On Monday, the Teton District #401 School Board of Trustees reiterated that they have been looking at the issue of parent consent for books and materials in the classroom. Last December, the book “Bless Me, Ultima,” which was being taught in 10th grade English classrooms, was suspended after some parents felt it was offensive. The book was later reinstated and the school board drafted a parental consent form asking parents to give permission for their children to read assigned books. The form also offers alternative reading assignments to any student whose parents object to a book.
The National Coalition Against Censorship, a first amendment group, sent a letter to Teton School District # 401 on Oct. 10 cautioning the district’s school board against adopting “a potentially troubling parental consent form on alternative instructional materials.”
Superintendent Monte Woolstenhume said the district had put a link to an open comment form on their website, but had seen very little local comment on the issue. Board members said their current policies are sufficient.
In the letter, signatories argue that the proposal “would, if adopted, undermine the education of students and compromise important constitutional principles,” also suggesting that it “misconstrues both the legal rights of parents and the duties of public school officials.” The letter contends that possibilities for complaints are endless, leaving many texts vulnerable to complaints on the grounds of objectionable content.
The school board did not specifically address points in letter, but included in their agenda time to discuss feedback they had received on the online comment form.
“We have policies in place that are adequate to support teachers, to communicate with parents, for administrative review and intervention when it’s appropriate,” Woolstenhume said.
The letter recommends that the school district would best serve its students if it provides information to parents about materials along the lines of literary and educational value.
“It is impossible to accommodate every parental viewpoint in the curriculum,” the letter states. “Every community is home to a diversity of opinions on political, moral and religious questions.”
The draft form has been on the district website since this summer.
“Parents acknowledge and agree that on the day or days when objectionable books will be read or discussed in class, Student will be assigned to or ushered to a separate reading room apart from the classroom during any reading or discussion of such book or books, unless Parents have expressed their desire that Student be present during classroom instruction or discussion concerning such Objectionable Books,” the form reads.
In August, the board tentatively scheduled an item on October’s school board agenda to look at the draft permission form and to decide if it, or a different approach, was needed to prevent the kind of problems the district experienced last year.
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