Correspondence from WHS ‘00 Grad
Below is an email exchange between Julian Reif (WHS 2000 Valedictorian) and Todd Levy (Wyoming School Board President). I share this with Julian’s consent recognizing that Mr. Levy’s comments in his role as School Board President are public record.
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On Oct 1, 2009, at 2:35 PM, Julian Reif wrote:
Dear Mr. Marshall and members of the Wyoming School Board,
I graduated from Wyoming High School in 2000. I received a top-notch education during my 10 years in Wyoming, an education that has proved invaluable to me in all venues of my life. I was very embarrassed to read in an article (http://correspondents.theatlantic.com/david_shenk/2009/09/) about the school board’s response to a parent’s complaint about two highly-acclaimed books on the high school reading list.
Controversy is an important part of education. I would undoubtedly be worse off if I had not been allowed to read some of the wonderful (and yes, controversial) books that were part of Mrs. Briggs’ English curriculum when I was a senior at Wyoming. In Dr. Kessinger’s World History class, I learned about the importance of tolerating “controversial” ideas that one may not necessarily agree with. The school board should heed the principles taught by the very teachers it oversees and review the fundamental ideas of the Enlightenment that have successfully served as a basis for this country’s political and legal systems for over 200 years.
I would like to see the Wyoming School Board take a clear unambiguous stand (1) against ALL forms of political censorship; and (2) in favor of teachers who choose controversial books. If both these things do not happen, you can rest assured that it will adversely affect any future alumni donations I make to the Wyoming school system.
Sincerely,
Julian Reif
Ph.D. candidate
Economics department
University of Chicago
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On Oct 1, 2009, at 4:42 PM, Todd Levy wrote:
Julian,
Thank you for contacting the Board of Education. Please note the following information regarding your inquiry.
Quick Facts:
· Wyoming City Schools are NOT banning books.
· Wyoming City Schools will not shy away from controversial material if it has educational merit.
· Wyoming City Schools has not changed it policy and administrative guidelines since 2008 when they were slightly revised when adopting a new online policy format.
· Policy and Administrative Guidelines are in place to assist to our educators in the selection of materials.
· We did not follow our established selection process for all materials; therefore we are reviewing all high school reading books by the end of this school year.
In May 2008, the Board of Education adopted a revision of its policy manual. The policies are relatively standard for school districts throughout Ohio. These policies are very similar to the policies and operating standards that have been in effect in Wyoming Schools for years. The selection of materials has always included guidelines. These policies are not newly created as a reaction to the most recent situation, but rather have been part of the district guidelines for some time.
Secondly, every institution of learning selects materials for instruction. Not every available textbook or every book is chosen. In most instances, there are policies and guidelines to assist educators in the process of determining which materials will be used.
In Wyoming Policy 2520, the criteria for the selection of materials includes appropriateness of content relative to program and maturity or comprehension level of students, completeness, accuracy, clarity, technical quality, reputation of author, absence of gender stereotyping or racial or ethnic bias, format, price, etc. In conjunction with these, there is a rubric for use after the initial criteria have been met which includes the following:
· the relationship to the course of study;
· the uniqueness of the content that is not adequately provided in district materials;
· the appropriateness of the content for the maturity and comprehension levels of the students; and
· the extent to which the content could create controversy among students, parents, and community groups.
The last criterion regarding the potential for the creation of controversy is one that has seemed to generate the most questions. By rating materials, it simply calls to the attention of teachers and principals that materials might contain content which could create controversy based upon moral, ethical, intellectual or educational grounds. This is not to say that a material will be excluded because it appears to be controversial but it actually raises awareness that there will likely be differing views. Yes, decisions will be made about the educational merit of materials, but the collaborative process of using the rubric affords the opportunity for discussion and thoughtful consideration. The opportunity is to utilize materials that deliver the same or better educational merit and minimize ’subjective controversial” content WHEN possible.
Our staff and administrators are challenged to seek rigorous, yet compelling literature that our students can relate. I would ask that you consider our process as a means to meet the objectives of enriching, supporting, and implementing the rigorous educational programs of the district.
Thank you,
Todd Levy
Wyoming Board of Education
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Date: Friday, October 2, 2009, 4:08 PM
Dear Todd,
Thank you for your prompt reply. It is not my habit to meddle in policy issues. I have never written a letter to my congressman and have certainly never contacted my local school board before. But this issue is close to my heart and I’m afraid your response, rather than alleviating my concerns, has instead aggravated them. Allow me to explain.
I have no problem with you reviewing reading lists in response to a parental complaint. My problem is that the criteria you are using to evaluate books are anti-intellectual and infringe upon teachers’ academic freedoms. These criteria include (1) “reputation of author”; (2) “absence of gender stereotyping or racial or ethnic bias”; and (3) “the extent to which the content could create controversy among students, parents, and community groups”. If I understand you correctly, these guidelines allow the review committee to force a teacher to remove any books from his/her reading list that are written by unpopular authors, are politically incorrect, or are not appealing to the community. A white man by the name of Mark Twain wrote a novel called The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that is replete with racial slurs. (I should know; one of Wyoming’s teachers made me read it for my English class.) Would these guidelines prevent the review committee from removing this novel from a teacher’s reading list if a group of parents complained that the book is racially biased? It doesn’t look like it.
My 2000 valedictory address was titled “Education: What For?”. It was the first time in my life that I had an opportunity to address a crowd of people. I chose my topic and my words carefully. Here is an excerpt:
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What do we do with this education? What is its purpose, its point? For some people, education is just a tool to help them obtain a good job. For others, something that we all are supposed to go through — learn some math formulas and memorize a few history dates. Take the test and then move on with your life. But education has a more important and much more lasting purpose as well. Education allows us to escape the chains of a narrow mind… [and] teaches tolerance. As Voltaire once said, “I do not approve of a word you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
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Education is not about regressing to some politically correct mean. It is about learning tolerance, being exposed to new ideas, and yes, even sometimes reading books authored by controversial writers who exhibit a racial, ethnic, or gender bias. I have changed many of my views since I was 18, but not this one. I never imagined that nine years later I would be trying to explain it to an institution so responsible for helping me form this viewpoint.
Many school boards disagree with my views on academic freedom and they have every right to do so. I just never thought Wyoming City Schools fell in that category. I’m sorry to discover that I was wrong. Until these guidelines are changed I cannot support you intellectually or financially. I doubt I am alone.
I would like to close with a few quick facts of my own:
- Wyoming City Schools’ guidelines encourage it to shy away from controversial materials
- Wyoming City Schools’ guidelines encourage it to shy away from politically incorrect books
- Wyoming City Schools’ guidelines encourage it to shy away from books written by authors with dubious reputations
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was the fifth most frequently challenged book in the United States during the 1990’s, where “challenge” is defined as an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huckleberry_finn)
It is not necessary to reply to my email. I know you are all busy people and I don’t wish to waste any more of our time. Please notify me if there are any changes to the three criteria I mention above though.
Thank you for letting me share my views. I believe my teachers would be disappointed if I had not done so.
Sincerely,
Julian Reif
Class of 2000