Carrollton Community Unit School District No. 1
September 23, 2024
Dear Superintendent Bauer and CUSD 1 Board of Education,
Our organization appreciates tonight’s Agenda Item 5 and supports district efforts to address the curricula concerns on record. As a statewide social welfare organization, we submit the following considerations alongside district parents and Rep. Mary Miller. Our goal is to ensure the highest of ethical and academic standards align with district goals and community expectations. We see many excellent opportunities to improve reading lists that do not exploit cultures or expose minors to unauthorized mature content.
Background and Questions:
The currently assigned book for a 9th grade Carrollton High School class is titled “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, which is categorized as a “young adult” novel1 (not youth). This book has previously been removed from assigned reading at the high school and depicts profanity, sexual references such as masturbation, and use of the derogatory term “nigger”. Several students have been opted out of this assigned reading due to reasons ranging from mature content to trauma-triggering. Why is this the best book to highlight Native American culture for high school students?
In 2018, author Alexis Sherman apologized amid numerous allegations of sexual misconduct2. This fact adds an undesirable layer of complexity for assigned reading by minors. Is this the best author to consider for high school reading?
If students are to query “masturbation” or “nigger” on a district-issued electronic device, it would be flagged and reported3 (page 27 of the Carrollton H.S. Student Handbook). Why would assigned reading negate that policy by implementing a book that procures restricted themes in a classroom setting?
Advocacy Assertions:
We do not suggest this book or any book be banned from print, production, or circulation. We do however see an opportunity for improved reading lists focused on Native American culture and themes that do not require content warnings. Awake Illinois chapter chair Noel Manley - a member of the Ojibwe Native American Tribe - is glad to suggest these books: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, when the Legends Die, Red Earth White Earth, The History of the Ojibwe People, Undaunted Courage, King Phillip’s War.
To improve transparency, the district should consider a Curricula Review Committee comprised of parents at each grade level. The approved reading lists with content ratings should be published ahead of each school year to encourage student enrichment at home and provide time for any alternate reading requests. By the time mature or sexual content is in front of minors without parental notice, standards of ethics in education have been violated.
Our organization applauds all district and community stakeholders who advance this call for improved policy with integrity, transparency, and ethics. We appreciate these considerations as you continue the stated mission to “provide all students with opportunities to achieve their personal best, to become responsible, productive citizens, and to embrace lifelong learning”. Our organization welcomes any opportunity to collaborate on this issue.
Best Regards,
Shannon Adcock, Steve Lucie, and Helen Levinson
Awake Illinois Board of Directors
Book Excerpts:
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References:
3) Carrollton Student Handbook Page 35: https://www.c-hawks.net/common/pages/GetFile.ashx?key=DTwNBv%2fF
LETTER FILE:
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