Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Blue Valley Board Rejects Book Banners
Jill Sederstrom of The Kansas City Star reports that:
"The Blue Valley school board will continue to review novels using the district's current policy, despite a petition brought to members last month. Blue Valley parent Janet Harmon delivered a petition with 500 signatures at a January board meeting, asking for the removal of 14 books from the curriculum. Blue Valley Board of education President John Fuller said Monday night that the district is reviewing the books based on a policy revised in September. Fuller encouraged the community to concentrate on other concerns, such as school finance. “The real challenge for this community is to see past this book issue and focus on the big picture with the same passion you have for novel selection,” he said.I want to congratulate Fuller and the board for sticking to their guns, a rare enough event these days. I also agree that school finance is crucial to the future of Kansas school children. That being said, we must all remain vigilant to keep the censor's hands off our kid's reading list.
