'The 57 Bus' and 'The Kite Runner' shouldn't be banned from West Bend high schools, committee says following complaints
A West Bend School District committee formed to reconsider two books' placement in the East and West high schools' libraries and English classes decided July 19 that both books ― "The 57 Bus" and "The Kite Runner" ― should not be removed.
Neither book is a required reading, but students have access to both.
The two district residents who filed the complaints against the books have 30 days to appeal the decision to keep the novels that some district residents and board members have called "age-inappropriate" and "pornographic." The appeal would then go to the superintendent.
If an appeal is unsuccessful, the resource reconsideration committee's decision means that the books can't be challenged again for three years, according to district policy.
A school board member originally urged suspension of four books
Some district residents told the school board last month that four books, "The Hate U Give," by Angie Thomas; "Dear Martin," by Nic Stone; "The 57 Bus," by Dashka Slater; and "The Kite Runner," by Khaled Hosseini shouldn't be in the hands of high schoolers, citing concerns of students' exposure to profanity and violence, as well as themes of gender identity and sexuality.
School board member John Donaldson made a motion at a June 19 meeting to immediately suspend all four books. The motion narrowly failed with a 4-3 vote; those against his motion agreed that the books must go through the formal reconsideration process.
Which books were formally reconsidered?
Two of the books ― "The 57 Bus" and "The Kite Runner" ― had formal complaints filed against them, which meant they were required to go through the district's reconsideration process.
"The 57 Bus" is based on a true story that took place in Oakland, California, in which a teen set an agender teen on fire. "The Kite Runner" is a historical fiction novel set in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the Soviet invasion in 1978.
"The 57 Bus" includes mentions of gender identity, while one of the most controversial parts of "The Kite Runner" is a sexual assault scene between two teen boys that Donaldson called "pornographic, graphic material."
District resident Carol Heger also cited concerns of exposure to violence and misogyny in "the Muslim culture," when she spoke to the reconsideration committee about "The Kite Runner" earlier this month.
What is the resource reconsideration committee?
The resource reconsideration committee consists of the WBSD director of libraries, the library coordinator, an administrator, two teachers, a parent/guardian and a student representative.
Teachers, students and parents/guardians are chosen through a random drawing of names of those who expressed interest in participating on the committee. The randomly selected members are different for each novel.
The committees were required to read both books up for reconsideration and discuss the values that the novels bring to the students.
Committee members agreed that while both "The 57 Bus" and "The Kite Runner" include profanity, the swear words are far from the themes of the novels.
Both books have the ability to put the reader in the shoes of someone else, teaching the reader themes of acceptance and learning to think of experiences outside of their own, committee members said.
One concern about "The 57 Bus" was that it encouraged confusion about one's gender identity; however, the committee found that the book is not meant to make students think they should be nonbinary or transgender.
"I think that (''The 57 Bus"') is more so about becoming comfortable with your own identity, whether it be in terms of gender or just being able to accept who you are, flaws and all," said student representative Anna Paczesny.
Book selection policy will be modified, superintendent says
The district's policy and curriculum committees plan to bring recommendations for specifying what an "appropriate" book is to the school board, said Superintendent Jen Wimmer in a letter to families, in order to strengthen its existing policies.
The schools will continue to require parent/guardian authorization for their student's book selection, Wimmer said.
"In the coming weeks, we will place resources and tools on the West Bend School District website to help families review books, view the books their child has checked out from the library, and restrict their child’s access to specific books," Wimmer said. "This page will also have information on how to view materials available in the school libraries."
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Quinn Clark can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Quinn_A_Clark.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: West Bend School District committee recommends keeping books
