Re: GEN: Wayside School/possible challenge

[Joni J Rathbun <jrathbun@OREDNET.ORG>]

I wanted to thank those who forwarded info. The help is always
appreciated.

I also wanted to report that my principal handled the situation
beautifully and professionally. Perhaps it helped that while the parent
was very specific in her concerns and had obviously done some thinking,
she did not come in anger as they sometimes do -- and was calm and
thoughtful. But the principal did a wonderful job of discussing censorship
and challenges and intellectual freedom -- and the difference between
dictating what one's own child may or may not read and what
all children may or may not read (the book was being used as part
of a classroom project). Everyone left the conversation satisfied
and upbeat. And the mother volunteered to do some helping before
she left :)

It was the first time such an issue had come up since I have
been at this school. It was *nice* to learn I have a principal
who could handle things so wisely.



==========================================================================
"Obscenity and hate speech alike only become free speech issues when their
foes turn from censure to censorship. When we decided to let a thousand
flowers bloom, we always knew that some of them would be weeds."
                -- Henry Louis Gates Jr., educator, c. 1990
=========================================================================
J. Rathbun, Library Teacher
Lincoln E.S., North Las Vegas
Email: jrathbun@orednet.org



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