A committee is scheduled to meet Monday to review whether a book used in English 1’s civil rights unit is appropriate for the class, which is composed of ninth-graders.
“The Hate U Give,” a fictional teen novel by Angie Thomas about police violence, has been the center of controversy across the nation, as well as in the Veneta-Elmira community.
Kristie Kilcullen, a parent and community member, along with other parents in the community have raised concerns at monthly school board meetings.
She has told the board that she does not believe the content of the novel is appropriate for ninth-graders. Kilcullen expressed that she did not want the book banned, but rather moved from the ninth-grade curriculum to junior- or senior-level courses.
The book, however, has too low of a Lexile score for upper grade levels.
The district has a procedure for any community member who wishes to challenge material.
The person who wishes to challenge material must first speak to a district official or staff member. The official or member is to attempt to resolve the issue informally by explaining the purpose and usefulness of the material.
If the complainant is not satisfied with the explanation, they are referred to the media specialist or principal. If the issue can not be resolved at this stage either, the complainant is given the opportunity to file a formal complaint and is given a request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials form.
That form is to be filed with the principal, and the principal refers the matter to the superintendent. The superintendent then arranges a review committee of seven members: one teacher, one school media specialist, one member of the administrative staff, two members of the community, and two high school students selected from and by the Student Council.
The committee gathered to review “The Hate U Give” will consist of: EHS English teacher Emmy Erwin, Lane ESD licensed media specialist Beth Clarke, EHS Principal Cydney Vandercar, community members April Cooper and Jason Alansky, and EHS sophomores Jake VanDamme and Rylee Rice.
The complainant and Superintendent Gary Carpenter each got to choose one community member for the committee. Carpenter chose Alansky, and the complainant chose Cooper.
Notes from the meeting will be taken by the district’s curriculum director, Michelle Marshall.
The agenda for the committee meeting is to go through introductions and confirm that all members understand the policy, have read the book and have seen the complaint.
Then, the committee will listen to testimony from English teacher Shannon Hart, whose class is reading the book, and the complainant, who will have 10 minutes each to explain their position. After testimony, the committee will be able to follow up with questions.
Finally, the members will work through Appendix C of policy IIA-AR and discuss their next steps.
The goal is to reach a consensus by the end of the meeting, but a second meeting may need to occur. The committee members must inform the school board of their recommendation by Dec. 11, a week after the first committee meeting and three weeks after the committee was approved.
Principal Vandercar said she wants to remain as neutral as possible on the subject, but she did agree to comment.
“I think a parent should be able to decide for their own child,” Vandercar told Falcon News, “just not for others’ kids.”
She acknowledged that things are different for other families, especially given that students and parents have different life experiences that give them unique perspectives.
Vandercar wants to stay focused on the students, though.
“I do wonder,” she said. “I’m really interested in how the kids felt about the book.”
Further information about the process, as well as the forms for Reconsideration of Materials, can be found in the Fern Ridge Policy Manual on the district website, specifically policy IIA-AR.
Check back with Falcon News for an update with the committee’s recommendation.
