Washington-area school district bans book fairs, after parent complains about "Golden Compass"

[villager]

School district cuts ties with book firm


Thursday, February 14, 2008
By ISOLDE RAFTERY, Columbian Staff Writer

Vancouver Public Schools may be the first district in the nation to not allow Scholastic Book Clubs to sell its merchandise through its schools. School officials said that district policy prohibits them from promoting for-profit businesses, but that’s not what triggered the conversation in the first place.

In late November, a disgruntled Vancouver woman wrote an e-mail to Scholastic, complaining about its inclusion of the children’s book, “The Golden Compass.” The book has been perceived by some Christian groups as being anti-Christian.

The author, Philip Pullman, has said that he was “trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief” set forth by author C.S. Lewis. “(The woman) objected on one basis, but what it did was raise a whole other different issue,” Vancouver Public Schools’ legal counsel Kathryn Murdock said.

The decision to no longer promote Scholastic Book Clubs — a step Scholastic Book Clubs President Judy Newman said by e-mail that she didn’t know of other school districts having taken — met resistance from parents and teachers.

“It was kind of like we were taking away apple pie,” Murdock said.

The school district handed off the responsibility of Scholastic Book Clubs sales to parent teacher associations, though parents and teachers say it’s highlighted the divide between rich and poor schools.

Teacher-librarian Lori McKinley, who splits her time between Franklin and Fruit Valley elementary schools, said the change has had a huge impact on Fruit Valley, a school with three quarters of its students on free or reduced lunch.

<snip>

http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/02/02142008_School-district-cuts-ties-with-book-firm.cfm

[Donnachaidh]

1. Most of the *complainers* never even READ the material they boycott

They take their marching orders from crazed weasels in Christian organizations. :grr:

[villager]

2. well, that'd be the template for these "Freedom"-loving Americans...

n/t

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Like my boss

who told me I didn't know what I was talking about because his preacher said something was so (anti-Democratic tirade by the preacher), and well, I'm only a woman, so of course am lesser than a man.:crazy:

[Javaman]

13. most of the *complainers* probably can't read. nt

[electprogdems]

3. This is really too bad. The schools earn credit for free books

depending on sales, and in some poor schools that is the only way the libraries get new books. Not that matters to fundys. Children should only be allowed to read the bible afterall.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. yes. Winnie the Pooh and the like is subversive,

doncha know. The preacher said so, just before he took their life savings after assuring them that was their ticket to heaven.

[Red Zelda]

5. Then ban the fucking bible from the fair, too

It offends me.

[knitter4democracy]

6. That's awful! Book fairs help keep libraries stocked!

Plus, Scholastic has low enough prices that even poorer families can get a book or two for their children and sometimes do. I've seen that at book fairs at my kids' school. Those people are idiots. The Golden Compass is fine. I've read the trilogy, and I'm a Christian. I'd let my kids read it, if just to have good conversations with them.

If their faith can't handle being questioned, then it's not really faith.

[blondeatlast]

8. I read "The Golden Compass" with my 11 year old son.

I thought it was a great story and my son, who is starting to explore spirituality, was fascinated by it. That's precisely how I want it--for him to test the waters of all kinds of beliefs and decide for himself.

I thought TGC opened a window of discussion and we still are discussing some of it (fwiw, I think of myself as "mostly" Christian, ny gusband is agnostic, and my son is exploring).

We'll soon read the other two books together--I'm looking forward to it.

[Orsino]

9. Ignorance mandated by the ignorant.

I owe a lot of my love for books to the Scholastic Book Club, and have no patience with any effort to keep children from reading.

[Warren Stupidity]

10. Story is very misleading.

If I understand correctly, after the idiot complaint the school board decided, and perhaps rightly so, to remove all direct commercial for profit relations between the school system and any book publishers. Instead the local parent teacher associations can continue the same events without directly involving the school system. I actually do not have a problem with this.

[Supersedeas]

11. the whackos don't need books - let them eat self-righteous indignation

[End Of The Road]

12. I was hooked on Weekly Reader books & Scholastic books

that were available through my grade school. It was one of the few times that I could get money from my folks without their complaint, plus I got my older brother's when he outgrew them.

That was 40-some years ago, and I can still remember some of the titles: Follow My Leader, Mystery in Old Quebec, No Children No Pets, Just Plain Maggie...

I'm sorry to see a school dump a great offering for children over one or two ignorant complaints.