Township High School District 214

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2006 Book Removal Controversy

One school board member, Leslie Pinney, questioned the approval of certain books as required reading texts for high school students. The books under consideration are: The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, (Pulitzer Prize–winning) Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, and The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan.

Some people, including students and teachers, believed that this action was far too extreme and decried the action giving it a moniker of Book Banning. And yet others felt that including classroom discussions that abortions can lower crime rates (Freakonomics) may not be an appropriate because some teachers do not provide balance and allowance for a pro-life stance. Also, to some parents, it is irresponsible to have students reading a book (A Plant's-Eye View of the World) which references the relationship between humans and marijuana when the author is an activist for legalizing marijuana. The fact that “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is published by MTV and contains graphic depictions of date rape causes many parents to become concerned when this is required reading for the students. Most every news outlet covered the story, yet none could quote the books that most troubled this board member due to decency laws and FCC guidelines.

District 214 students signed a petition opposing the ban, saying that any sexual, drug, or violent references are not without a valid point. The petition reached 494 signatures before the board meeting on May 25, 2006 addressing the issue. That particular board meeting was attended by a large number of students and concerned citizens; so many, in fact, that the local fire department was on hand to make sure the room was not illegally overcrowded. The meeting extended until one in the morning as students and parents gave impassioned speeches defending their convictions. Among the speakers included were members of the debate clubs, former members of high school impassioned enough to come home from college, reverends, and numerous adults who had no children in the district at that time.

The attempted removal of these books from the curriculum was voted down by the school board 6-1 with Pinney as the lone dissenting vote.

On April 7, 2009 Pinney lost her re-election bid to Mark Hineman.

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