Students allowed to read about masturbation
• Miseducation
A sunrising victory over backward parents in Des Moines:
Johnston School board members unanimously voted to keep two controversial books in freshman classrooms, despite protests from parents that vivid descriptions of masturbation and rape are inappropriate for ninth-graders.
The vote also means that by next semester Johnston will create an alternate section for students with parents who object to content in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. ...
"The teachers have taken the sides of the kids," said Mark Hurm, a Johnston parent who has criticized the books. "You'd think teachers would be advocates for the parents as your child is developing." ...
Well, Mark, the teachers are there to do what is best for the kids, not you. You had your time in school and wasted it.
Nearly 50 students packed into the board room. Some said it was their first time in the administration building. They protested removal of the books earlier in the evening, carrying signs denouncing censorship.
Students said reading the books was important so difficult topics such as sexual assault could be aired in class before they encounter them in real life.
"They shouldn't be able to take reading from us," said Ashley Grant, a Johnston freshman. "We should see it before it comes up in our lives."
Lisa Livermore, The Des Moines Register: Johnston board votes to keep controversial books