Highland park school district book ban? (Dallas, Fort Worth: 2014, crime, universities)

[jdallas]

Highland Park ISD Bans Controversial Books From Approved List « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Seems this leaves many teachers scrambling to rework the semester class planning and students lost 7 weeks of effort.
Anyone know what was behind the campaign to change what the district approved?

I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned on here yet

[Pete53FR]

Prudes

[TurtleCreek80]

It's embarrassing. The district's administration - who are paid to ensure HPHS graduates get one of the best classical college-prep educations offered in the entire country- just bent over to a small lynch mob of helicopter parents. The proper response would have been to offer parents the option to sign a waiver and assign those students alternative reading & discussion, not to rip the books out of the hands of EVERY student!!

The world isn't perfect, and it's better to find that out while still living with one's parents who should be the driving force of conversations about family values. Instead of shielding 16-year-olds from texts dealing with child abuse, have the student read it and then discuss what the family's thoughts are about abuse....what to do if said teenager ends up involved in an abusice relationship, what resources are available to battered women & children, and how as stewards of considerably more wealth than average, they can impact the world for the better (have a car wash to raise money for Genesis, volunteer at The Birthday Project, etc).

Literature's purpose is to challenge thinking and invite thoughtful discussion; to escape from one's own world and discover other worlds (better and worse).

One of the banned authors was supposed to be the keynote speaker at the district's annual acclaimed literary festival. How embarrassing for the district to ban her book and uninvite her!

While enrolled in Honors and AP English classes at HPHS, I read Beloved (on the ban list), 1984 (these parents took issue with the "anti-capitalist" tones in one of the banned books so I'm sure Orwell will be chucked soon, too), MacBeth (murder!), Romeo & Juliet (sex & suicide), Lolita (Nabokov has probably been dumped fr the HPHS library, too!). I read books I hated and slugged through (Ivanhoe, Beowulf), books I dreaded reading and ended up loving (Crime & Punishment), books I loved and read again (Cry the Beloved Country), and books that changed how I see the world (Jonathan Kozol's Amazing Grace). To ban books is to breed ignorance. HPISD is sheltered enough from the "real world"- hence my non-fiction "reader's choice" of Amazing Grace which completely opened my eyes and heart to the reality of those who were born with much less.

Earlier generations of HPHS graduates who still remember both the HP teachers and HP reading lists that stretched us intellectually and emotionally are outraged by this book ban. There are literally hundreds of discussions on Facebook this week, as well as backing two HP parents trying to overturn the ban in the real world. A HP college application carries weight at elite universities' admissions' discussions; I would hate to sour a 100-year-old reputation by becoming known as the sheltered kids whose mommies think they can't handle college-level literature.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

It's embarrassing. The district's administration - who are paid to ensure HPHS graduates get one of the best classical college-prep educations offered in the entire country- just bent over to a small lynch mob of helicopter parents. The proper response would have been to offer parents the option to sign a waiver and assign those students alternative reading & discussion, not to rip the books out of the hands of EVERY student!!

The world isn't perfect, and it's better to find that out while still living with one's parents who should be the driving force of conversations about family values. Instead of shielding 16-year-olds from texts dealing with child abuse, have the student read it and then discuss what the family's thoughts are about abuse....what to do if said teenager ends up involved in an abusice relationship, what resources are available to battered women & children, and how as stewards of considerably more wealth than average, they can impact the world for the better (have a car wash to raise money for Genesis, volunteer at The Birthday Project, etc).

Literature's purpose is to challenge thinking and invite thoughtful discussion; to escape from one's own world and discover other worlds (better and worse).

One of the banned authors was supposed to be the keynote speaker at the district's annual acclaimed literary festival. How embarrassing for the district to ban her book and uninvite her!

While enrolled in Honors and AP English classes at HPHS, I read Beloved (on the ban list), 1984 (these parents took issue with the "anti-capitalist" tones in one of the banned books so I'm sure Orwell will be chucked soon, too), MacBeth (murder!), Romeo & Juliet (sex & suicide), Lolita (Nabokov has probably been dumped fr the HPHS library, too!). I read books I hated and slugged through (Ivanhoe, Beowulf), books I dreaded reading and ended up loving (Crime & Punishment), books I loved and read again (Cry the Beloved Country), and books that changed how I see the world (Jonathan Kozol's Amazing Grace). To ban books is to breed ignorance. HPISD is sheltered enough from the "real world"- hence my non-fiction "reader's choice" of Amazing Grace which completely opened my eyes and heart to the reality of those who were born with much less.

Earlier generations of HPHS graduates who still remember both the HP teachers and HP reading lists that stretched us intellectually and emotionally are outraged by this book ban. There are literally hundreds of discussions on Facebook this week, as well as backing two HP parents trying to overturn the ban in the real world. A HP college application carries weight at elite universities' admissions' discussions; I would hate to sour a 100-year-old reputation by becoming known as the sheltered kids whose mommies think they can't handle college-level literature.

I recall reading two of those books in high school. I believe the rest were published after I left school.

The one that stuck out most to me was the book about the "invisible poor." Way to fulfill stereotypes, HPISD!

[RJ312]

I disagree with the book ban.

I read "Siddhartha" in senior year of high school, I don't remember anything I found objectionable in it.

HPHS is supposed to be a top quality high school, and it is a public school, so the parents are relieved of having to pay tuition. The administration should stand up to the parents.

The next complaint might be the stillborn child in "The Grapes of Wrath", which I read in sophomore year of high school.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

It's embarrassing. The district's administration - who are paid to ensure HPHS graduates get one of the best classical college-prep educations offered in the entire country- just bent over to a small lynch mob of helicopter parents. The proper response would have been to offer parents the option to sign a waiver and assign those students alternative reading & discussion, not to rip the books out of the hands of EVERY student!!

Good grief, this for sure!

Sheltering vs Education, some people choose to shelter their children while other choose to educate them.

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

The one that stuck out most to me was the book about the "invisible poor." Way to fulfill stereotypes, HPISD!

Agreed.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

It's embarrassing. The district's administration - who are paid to ensure HPHS graduates get one of the best classical college-prep educations offered in the entire country- just bent over to a small lynch mob of helicopter parents. The proper response would have been to offer parents the option to sign a waiver and assign those students alternative reading & discussion, not to rip the books out of the hands of EVERY student!!

The world isn't perfect, and it's better to find that out while still living with one's parents who should be the driving force of conversations about family values. Instead of shielding 16-year-olds from texts dealing with child abuse, have the student read it and then discuss what the family's thoughts are about abuse....what to do if said teenager ends up involved in an abusice relationship, what resources are available to battered women & children, and how as stewards of considerably more wealth than average, they can impact the world for the better (have a car wash to raise money for Genesis, volunteer at The Birthday Project, etc).

Literature's purpose is to challenge thinking and invite thoughtful discussion; to escape from one's own world and discover other worlds (better and worse).

One of the banned authors was supposed to be the keynote speaker at the district's annual acclaimed literary festival. How embarrassing for the district to ban her book and uninvite her!

While enrolled in Honors and AP English classes at HPHS, I read Beloved (on the ban list), 1984 (these parents took issue with the "anti-capitalist" tones in one of the banned books so I'm sure Orwell will be chucked soon, too), MacBeth (murder!), Romeo & Juliet (sex & suicide), Lolita (Nabokov has probably been dumped fr the HPHS library, too!). I read books I hated and slugged through (Ivanhoe, Beowulf), books I dreaded reading and ended up loving (Crime & Punishment), books I loved and read again (Cry the Beloved Country), and books that changed how I see the world (Jonathan Kozol's Amazing Grace). To ban books is to breed ignorance. HPISD is sheltered enough from the "real world"- hence my non-fiction "reader's choice" of Amazing Grace which completely opened my eyes and heart to the reality of those who were born with much less.

Earlier generations of HPHS graduates who still remember both the HP teachers and HP reading lists that stretched us intellectually and emotionally are outraged by this book ban. There are literally hundreds of discussions on Facebook this week, as well as backing two HP parents trying to overturn the ban in the real world. A HP college application carries weight at elite universities' admissions' discussions; I would hate to sour a 100-year-old reputation by becoming known as the sheltered kids whose mommies think they can't handle college-level literature.

I'd rep you again if I could.

This should be printed and handed out to every parent of every child in HPISD.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

I recall reading two of those books in high school. I believe the rest were published after I left school.

The one that stuck out most to me was the book about the "invisible poor." Way to fulfill stereotypes, HPISD!

That one stuck out to me, as well. Also the situation with The Glass Castle author, Jeanette Walls. Loved that book and what a strange turn of events.

[yukon]

Whatever happened to teaching kids how to THINK for themselves and question things? WTH do these parents think innovation and creativity come from?

[HockDad]

I hope those same parents are banning the internet and cell phones. My two daughters get exposed to worse things on youtube than any of those books.