Email #4
Professional Judgemen
According to Amazon, currently, 7,587 reviews submitted for “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” give it an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. There is far more to the content of this piece of literature than selected lines printed in the Siskiyou News. Excerpts were select passages that, taken in isolation, seem unnecessarily crude. But excerpts are not the point and meaning of any book. No book should be banned in American schools that a committee of professional educators has vetted.
The Book Review Committee evaluates books based on educational merit. Education is about supporting the growth of the whole student. A well-rounded education includes validating social and emotional experiences in growing up and sharing varied cultural/ socio-economic perspectives. Siskiyou County has a Native American population of youth that may appreciate their experience of living in a predominately white culture recognized. The aspects of economic disparity addressed in this book might also validate the experience of many others. Becoming an adult is often awkward and baffling, making The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian relatable to teens. Our professional educators have years of experience evaluating and curating educational materials to provide a rich, multi-faceted education. If a parent wants another book selected for their child instead of the chosen work, that is entirely okay!
In America, we are free to consider a depth of thought and artistic expression not permitted in dictatorships. If we allow the views of a few to restrict access to intellectual materials and creative expression, we all begin to lose our freedom.
Thank you, Gail Domanski
Email #3
I read your article, “Mt Shasta High School to Require Porn Reading in the Freshman English Classroom!” and was shocked that you would put out such a misleading headline. I did appreciate the links to the board members, which made it very easy for me to email each one.
I urged them to accept the work of the Book Review Committee, who have taken the time to thoroughly study this book and given a well reasoned recommendation. I would also encourage more people to contact the board members and remind them that we have a Book Review Committee for a reason, and we should not be banning books to please those with a personal agenda.
Sincerely,
Alice Rogers
Mt. Shasta
Email #1
Dear Mt. Shasta Union High School Board members,
I am urging you to remove the “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” as required reading in the Mt. Shasta High School freshman English Curriculum.
As a concerned taxpaying citizen of Siskiyou County, I posted on the several community Facebook pages the letter dated March 3, 2023 from the “book review committee” as well as excerpts from the book to alert uniform and unspecting parents in the districts about your important meeting this Wednesday.
As a result of this posting, I was notified this AM that I am in “Facebook jail” for 24 hours!! See below the part of my post that went against their “community standards” They specifically objected to an excerpt from the book. See message below from facebook:
“We have these standards because we want everyone to feel safe, respected and welcome.
If your content goes against our Community Standards again, your account may be restricted or disabled. You can disagree with the decision if you think we got it wrong.”
It appears Fakebook thinks these are my words not the author’s.
If the author’s words in just one section of his book violate community standards, then why is it acceptable for the members of the school board to make this book required reading for our youth in Mt. Shasta?
Again, I request that “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” be removed from the required reading for Mt. Shasta freshman English Curriculum.
Respectfully,
Louise Gliatto
Siskiyou County
Email #2
Hi, Jay:
I was disappointed and appalled by the article appearing March 11, 2023, under the headline “Mt Shasta High School to Require Porn Reading in the Freshman English Classroom!” I assume, since the byline reads “by Publisher,” that it was written by you. Is that correct?
Parents and other members of your school district asked for the public to be made aware, group effort wrote the below wording for me to publish.
The headline is inflammatory and incorrect and not, in my opinion, up to the accepted standards of journalism.
In direct conflict to the USA Today Network Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsrooms, which is published on the Siskiyou Daily News website under the heading of “Our Ethical Principals,” the article makes little effort at “balance,” nor does it “offer viewpoints that represent various views on a particular topic.” I see no evidence at “attempts to reach sources who add value to the story.” (All quotes are from the Ethical Principals page.) No member of the book committee is quoted, nor is any representative of the Mt. Shasta High School administration asked for input.
I am not Siskiyou Daily nor USA today. I am Jay
I do appreciate the printing of the conclusion of the book committee. But since there was space enough to provide each and every example of “vulgar language” and numerous excerpts from the book, it seems there would have been space to include an opinion explaining that this is a book written in the voice of a teenage boy who is going through many personal crises, including racial identity, religious convictions, social acceptance, sexual desires, and social conflict. The voice is credible largely because it contains the thoughts and language of a teenage boy who is being raised on a reservation and is trying to integrate into the largely hostile environment of a predominately white and economically well-off community.
Have you read “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian”?
No, Sorry not on my reading list.
Sincerely,
Lori Harch
Book Committee Member
Mt. Shasta High School to Require Porn Reading in the Freshman English Classroom!
The Mt. Shasta Union High School “book review committee” has looked through the board policy and discussed the benefits and disadvantages in keeping “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” as required reading in the Mt. Shasta High School Curriculum. See their recommendations in the attached letter to the school board dated March 2, 2023. Also see, attached excerpts from the book.
There will be a vote by the board on March 15th on whether to make this required reading. It is #3 on the Action Agenda.
Please plan to attend and/or contact the board by email. See attached contact information. You can also attend the meeting on zoom. See attached.
BOARD MEMBERS
Gregg Gunkel Mount Shasta [email protected] Term Expires 2024
Kristen Riccomini Mount Shasta [email protected] Term Expires 2026
Shelley Cain McCloud [email protected] Term Expires 2026
Jana Blevins Weed [email protected] Term Expires 2024
Mindy Hamann Mt. Shasta [email protected] Term Expires Dec 2026
Becky Lantow Happy Camp [email protected] Term Expires 2024
Carrie Williams Weed [email protected] Term expires 2026
This meeting will be broadcast via zoom at https://sisuhsd.zoom.us/j/95139375821
for the public to view. The public must be in person to participate during Public Comment.
4:30 pm – Welcome & Roll Call followed by Closed Session. Open Session will begin at 5:30 pm.
“Silence Implies Consent” “You can’t be heard if you don’t speak”
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