I find it interesting that many people are quick to defend a novel when they haven’t read the contents. The issue brought up before Ms. Miller and Dr. Hughes is not about censoring books, it is about informing parents about the full content of reading assignments prior to a book being covered in class. The handouts received by parents over the summer did not state that the Swift novel contained explicit imagery of female genitalia and graphic descriptions of underage sex. Read pages 50 and 51 of your son or daughter’s book if you want to know specifically what is there.
The new novel assigned to the AP English class titled, Beloved by Toni Morrison is even more graphic. Read this book review website to see full exerpts:
http://www.abffe.com/bbw-classkc-beloved.htm CAUTION: FOR MATURE VIEWING. IF UNDERAGE, GET PARENT'S CONSENT FIRST!
“Beloved contains incest, rape, pedophilia, graphic sex, extreme violence, sexual abuse, physical/emotional abuse, infanticide, and an extensive amount of profanity. The first two chapters contain five references to (human) sex with cows in addition to other types of sex.” The rationale for this novel provided to parents gloss over all these topics as does this article in the Patch.
While AP English students may be considered “mature readers,” they are still minors and should not be subjected to this type of disturbing/sensitive reading, especially without parents knowing verbatim the objectionable materials.

Barb, I find your comment laughably hypocritical. It's clear YOU haven't familiarized yourself with the content of Beloved beyond the list of dirty words on a website designed to stir up fear and hatred of literature. The real content of the novel which is being taught to students goes much deeper and it's obvious the Canton Patch article wants to focus on the lessons students actually get from these readings. Trust me, between Sunday School, the daily news, and the classroom hallways, absolutely none of the topics you've painstakingly researched and copy-pasted are anything new to the APE students. What IS new to them is the powerfully moving depiction and presentation of the topics and the opportunity for students to thoughtfully discuss and reflect on them in a structured environment.

As for depictions of female genitals - are you kidding me? I'm guessing 8 out of 10 AP students HAVE THEM. But if female genitals and underage sex are so disturbing to you, I think it's high time you stopped dilly dallying with the book selection and file a complaint about the existence of the health class requirement.

As a student who took this class, I am offended by the move to remove these books from AP english. All students who take this course are at least in eleventh grade (17 years old), and most students are seniors. It seems silly to ignore that the majority of students in the course are legally adults. Forgetting this crucial piece of information, the sexually "graphic" scene in Waterland is far from the focus of the book, but is merely a small part of outstanding piece of literary fiction. Waterland became my favorite book in AP English, and has has yet to lose that title. It would be a real shame to see it removed from a great course as a response to an ignorant parent's misplaced squeamishness.

I feel the same way about Beloved that I do about Waterland, and truthfully don't remember the graphic descriptions the first poster mentioned. Several years removed, I do remember that Beloved taught me new ways to think about race and the legacy of slavery in the United States. Coincidentally, Beloved was the topic of an essay prompt on the AP English exam which I took for college credit my senior year of high school.

Ms. Dame:

If you don't like the contents of these books, no one is forcing you or your children to read them. Parents are given the option of picking other books to read if they don't approve of the assigned reading. I'm sure the teacher would have been happy to work with this parent to find a substitute if he or she had gone to her first. I understand that you don't approve of these books, but that does not give you the right to demand that other students also be prevented from reading them. It seems like you want to impose your beliefs on the rest of us.

I would also suggest that parents, if given a form to sign telling them that mature reading would be included in a course, talk to the teacher about any concerns they might have before the class begins or have a meeting with the teacher. I'm sure this teacher would have told this parent that there were sexually explicit passages in Waterland. Parents have a responsibility to be proactive, not just claim they couldn't have known.

Finally, both of these books are considered classics, and, in fact, Beloved won a Pulitzer Prize. I wonder if the people who are focusing on the sex or dirty words in these books can get beyond that and recognize that they are valuable works of literature. Based on the comments I've seen, it seems like the students are very able to do do that.

Thanks for starting a lively discussion Barb. We need to think about what are kids are reading and learning. This article brought a saying to mind when I read it. "The truth is the truth even if no one believes it. Error is error even if everyone believes it." I choose to believe that parents need to pay attention to what their children are exposed to, filling their minds with good wholesome thoughts.

Never take a passage of a book out of context and make a determination about the value of the book.

One thing is true: There's no better way to get a kid to read a book than to ban it!

Shall we start listing the page numbers of the inappropriate sexuality, graphic violence, rape, bestiality, and even cannibalism in the BIBLE? Genesis 19:30-36 comes to mind. Page numbers of shocking scenes & lists of foul language could be and have been used to fan the fires of book banning/burning throughout history. Classics like the BIBLE are valued because they provide instruction about how one might live one's life uprightly. In the process they portray tragic conflicts humans face and mistakes we might hope to avoid. BELOVED and WATERLAND are such acclaimed classics to be found in every scholarly course and on the "List of Books Everyone Must Read" because the tragic flaws they bring to light are still with us.

I remember when complainants proudly read aloud book-marked & hi-lighted "obscene" passages of Miss Alice Walker's THE COLOR PURPLE. When someone asked them if they were aware that the entire book was composed of a child's letters to God, they sat motionless and mute. Of course they did not know. They had not read the book. Someone like Ms Dame had given them page numbers to read. A wholesome act? The sowing of fear and discord cannot be the way for adults to behave when deciding on the content and rigor of our children's education. That is why the P-C Schools has a rational due process. Supt. Hughes stands taller today for reversing his decision and deciding to stand up for the rule of law. What better example for the children in this district than for the adults to follow the rules. Imagine if the due process had been ignored and this was our BIBLE. Let's hope the classics can withstand judicious scrutiny for the sake of our children's education.

has Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer been banned?

No Tom and Huck haven't been banned, but to my knowledge, sadly, Huck is no longer a required text in American Lit.

1. I believe when Waterland was first introduced at PCEP 8 years ago, the explicit scene pages were blacked out. At what point did these become unblocked? Did it go through a formal review process when first introduced and again when unblocked? If not, why does the review process not start then, rather than when a complaint is registered?
2. Parents were not adequately informed about the content of the book. Providing a name and theme of a book to parents does not qualify as advance notice if a parent has not read the book. When movies are rated, explanations of why the ratings were given (violence, language, graphic sexuality, etc) are provided. Schools should follow the same protocol.
3. Parents are not asking for the books to be banned. They are simply asking that they not be presented in a high school reading class. What adults choose to read and what colleges choose to assign applies to adults. People can say that kids today have heard and seen it all. Well, while many have, NOT ALL have. And once these images are presented to a person, it is almost impossible to remove them from the mind.

Please do not criticize those parents who wish to protect their children until they reach an age that they can make adult decisions.

Do you let your kids read the Bible? just think about the old testiment times. But we allow dirty dancing at the schools. Yes I am being sarcastic

San Dem:

I believe when parents are told that books will deal with "mature subject matter" they should ask the teacher what that means. To me, in everyday life mature subject matter" always refers to sex and obscenities. This parent, as I understand it, never talked to the teacher. No possible alternatives, like blacking out the passages, were considered because the process was not followed in this case.

Whether you realize it or not, you are asking that you beliefs be applied to other students and parents. Again, as I understand it, no other parent of a student in this class complained about the book. In fact, they have written comments saying that they are angry with this decision. Again, no one is forcing a student to read something their parents don't agree with. Parents can always ask for an alternative.

Students at the Park have had to deal with a student killing someone, fellow students dying in car crashes, and a teacher charged with bringing a gun to school. That's real life. The idea that reading something in book is going to scar them for life is ridiculous. Parents have helped their students deal with these things, they can do the same with a piece of fiction.

The parents were told that students would be reading "mature subject matter." To me, that's fair warning. Again, the parent who complained never talked to the teacher of the class.

I want the school to respect your beliefs. I would never support forcing your student to read something you strongly disapproved of. I am also asking that you respect other people's beliefs Banning a book means no students can read it. The wishes and beliefs of the other students in this class were not even considered before this decision was made. That is taking away the rights of other students and parents.

You can raise you children any way you want. If you want to shield them from this type of material, that's up to you. No one is forcing you to do anything. You are trying to force other parents to follow, not respect, your beliefs. That is a big difference.

I don't believe any book is being banned. It just may not be a part of the public school curriculum. Any parent is certainly open to getting this book for their child and discussing at home.

For the sake of not repeating I say ditto to San Dem.

I am a very concerned grandparent. I am surprised with many parents now days especially those who agree to everything, is there no limits.

School Superintendents May Remove Explicit Books Immediately; Waterland by Graham Swift Removed from Salem High School, Canton, MI

http://safelibraries.blogspot.com/2011/12/school-superintendents-may-remove.html

Jerry, giving your name and stating your opinion does not equate to having a hidden political agenda. It's called freedom of speech. People may or may not agree with your posts, but your opinion and ideas add to the discussion. I thank you for your thoughts.

Mr Andro - The public is quite aware of the political agenda that some commenters here represent. "Please support the other "M&M Guys" & me (Mike Maloney, Mark Horvath, Mike Andro and Matt Dame). With the support of concerned parents, we can fix this immediately. Most importantly, please be sure to vote on November 8."
- this from comments on a PATCH article where you/the "M&M guys" were named as supporters of the hullabaloo regarding school dances. The "movement" that mysteriously morphed into aggressive & inappropriate attempts (again by one of the M&M guys) to ban learning material not following Board policy. Mr A, no political agenda - really? It is unfortunate to witness candidates tie their political stars to promoting fear and divisiveness in the community. Two of the M&M guys, Maloney & Horvath, are former Board members who are fully aware of Board policies. They could have given wise counsel to the parent incensed about AP English reading material. Oh wait,they did know that parent, 1 of the M&M gang. But the illegal ban was still attempted & we got embroiled in a breach of due process. Your numerous pro book-removal comments in Patch do more than hint at an agenda. Yes - hooray for free speech. Dishonest comments here, sowing of fear and discontent to further one's election chances, embarrassment of a proud community, denigration of great writers, educators and very competent PCEP administrators and departing Board members - not so much of a hooray.

Mr A - Thanks for your thanks for my ongoing contributions. My favorite essay is George Orwell's "Politics and the English Language" which clearly shows how the blurring of language is man's downfall, since it is the chief mean by which we are governed. I hope I have truly not blurred things for you. My specialty was in rhetoric, composition, computers. However, the occasional teaching of ANIMAL FARM gave the students time to write essays on what happens when a ruling body does not follow due process or follow its own rules. And their essays on book banning as they read FAHRENHEIT 451 were always a favorite. Never taught a day of Creative Writing. So in the realm of non-fiction, lexicons, research essays and precise word meanings:
“hul·la·ba·loo also hul·la·bal·loo (hl-b-l)
n. pl. hul·la·bGreat noise or excitement; uproar.”
I reassure you there has indeed "excitement and uproar" over conduct at the dances. There has been for the 30 years I taught and was when I attended Plymouth High School on Main Street long ago. Unfortunately, it is now being exploited to launch a political agenda.

FACT not fiction... the four self-dubbed "M&M Guys" Bd. candidates Mike Maloney, Mark Horvath, Matt Dame & you/Mike Andro allied yourselves with the hullabaloo over the current dance crazes & are now very aggressive in your advocacy of removing scholarly works from AP studies. Maloney & Horvath swept to victory, Dame & Andro, not so much. This group's agenda involved attacks on the PCEP administrators, P-C Board, students and now teachers and rigor of the learning material.
“Political Agenda, n , a set of policies or issues to be addressed or pursued by an individual or group; also, a set of underlying motives for political policy. Example: The interest group had an obvious political agenda.”
I wish this could be a fiction or a bad dream.
The "M&M Guys" may end their divisive agenda. The dance issue is put to rest with Principal Zolkowski's letter yesterday. You indicate that you doubt this. Why not support staff? The review committees will end the illegal ban of scholarly learning materials. However, I encourage journalists & the public to be vigilant. See if the Board can get back to work supporting staff with funding and budget policy. Stay tuned citizenry! The time of attacking & embarrassing the community will hopefully end. And I will end this comment line because it's starting to feel like "I'm rubber, you're glue." However, now that I'm done, "You're It!". So, I'm sure you may wish to have the last word as you have insisted in every comment line on Patch.

I am saddened but not shocked by the comments posted here. I am assuming Mr Burke is not advocating everyone go out and have sex whenever and with whoever they want with no thought of any consequences. If I accurately make that assumption, then some boundaries are in order. And the boundaries I teach my kids are different than those you teach yours. Sex IS a beautiful thing. Beyond procreation. But it can also have negative consequences and I do not believe most teens are fully capable of making mature decisions. That is why we have a legal drinking age. Or is that not appropriate as well?

And please do not promise me that you know what my children are viewing. Just as I am not comfortable reading the material being presented, many children feel the same. And for those that do not, I wonder how many students reading the material are thinking that this was a "sex is beautiful" scene and how many are snickering immaturely. I do not believe in hiding my children from the world. I do believe in teaching them right and wrong and transitioning them into the world. Not throwing them in to sink or swim. So if my transition takes longer than yours, does that justify your attacks?

I'd like to give a more in depth perspective on how a student at the park would feel, because well I am one. I'm a junior that recently turned 16, I have friends in AP English, at no time in recent history did I hear about students complaining about these books or their material, claiming to be disturbed or appalled, or any outcry. AP English is a college level course that is not required to graduate, a college level course is required to teach the same curriculum as the college board itself sees fit or else run the risk of not receiving accreditation from said college. That being said, if you put your child in an advanced course you should expect the course to be an advanced challenge in work AND maturity. If this is an issue, kindly pull your child from the class, DO NOT ruin it for people who can handle these books and find them to have a good message. Also if you ever felt uncomfortable with a course, do your research, teachers are for teaching, not holding your hand while your child grows up by giving you detailed descriptions of the books they must read.

Chris your maturity is beyond your years. As parents we appreciate your advice. It was wonderful being 16.