Seaman school board removes one book but leaves two others after challenges for 'obscene' content

After arguments that included Biblical condemnation, misuse of taxpayer funds and threats to Seaman High teenagers’ purity, the Seaman Board of Education voted Tuesday to remove one book from school library shelves but split on challenges to two other books.

The board, in hearing appeals of district decisions to allow three challenged books to remain, ultimately only voted to remove “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," by Jesse Andrews, albeit narrowly.

Board president Michelle Caudill joined board members Kyle McNorton, Donna McGinty and Chris Travis in the 4-2 vote to remove the book, while James Adams and Frank Henderson voted against removing the materials. Christy Weiler was absent.

However, Caudill had joined Adams and Henderson on two votes earlier in the Tuesday hearing to keep “The Lovely Bones,” by Alice Sebold, and “Perfect,” by Ellen Hopkins, in Seaman High circulation. The pair of 3-3 votes fell short of the four-vote majority needed to direct Superintendent Brad Willson to remove the books.

Seaman school board splits on removing 'The Lovely Bones' and 'Perfect'

In each of the three challenges, executive director of teaching and learning Rebecca Kramer presented on behalf of a district review committee that had gone over each item and ultimately recommended to keep each of the books, citing literary and academic value, despite a few questionable passages.

For “The Lovely Bones” and “Perfect,” district parent Stephanie Krebs had submitted complaints, citing each books description of sexual activity, and in the case of the former, rape. Krebs teared up several times during her presentation, pleading with the board to remove the books.

“Kids don’t have real experience with (rape),” Krebs said. “We don’t have books in (the library) about how to make meth or guns and how to properly use them or pipe bombs, for good reason, because this type of knowledge in the wrong hands is dangerous.

“Kids fantasize about this stuff, and they have no idea,” she continued. “We’re playing with fire here.”

Board members like McGinty who voted to remove each of the books were wary of using the word "censorship." She argued that the books would remain available to Seaman High teens in other avenues, specifically citing the publicly funded Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library but should not be bought for using taxpayer funds.

However, McNorton, who voted to remove the books, cautioned that the board’s actions could lead to other books like the Bible also being challenged.

More:How momentum took Dan Cnossen from Afghanistan battlefield to Paralympics

“There’s always topics and always subjects and always books that are going to offend,” Caudill said. “I just find it so hard to justify making that decision for everyone, because we already have a way for parents to prevent their children from checking out a book.”

Others, like McNorton, said the district already effectively censors such other material as Playboy and Penthouse magazines by not allowing those items in district circulation.

Henderson and Kramer pointed out that only materials vetted by specially trained library specialists, in accordance with national library association and state education standards, are allowed into collections in the first place.

Seaman USD 345 policy currently allows parents to opt into a program that forces each of their student’s library check-outs to first be pre-approved by the parent.

However, the board acknowledged that process is faulty and opaque, with many parents not able to properly screen materials because of an inadequate amount of information on each book on the school library’s website.

Superintendent Willson said he would be happy to return to the board with suggestions on how to improve both the parental review process, as well as the district’s overall policy on reviewing and challenging materials.

Seaman parent reads excerpts of 'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl' to school board

“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” — an award-winning 2012 book that had only been checked out from Seaman High’s library 13 times in the past 11 years — deals with a teenage boy who is forced to rekindle a friendship with a childhood friend who has been diagnosed with terminal leukemia.

Kristi Symonds, the district patron who had lodged the complaint, read the board excerpts from the book in which characters graphically describe fellatio using explicit terms.

She said it was hypocritical for the board to regulate against sexually obscene or gratuitous paraphernalia in its high school dress code, but not in its library collections.

She cited passages from several passages in the Bible, arguing values in this book should guide district and parental decisions, and that woe should come to anyone who would guide children’s minds to stumble.

More:Washburn president Jerry Farley announces $2M donation for scholarships as retirement nears

“There was a time when a majority of Americans, religious or not, would have wished for the young people of our community to focus their mind on such things,” she said. “I know for a fact that over half of the board members profess to know and follow this same book in the way you live your lives.

“Stop sitting on a fence,” Symonds urged the board, to applause from about 20 people in the audience.

Caudill, who ultimately voted to remove “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” asked Symonds if she had in fact read the entire book, beside the few offending sections. Symonds admitted she had not but had seen the movie. She returned the question and asked Caudill if she would want her daughter reading even those small sections.

“She probably has,” Caudill said.

Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at ‪785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Seaman USD 345 school board bans book after parent challenges