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Taylor went on to state that "English teachers are not health or sex ed teachers" and that "Teachers do not know how to teach good morals." He restated his belief that the book was not appropriate for ninth graders, and that changes needed to be made in the procedures for handling parent objections to books such as this. Taylor noted that, despite system efforts to increase parent-teacher dialogue, "I haven't talked to my son's teacher one time." He closed by saying, "We do what we have to do" and urged the Board not to "be afraid to pull this book if we think it's best for our children." Finally, he asked if the book was "worth all of this?" Mr. Burns began by bluntly calling the Taylors efforts an attempt at "book banning" and "censorship." He argued that "if you don't have literature that reflects life...you don't have good literature." He reminded the Board that the evaluation committee comprised of parents, teachers, administrators, students, and a minister had unanimously recommended that the book be retained in the curriculum. He presented a chart showing that Superintendent Parham had implemented every recommendation made by the committee to improve procedures. He said that to remove the book now would say that "you don't trust teachers, you don't trust your educational professionals." He cited numerous court cases upholding the right of a local school board to determine curriculum despite individual parent obejctions. He reminded the Board that the burden of proof was on the Taylors and said that they had not met that burden. During his final few minutes, Mr. Burns read a passage from the book. The Board is to meet in executive session to reach a decision, and will notify the Taylors in writing of the result. We will publish their findings here as soon as they become available. |
A Crofton Online Editorial Reader Comments Excerpts from "Caged Bird" Analysis of the Taylor's Case Analysis of the Superintendent's Case |