are a couple

of people who wrote a clip against her also. She ALSO hasn't EVEN read all the books.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Yes I saw those

This woman sounds like a major moran.

Did you read the letter where they were criticizing the 15 year old for commenting on this?

[atommom]

2. I read another story about this recently. Apparently she now

has a son in the BV public schools. Says she could always homeschool again, but he likes the public school and is benefiting from it. Of course, she has read very few of the books on the "bad" list, and seems pretty ignorant on the subject of literature in general. This book-banning drive really bothers me, too. It makes me wonder whether there will be a similar fight in my own district (Shawnee Mission). It seems that the ultra-conservatives are getting bolder and bolder.

I don't know if vouchers are part of the secret agenda, but I would not be surprised, since they've clearly slugged down a big pitcher of Kool-Aid already. :eyes:

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. I live in SM too

My son and hubby both graduated from SME. My other son went to Miege.

I would lke to think this would not happen here in SM. Those Blue Valley folks seem a bit 'out there' anyway. For years now I have called it La La Land and I do my best to avoid going south of 95th Street if I can help it. :)

I want to know if these folks were involved in that get rid of Marillac battle. That was repulsive.

Yes, I saw where this woman said she hadn't even read the books. Reminded me of all the folks who criticized Farenheit 9/11 but had not seen it.

BTW, I saw where you posted the evolution debate meetings. I may try to attend the one at Schlagle. Those people scare me too.

[MuseRider]

5. My son showed me that

when he was home this weekend. I was stunned. I started reading some of their reasons and it is far more that just sex, homosexuals and bad words. About one book, I think an O'Brien book of fiction about the Vietnam war, their reason for banning was that he painted a bad picture about the war and it had an anti American attitude, something like that. This seemed to go far beyond the usual stuff. I didn't spend a lot of time there though.

[atommom]

6. Could be just my late-night paranoia, but I get the feeling that these

people are trying to prevent public schools from teaching tolerance and critical thinking. They don't want their children to be exposed to any materials that might lead to deep (secular, scientific, or non-conservative) thought.


(Fittingly, this is my 666th post!)

[MuseRider]

7. Congrats on 666!

I really should not say too much since I did not read the entire thing but I think you are correct about that. Their reason are so varied and they do not fit the normal reasons in some cases.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. I know what you mean, atommom

I cannot relate to these people at all.

[lilygirl]

9. Student "counter-protest"

The mothers started protesting sometime last year, creating a webpage with books they wanted off of the English curriculum, mostly written by minority authors. Of course, they maintained that their ethnicity had nothing to do with it.

My 12th grade AP English teacher had the idea that we would go to the board meeting and give speeches, as students, defending our current curriculum. I went to Blue Valley North, but there were students from other schools as well.

My friend and I spoke together. Since the mothers seemed to have a flair for misquoting the novels and pulling disturbing statements out of context, we did the opposite. I said a list of Christian ideal quotations from Beloved and she coolly and calmly recited the most disturbing Shakespearian quotations she could find. We challenged the mothers to set a stopping point, reminding everyone that nearly every great piece of literature has something parents wouldn’t want their children to mimic.

I don’t know if it created much change. Obviously, since the struggle is still on, probably not much. It felt powerful, though.

There are always people trying to defend the current curriculum. I guess it’s just not newsworthy enough.

[newyawker99]

20. Hi lilygirl!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[hfojvt]

10. their list of books

Some Blue Valley parents want these 14 books replaced on the district's reading list:

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou

The Awakening, Kate Chopin

Lords of Discipline, Pat Conroy

Stotan!, Chris Crutcher

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey

Animal Dreams, Barbara Kingsolver

The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver

All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy

Fallen Angels, Walter Dean Myers

Beloved, Toni Morrison

Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison

Hot Zone, Richard Preston

This Boy's Life, Tobias Wolff

Black Boy, Richard Wright


The only one I have read is "The Awakening". I cannot say I am a strong defender of it either. I suggest replacing that book with "Herland" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman or "A listener in Babel" by Vida Dutton Scudder or "Jailbird" by Kurt Vonnegut. Give me a little time and I could come up with a list of 14 that would give them conniption fits. How about "The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti" by Howard Fast? Wouldn't that be a nice ju-jitsu move to say "we have given into your demands" and replace the gang of 14 with 14 that they would consider even worse? How about Daniel Quinn's "My Ishmael"?

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. They got rid of

Kaffir Boy a few years ago. It is the best book about apartheid I have ever read. True story of a boy growing up in Capetown in the 60s and 70s. He learned how to play tennis, became a national champ and came to the US on a full scholarship. He wrote Kaffir Boy, an autobiography. I believe his name is Matteban or something like that.

The reason the BV parents opposed the book is a passage about homosexuality. I have read the book twice and honestly don't remember any such passage. It has been 15 years since I read the book but I think I would remember a graphic gay love scene.

Black Boy is a fabulous read as well.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?? So a book that was made into a movie that won several Oscars isn't good enough for these people?

They are truly clueless.

[hfojvt]

12. Having seen the movie, I can understand their concern

The climax of the movie is when one of the patients, a twenty year old boy, has sex with a hooker, and (after being unable to shame him) the nurse says she is gonna tell his mom. He commits suicide and Jack Nicholson's character attacks the nurse, choking her before he is subdued by some orderlies. He is then electro-shocked to a vegetable state, and another patient euthanizes him and then breaks out of the mental hospital and the movie ends with him walking away.
Not exactly a cheerful story full of beauty and hope. I do not know how that is told in the book, but I can understand that parents might not like the story. Since the book is not being banned, or burned, it is still available to anybody who wants to read it. It is just being removed from the reading list in favor of Jane Austen or George Eliot or my girl Vida Dutton Scudder who nobody has probably ever heard of.
Richard Wright, Maya Angelou, and Toni Morrison are famous authors who I have never gotten around to reading sad to say. Maybe tomorrow I will walk the one block to the library and see if I can find a copy of "The Giver" which has produced some controversy. I cannot say they are clueless or defend books which I have never read.

[atommom]

13. The ACLU is now getting involved!

They held a meeting on the 7th to discuss the issue, but anyone who is interested can still contact them at the email address on this page. This could get interesting!

http://www.aclukswmo.org/action/blue_valley.html

[atommom]

14. A little more info...

The Kansas and Western Missouri chapter of the ACLU met with concerned parents, students and community members Monday night to determine how the group can best oppose the removal of the literature. They also announced that the Olathe branch of the NAACP and the Mainstream Coalition were co-sponsoring the effort.
<snip>
Henry E. Lyons, president of the Olathe branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he thought the best course of action would be to support student efforts such as the Web site Blue Valley North student Kerry McGuire set up. The Web site, http://www.freewebs.com/studentsspeakout , contains a counter petition for people to show support for the current novels in the curriculum.

The group that submitted the petition to remove the books from the curriculum has a Web site, http://www.classkc.org.
<snip>
The Mainstream Education Foundation plans to hold a forum for people on both sides of the issue to voice their opinions at 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Jewish Community Center.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/10842601.htm?1c

[atommom]

15. We have good news, for once...

"The Blue Valley school board will continue to review novels using the district's current policy, despite a petition brought to members last month. Blue Valley parent Janet Harmon delivered a petition with 500 signatures at a January board meeting, asking for the removal of 14 books from the curriculum. Blue Valley Board of education President John Fuller said Monday night that the district is reviewing the books based on a policy revised in September. Fuller encouraged the community to concentrate on other concerns, such as school finance. “The real challenge for this community is to see past this book issue and focus on the big picture with the same passion you have for novel selection,” he said.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/10900803.htm

It's good to see sanity winning out once in awhile! :toast:

[Red State Rabble]

16. Blue Valley School Board Candidates

There are four candidates running for the Blue Valley school board. Progressives will want to know where the candidates stand on science education and the book evaluation policy. Supporters of teaching real science in public schools should be aware that Dan French "would not be opposed to having some discussion of the Intelligent Design theory." He also said he would support the removal of the novels that didn't meet standards -- the novels in question are by Pulitzer, Nobel, National Book Award, and PEN/Faulkner prize winning authors such as Tobias Wolff, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and Barbara Kingsolver.

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. Thanks for the info

and welcome to DU :hi:

[atommom]

18. I second that! I recently discovered your blog, and I recommend it

highly, too. :hi:

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. Awesome blog!

great stuff there

[newyawker99]

21. Hi Red State Rabble!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[aardvarklf]

22. Thanks for the information

Hi there. I just wanted to say how much I appreciated the information in this thread. I graduated from Blue Valley High a few years ago, but I'm now living in England, so obviously I'm not very up-to-date on local politics. I'm filling in my absentee ballot now for the April School Board/Marriage Amendment election, and thanks to your forum, I was able to find out which of the candidates support the book banning group (and teaching ID in the schools, and probably a few other things as well...) and cast my ballot accordingly. So - thanks!

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. Welcome to DU!!

:hi:

[newyawker99]

24. Hi aardvarklf!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: