School board pulls contested books

In a “re-review” of eight books already approved by the district but flagged by some parents as offensive, the Shelton School Board on Tuesday evening voted to remove two books from the grades 7-12 reading curriculum: “Like a Love Story” and “Looking for Alaska.”

During board meetings the past four months, some parents and guardians complained about eight of the 150 literature books for grades seven through 12 that were recommended by the district’s Instructional Materials Committee and then approved by the school board June 27. Other parents, guardians and teachers have defended the books, saying the critics have taken excerpts out of context in books that resonate with the experience and interests of students, and encourages them to read.

The vote to remove the two books from the reading curriculum for juniors and seniors was 4-0, with board member Sandy Tarzwell abstaining. The other six books flagged by some parents, but which remain in the curriculum, are “Eleanor & Park” by Rainbow Rowell, “I’ll Give You the Sun” by Jandy Nelson, “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo, “The 57 Bus” by Dashka Slater,” “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, and a graphic novel depiction of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.”

Removed from the curriculum is “Like a Love Story” by Adbi Nazemian. Set in New York City in 1989, the story focuses on three teens, including an Iranian boy, Reza, who is terrified that someone will guess he is gay when all he knows of that life is the media’s images of men dying of AIDS.

“Looking for Alaska” by Joe Green is about a high school junior who moves from his dull life in Florida to a boarding school in Alabama so that he can seek what he calls “the Great Perhaps.”

The move was recommended by the district’s Instructional Materials Committee following what Board President Keri Davidson called a “re-review.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, Maryann Marshall, the district’s executive director of instructional programs PK-12, stressed that the district’s top priority is to provide high-quality literary instruction. The district looks at colleges, and other secondary schools, to examine their reading curriculum, she said.

“And just as a reminder, our teachers here in the district, who are professionals and know what students are interested in, what is popular out there in regard to books, those are the people that brought forth these recommended (books) for our students in grades seven through 12,” she said.

The district also re-iterated that parents who object to a certain book can talk to the teacher about substituting a different book, and the district has a form available to make such a request.

Tarzwell said she remains concerned about the language in some of the books. She said she wonders why language that would not be tolerated in the schools’ courtyard is appropriate in a book in the district’s curriculum.