A school district decided to make mandatory reading over the summer for all students from grades 10 through 12. The students would be required to read two books of their choosing from a provided list. I never had to do this, but I don’t think it is a bad idea.

One parent is extremely upset over this, several of the books, in his eyes, are not suitable for his child about to enter 10th grade, mostly due to profanity and adult situations. It is an interesting debate, and earlier this year I wrote about the limited use of profanity and what has become socially acceptable. This parent actually cares about his children and is trying to take steps towards raising them the best way he can.

The parent took several of the books to the school board meeting that provided on the list given to his child to discuss the issues. One issue is that none of the books are available in local libraries, probably due to them being signed out as several hundred students are trying to read them, so he had to go to a local store and buy them. Another more prevalent issue is the adult situation and language in one of the books his 15 year old was going to read,

several books on the 10th-grade list, most jammed with bookmarks where he found what he considers offensive material. He said one book, ”A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” contained ”the F-word” 17 times on one page.

Personally, I have no real issue with language, but a parent does have the right to filter what their child hears, reads and is exposed to. Furthermore, this parent is actively trying to set good examples for his children, bring up this valid point,

some of the books are the equivalent of R-rated movies, which his son isn’t old enough to watch. He said his son would be sent home if he used that kind of language in school.

I’ve spent my fair share of time in the principals office for cursing at teachers in my younger, stupider days, and not that I’m all wise and old now, but that is an extremely valid point. If a student can read a book, on the schools request, that contains the word fuck, they should be able to use that word in a book report and for any oral presentations that must be given on the book. How it is used could be a bit of an issue, but who draws that line?

The list of summer reading books that students in the 10th grade can pick from are:

I am 100% against book burning and think that in a situation like this, where the parents are somewhat responsible for making sure that the children are following through should have some input or at least been able to see the suggested list prior to the students.

Source: The Morning Call

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