First the Erie, IL, school board banned Todd Parr’s The Family Book because it included a brief reference to same-sex parents.
Now, since the title was furnished by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), the district is banning everything GLSEN has provided, including anti-bullying programs.
“Give me a break! Is this seriously an issue in our town?” Lindsay Brookhart, a mother with three children in the Erie Community School District told WHBF. “I think everyone needs to take a step back, research the materials themselves and see that it’s not anything that is age-inappropriate.”
Brookhart and more than a hundred other parents have signed a petition protesting the ban, which extends to campaigns like No-Name Calling Week and materials co-authored by the National Association of Elementary-School Principals.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
But Superintendent Bradley Cox says he was only listening to the voice of the mob his community.
“It’s probably a bit of a misrepresentation to say that it’s just a few parents who have a concern when in fact, at the end of the day, it was a school board representing the views, values and philosophies of a community that really made the decision,” said Cox. “I think our community has very clearly said if those topics come up with 6-year-old or 7-year-olds that they would rather have those topics discussed at home.
We’re still going to teach tolerance, we’re still going to teach diversity.”
Please, we don’t even have children and we know they tend to follow what you do not what you say.
Danny
Since it is taxpayer funded, I’d sue the school board for violating the 1st Amendment and 14th Amendment rights of gay students as well as kids of LGBT parents to have their lives represented in a taxpayer-funded institution such as a library without censorship by government. It is appalling that adults are harming children in this manner. Just because a community wants to harm gay children and the children of LGBT parents does not make it just or righteous.
randalaw
Let’s not worry too much about the ban. After all, it has brought a great deal of attention to the issue which means more publicity than it ever would have gotten without the brouhaha. Once again, if we give the troglodytes enough rope, they will hang themselves and our (LGBT) hands are clean!
erasure25
ACLU in 3…2…1… Hope the bigots in that school district have a few million on hand for the lawsuit they deserve…
w.e.
When someone says “at the end of the day” you know you’re in trouble.
mI
@erasure25: Yeah, of course they have a few million…of taxpayer dollars!
Gay Bacon
Congrats Cox! You’ve just made these books cool and a must read for the kids lol. I remember when my school banned Goosebumps, I saved up and bought a box set.
RS
There is now a change.org petition. Please sign at: http://www.change.org/petitions/erie-school-board-reverse-prejudicial-ban-on-glsen-and-other-anti-bullying-resources