I know it is cliche but one person can make a difference. Or at least ruffle a lot of feathers. First, when a group spells your name wrong and I don't mean by just one letter or vowel. All I can do is laugh. Secondly, gotta love the title. Should read more like, "Exposing Wolves in Sheep's Clothing." 3rd, what is stated is all true, but repeal both? Policy 6150 is the process in which a sexually explicit book is challenged. Yes, I want this process to be simplified for the challenger. I spent 30 years of my life in education so it doesn't matter that I don’t have a child in CCSD. I am still invested in the education of all kids. Sex Scenes do not belong on the shelves of our public school libraries.
I did not choose to have Policy 6150 to be intertwined in Policy 5139. This is the “Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion” policy. This is being used to point out that pulling books that are not age-appropriate is book banning. Just because a book is not on the shelf of a public school is not banned as it is still available elsewhere. Another point of argument is that pulling books means that there is NO diversity of authors on the shelves. There will be NO diversity of characters. There will be No diversity of storylines. This is a straw man fallacy. There are multitudes of books that can line the shelves of our public schools that celebrate and honor diversity. Exposing students to sexual experiences does not teach any values, structures, attitudes, or behaviors that defy systemic racism as outlined in Policy 5139.
I did submit CCF-400 forms to challenge a book by the name of “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews. Not because of the sexuality of the author, but the sexual content of the book. Here is a sample of what should not be on the shelf for a student to be reading on any school campus.
Page 60:
“Yeah, Earl, I’m going to eat her pussy.” “Heh.” “Yeah.” “Do you even know
how to eat pussy?” “Uh, not really.” “Papa Gaines never sat you down, said,
Son, one day you’re going to have eat the pussy.” “No. But he did teach me
how to eat a butthole.”
...”God bless that man.” “Yup.” “I would teach you some pussy-eating
technique, but it’s a little complicated.”
There is no way this kind of sexually explicit book can teach students how to prevent racism, discrimination, or initiate any educational learning outlined in Policy 5139. Anyone is welcome to try to prove me wrong.
My blog and my website are public. Check them out as all my words and actions are out in the open. Please do contact the schools, committee members, and principals. Require them to read the challenged books from cover to cover. Hold them accountable by making them speak to the public as to their reasoning for keeping sexually explicit books on the shelves. Ask them to defend their position while reading out loud the words that are on the page. Hold up the graphic novels that depict sexual positions, intercourse, and self-pleasuring techniques.
What students read matters. What they are exposed to matters. What filters through their minds, hearts, and souls matter. So, yes, require the adults that have influence over children, who hold authority over them, who demand control through policies, procedures, and content responsible to justify why exposing students to sexual experiences through the public school library is an acceptable standard of education.
Begs the question as to why CCSD supposedly sets high standards of decency and safety, except for sexually explicit books.? The adults in the school district are not vulnerable innocent victims. The students are. Adult personal accountability dictates whether one chooses the right or wrong course of action.
You can choose to make a difference. You can choose to help me submit more CCF-400 forms challenging schools to remove sexually explicit books. You can choose to take up the challenge to make contact with schools and school board members. You too can choose to show up at school board meetings to speak and/or show support.
Just so it is out there I am just getting started!
