"PV restricts use of 'Misfits' book". Score another one for the bad guys.

[Bluzmann57]

A little background: Recently, a sixth grade teacher read a book with a gay character to her class in the Pleasant Valley, Iowa school district. The book, entitled "The Misfits" is a story of young people who are different from their peers, one of whom is a gay kid, and is an anti-bullying story.

An excerpt from the article-"A book with a gay character cannot be read aloud at Pleasant Valley elementary schools, but can be read to older students and will remain in the district's libraries.
"The Misfits", by James Howe, will be restricted after a split vote of the Pleasant Valley School Board on Monday night. The vote was 4-3. The district's elementary schools include kindergarten through sixth grade."

Say what you will, this is no victory, as the teacher has been reading the book to her classes for two years and was quoted as saying that she was "very disappointed". One guy was quoted as saying that if she is allowed to continue reading the book in question then "the bible and the ten commandents should be read aloud too". This whole thing makes me very sad, as I attended school in that district since third grade and it was at one time considered one of the best public systems in the United States. For the complete article, go to www.qctimes.com and click on local news. scroll down a couple of stories to the headline which I used in the subject line. I am pissed off about this to think that my hometown has deteriorated to this.

[Zookeeper]

1. *Sigh*

So, the mere inclusion of a gay character in a book about bullying requires a counter-weight of reading aloud the entire bible and the ten commandments?

Clearly, there is an alarming increase in the number of Americans that don't understand the concept of Education and critical thinking skills.

[Debi]

2. You'll think what you're told to think and nothing more....

This message brought to you by the Religious Right and the Bush Administration...:scared:

[Blue Gardener]

3. I'm sorry Bluzmann

I was really hoping the vote would go the other way.

[Bluzmann57]

5. Well my kids are grown

but I'm calling the District office tomorrow and inform them that there is no way I'd advise my kids or grandkids to go out there and attend any PV school. They are just another piece of shit school district that's been taken over by the wing nuts.

[rurallib]

4. Along with NCLB

crap like this makes a public education almost impossible to administer. I feel sorry for teachers. They are expected to be able to handle so many different things for very little compensation. I wouldn't be surprised if progressives (I'd prefer to call them normal people) didn't start their own private schools just so their kids can get some semblance of an education.
This coupled with the incredible sex education that is now in Texas which will probably spread across the country and the constant testing of NCLB will turn out a generation which is uneducated.
It's like a cult is running the country and all the people who never think for themselves only want to be accepted by the cult. Scary and sickening.
Soon we'll be back to keeping the handicapped at home and how about segregating the races so everyone can be with their own kind.