How Much Power Should
Parents Have in Their Child’s School?
By Jill Jenkins
Recently in the news there have been
four examples of parents who feel the need to dictate what happens in their
child’s class. According
to the Salt Lake Tribune at a local high school one parent complained that a
history teacher displayed President Obama’s picture on the wall and she wanted
it removed because she felt it was put there to upset her son and others who do
not like the president. In another
incident in the same district, a parent complained about an English teachers’
selection of literature, even though the teacher had only used literature that
had been selected from the district approved list. The district has a committee of teachers,
librarians, administrators and parents who read books suggested by teachers and
either approve them or they do not go on the list.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, “the
questionable books, which have been approved by Jordan School District, are
"The Hunger Games," "Speak," "The Absolutely True
Diary of a Part-Time Indian" and "Paper Towns.” The article indicates that the parent’s
complaint was that the books were too dark.
I think if there was a complaint it should have been that the books do
not represent the rigor required by the new Common Core Curriculum, but that is
a different issue. Nevertheless, parents
need to understand that the new Common Core Curriculum requires much more
rigorous selections of both fiction and non-fiction which are likely to contain
more controversial and adult themes. The
day of Disney films and literature with Mary
Poppins –like themes
are over. In a third incident, a play which had been approved by another district
committee didn’t meet the approval of a woman who didn’t even have children
attending that school and she wanted it banned. Likewise, the
Salt Lake Tribune cited another incident occurred when a parent complained
that a history teacher used the book, Howard Zinn’s "A People’s History of the United States. The parents’ complaint was that the book was
not a text, but supplementary material and included descriptions of Christopher
Columbus and his crew raping and enslaving the people when they came to
America. The teacher felt justified in
his use of the material because it showed historical events from a different
perspective. The district supported all the teachers in all of these incidents. How much influence should
these parents have?
In all of these incidences the
parents have options. This particular school district has many committees that
make decisions about appropriate curriculum and parents who wish to get
involved in those decisions should volunteer for those committees. If they don’t like the school in which their
child is assigned to attend, they can select another school. If they don’t like the other schools in the
state, they can select a charter school or even an on-line charter school. If they don’t like any of those options, they
can choose to home-school their children or send them to a private school. Personally I don’t think the loud voices of
the few radical parents should be able to dictate to schools which books they
teach, which plays they perform and above all which presidents they hang on
their classroom walls.
During my career I faced parents’
complaints about literature. One parent
didn’t want her daughter to read J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit
because the characters drank beer and non-human creatures talked. (Hobbits,
elves and dwarves: she obviously hadn’t seen my family.) Another parent waited until we had finished
reading Fahrenheit
451 by Ray Bradbury to complain that she didn’t like the swearing
in it. I asked her if she had read it.
She said that she had not nor would she read it. Apparently she has a list of unsuitable books
and the book about book burning, made the list.
I think Ray Bradbury would be proud if he were still alive. Another parent waited two quarters to
complain after we finished reading Charles Dickens’ Oliver
Twist. She said her daughter
was too young to read about Nancy being bludgeoned to death by Bill Sikes. At least her complained wasn’t the one of my
friends heard. That parent was appalled
because the book refers to Charlie Bates as Master Bates several times in the
book. Finally I had a parent who thought
Victor Hugo’s The
Hunchback of Notre Dame, has
far too much sexual content for her son.
Of course, she waited until we finished reading it to complain, even
though she had been told that it was among the books taught. It should be noted
that the year before at a parent meeting, I told every parent which pieces of
literature would be used in the class, and I gave them the same information on
a hand-out that night. I posted the
information on my website. I posted my open disclosure on my webpage and gave
every child a copy including a list of all of the literary selections taught
that year. I gave them a third handout
at Parent-Teacher Night and would have given any child an alternative book if
their parent complained before we finished reading them, but in every case,
they waited until after the books were completely read. This was an advanced
class that students had to apply to get into, so the parent knew their students
would be reading more difficult literature than the ordinary classes. All of the books I was teaching had been
approved by the district literary selection, a committee that included parents,
teachers, librarians and administrators.
I think the district and I had done our job.I think the parents who complained were derelict in theirs.
In all of the examples cited, the
parents were given an opportunity for input, but did not avail themselves to be
part of the committees that make these decisions. Furthermore, in most school districts such
committees do not exist. The schools
depend upon the common sense and professional integrity of the teaching
staff. However, although I used to
oppose such committees as in insult to the professionalism of teachers, I have
since decided that in some school districts, it is a necessary evil. The parents who complain after a committee
has approved a book or play don’t have much of leg to stand on; as a result; it
protects teachers from unnecessary harassment. If a parent doesn’t want their child to read
the literature taught in advanced classes, they shouldn’t enroll them in the
advanced classes. Parents should read
teacher’s open disclosures and read the books listed on them to determine if
this is the right placement for their child.
If they don’t like what they see, look into other schools, other
programs, charter schools, private schools or if they hate everything try
home-schooling their children. The world
shouldn’t have to change to accommodate the needs and the wants of the
few. If parents don’t feel that a public
school should display a picture of the president, maybe they need to send their
child to a private school. Parents
should be given opportunities to serve on committees and present their ideas,
but I don’t think that one complaining parent should dictate which book a class
reads, which play a school presents, or which educationally appropriate picture
is displayed in a teacher’s classroom.
