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C2A... FYI

Follow-Up on School Book Issue - Good News!

Friends,

We are happy to bring you some good news on our campaign to deal with terribly inappropriate reading materials found in the Wake County public schools! (check out the N&O article here)

Last Tuesday the School Board announced many changes to the existing policy on the selection of reading materials. Here are the highlights (for the complete policy, request "5410 R&P" from the WCPSS):

Reading lists will be made public and distributed to all parents at the beginning of the year, semester or summer. This gives parents a chance to review the assigned materials prior to distribution, and make challenges if they so desire. The newly formed Parents Council on Literary Discretion will be reviewing these lists and making public any book selections that may need to be challenged. If you would like to help the Council, please send an email to parents.council@called2action.org .
If a teacher wants to use a book that is not found on the main Wake County reading list, they will be required to provide a written "Request for Prior Approval" which must be approved prior to use in class. This form also includes a section on "Potential Challenges": Objectionable language, Sexuality, Violence, Cultural/Ethnic and other. In effect, the teacher is required to rationalize the use of these materials. Within this portion of the policy remains our one remaining hurdle...please see below.
The challenge process has been more clearly defined and the School Board will work to make sure that parents who challenge books are treated with respect.

These changes are very helpful, but there is one major flaw remaining that must be addressed. The "Parent Permission Letter" is currently optional on the "Request for Prior Approval" form, even if the requested book contains vulgarity, profanity and/or sexual content. Our final request must be honored:

If an approved book contains sexuality, vulgarity and/or profanity, the Parent Permission Letter needs to be a requirement, not an option!

If a teacher were going to show an R-rated movie in class, should the parents be notified? Of course they should! It should be the same for books - in fact, one of the challenged books, The Chocolate War, was made into a movie. It's rating? R

Please take a moment to send a brief note to Patti Head, Wake County School Board Chair (prhead@wcpss.net), as well as a copy to your own School Board representative (find their emails here). Please thank Patti for her efforts in assisting the parents in this case, and looking out for the well-being of our school children. But in addition, urge her to make the Parent Permission Letter a requirement when books that have been approved contain vulgarity, profanity and/or sexual content! Without a bit more public pressure, this change will probably not be initiated. Please send Patti an email TODAY!

As always, thank you for your prayers and action!

In His Service,

Steve Noble

Chairman

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