Board Appeal Panel Minutes of May 10, 2007

[Diane Blevins]

Proceedings of the Board of Trustees

District No. 2, Yellowstone County

High School District No. 2, Yellowstone County

Billings, Montana

 

May 10, 2007

 

Call to Order

 

The Board Appeal Panel Meeting of the Board of Trustees of School District No. 2, Yellowstone County, Montana, and High School District, Yellowstone County, Montana, was duly held at The Lincoln Center, 415 North 30th Street, Billings, Montana, May 10, 2007, at 12:00 p.m.

 

Those present included: Trustees Mary Jo Fox, Katharin Kelker and Sandra Mossman, District Clerk Leo Hudetz, and Superintendent Jack Copps.

 

Registered guests included Ronald Harmon, Andrea Harmon, Vicki Bentz, Sue Bach, Kent and Twilla Morgan, Lester S. Hall, Rondi Kierrer, Don Kierrer, Jan Schoonover, Helen Schneider, John Schneider, Sharon Messmer, Alicia Small, Amanda Frickle, Keith Morgan, Marlene Morgan, Holly Moncada, Brooke Moncada, Pat Kempf, Teresa Bissonette, M. Hall, Patricia A. Brown, Joseph Peters, Rachel Harp, Laura Hall, Sharon Hummel, Susan Cunningham, Mark Hall, Janet Larson, Coleen Kulbeck, Don Gould, Margaret Miller, Shelley Dolan, Jim Hill, Ken Branett, Virginia Scott, Irene Mohr, Karen Oman, Opal Elliott, Karla Gerrell, Janice Hall, Deanna Mercer, Patty Rudolph, Desirae Rudolph, Tiffany Rudolph, Meghan Myers, Mary Fuqua, Jim Bentz, Vince Edwards, David and April Koll, Dennis Sharbono, Peggy Sharbono, Sonny Sharbono, Lance Orner, Kathy Pfaffinger, Jan Kransky, Lindsey Belinek, Lance Edward, Shelley Dolan, Dennis Sulser, Gail Surwill, Stephen Macartney , Sue Bach, Scott Anderson, and Dennis Holmes.

 

The Board panel was made up of three Trustees, Mary Jo Fox, Katharin Kelker, and Sandra Mossman. As Sandra Mossman is ill, Malcolm Goodrich replaced her to hear the matter of “ Red Sky At Morning”. Katharin Kelker served as Chair.

 

Communication from the Public

 

The Board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of listening to members of the public in its meetings. The Board also recognizes the statutory and constitutional right of the public to participate in governmental operations. The Board encourages members of the public to participate in and express opinions about issues important to the District. This part of the board’s meeting is dedicated to public comment on any public matter that is not on the agenda of this meeting and is within the jurisdiction of the Board of Trustees. Members of the public may also address particular items on this agenda either now or at the time the Board considers the particular item.

 

Lester S. Hall, Pastor at Good Life Church, addressed the Board to express his concern over the profanity in the book. Language is used that is not allowed in the hallways of the school. Also addressing the Board in support of banning the book were Ron Harmon, Patty Rudolph, Danny Houde, Holly Moncada, Brooke Moncada, and Margaret Miller.

 

Rhonda Kiesser, the complainant, addressed the Board with her concerns over “Red Sky at Morning”. Her daughter brought the book to her shortly after starting it to say she was uncomfortable with the book. Mrs. Kiesser stated the book was not based on fact. She contacted administration at West High and an alternative book, Warriors Don’t Cry, was assigned which had been based on fact. Mrs. Kiesser requested changes in the policies and procedures for the best interests of the students.

 

Board Panel

 

Lance Orner, Assistant Principal at Lewis & Clark, reported the Executive Director of Secondary Education requested he chair the review committee, consisting of Kathy Pfaffinger, Skyview English teacher, Jan Kransky, Skyview Librarian, and a Senior High parent. Committee members read “Red Sky at Morning” prior to their meeting on February 13th. The committee met for two hours and discussed five reviews. The members agreed the book should remain on the curriculum list. Mr. Orner stated he was impressed with the professionalism of the committee.

 

The Chair opened the meeting to questions from the panel. Trustee Fox asked, if the District were to apply a new approach for each book in the system, any books with profanity or sexual situations, what books would be removed from the reading lists. Ms. Pfaffinger said it would take out the majority of books such as Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and “To Kill A Mockingbird”. Trustee Fox also asked if "Warriors Don't Cry" had ever been challenged. Ms. Pfaffinger reported that the book had been challenged in the south due to the language and the reference to religion. Even Dr. Seuss books have been challenged.

 

Trustee Goodrich asked if the student had been told she would receive a lower grade by taking the alternative book. Mr. Orner stated the English teacher had told Mr. Orner there might be a chance for a lower grade due to the fact there was no time to discuss the book in class. He would have had to meet with the student either before school or after school to discuss the book but had not told the student there might be a lower grade given. Trustee Goodrich asked how an alternative book was selected. Ms. Pfaffinger said there is a list of books that are by grade level and the teachers can read down in levels but not up. The teacher tries to pick a similar theme or attitudes to the assigned book.

 

Trustee Goodrich asked Mrs. Kiesser if it was the volume of profanity in the book that concerned her or the use of profanity. Mrs. Kiesser stated it was the volume used but “Warriors Don’t Cry” also used some profanity but it was not excessive. Trustee Fox asked Mrs. Kiesser if she was offended by the sexual issues in “Red Sky in Morning” but not “Warriors Don’t Cry”. Mrs. Kiesser stated the profanity in any amount offends her but the rape scene in “Warriors Don’t Cry” was a true story and was presented well by the author.

 

Trustee Kelker asked administration, as the policy has been around for a long time, if it were true that a family could object to any of the curriculum that we assign and would have the opportunity to file a complaint on that aspect of the curriculum. Ms. Kransky stated that was correct and the parent usually speaks to an administrator and are, in most cases, satisfied after that point. Reading lists have been used for years and there is no one in the English Department who remembers when “Red Sky at Morning” was added to the list. It has been at least ten years.

 

Trustee Goodrich asked how the alternative books are made known to parents. Scott Anderson, Executive Director of Secondary Education, reported information is given out for a book when the reading list is printed. He stated there should be no separation of grades of the alternative book and the assigned book, as they both should be treated equally.

 

The Chair clarified the matter that this meeting was not to ban a book but to discuss policy and procedure for reviewing curriculum including books. The panel needs to come to some decision to see if the policy was followed, is the policy a good policy or does policy need to be changed. The Chair stated she sensed that the three panel members were concerned that should a student choose an alternative that there should be equal opportunity to do the assignment and receive a fair grade. Trustee Goodrich was concerned as that was not adequately stated in the procedure or policy. Trustee Fox asked a question of school district administrators, librarians and teachers whether parents could reasonably receive more information about content of the books, so that, say, when a student receives a reading list at the beginning of the quarter or semester that the reading list could possibly have notations if the book contained (for example) adult language, sexual references, sexual situations or violence. She said these are not “ratings” or “judgments” about content, it would simply be additional information to detail content, not judge it, so a parent could have more information when perusing a student’s reading list. Trustee Fox pointed out that such information is already available before presentations on HBO. For example, before the HBO series “The Sopranos” airs, the screen lists what can be expected in the episode, such as: nudity, adult language, graphic violence, etc. Ms. Pfaffinger stated what is offensive to one person may not be offensive to another. Trustee Fox suggested the word profanity would be helpful to a parent if it were listed after certain books. The Chair recommended a two or three sentence statement be added to the book list to help a parent. Ms Pfaffinger stated it would be hard to add a statement to each book as everyone’s view varies. Trustee Fox explicitly said that she was not seeking a rating system for reading material. The Chair suggested the best time to give a parent a list of books would be during that school’s open house. Trustee Goodrich was concerned that policy and procedures give a student or parent the opportunity to opt out.

 

The panel agreed they were not recommending changes in the opt out policy. The panel placed a high value on the equal educational opportunity for a student or a family who choose an alternative book or curriculum, which is a procedure issue. The panel was also interested in transparency in that parents should know what they are dealing with. The panel recommended that administration let the Board know that it has taken place. Mr. Copps agreed it is making sure parents understand the policy.

 

Trustee Goodrich made the following motion with a second by Trustee Fox:

 

Motion that this committee recommend to the Board that the administration be directed to review its procedures

to the extent applicable policies and to review, supplement or correct either its procedures or policies relative

to the following matters: 1) that the District provides an adequate alternative in each teaching assignment with respect to teaching materials; 2) make the alternatives known to parents with adequate notice, presumably at the beginning of each semester or quarter for each elementary school; and, 3) that the general reading list of teaching materials that are going to be taught in a particular class will be made available to parents with a list of the alternatives.

 

Those voting in favor were Malcolm Goodrich, Mary Jo Fox and Katharin Kelker. The motion passed unanimously. The Chair thanked those present for coming and expressing their views.

 

 

 

As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m.

 

 

 

 

Katharin Kelker, Panel Chair Malcolm Goodrich, Trustee Mary Jo Fox, Trustee

 

 

 

Diane Blevins, Recorder