An article in the Daily Herald today revealed an interesting glimpse of the worldview driving the majority of members of the District 214 school board. Here's an excerpt:
As a months-long curriculum debate collides with an election in Northwest Suburban High School District 214, three incumbents are waging a pricey campaign on the premise that it could — adamant their defeat may pave the way for a conservative school board takeover.Does Ms. Ennis really believe that people (especially parents) have come to respect and cherish pornographic reading material for their children? The article goes on:
“If it (the vote) goes the other way, it could literally change the very culture of what people have come to respect and cherish in this school district,” predicts Elizabeth Ennis, a recently retired 214 superintendent and incumbent supporter.
The incumbents, though, say their tactics are logical in the wake of board member Leslie Pinney’s 2005 upstart board victory. She’d pledged to bring her Christian beliefs to board decision…
…District 214’s now-legendary curriculum debate was sparked by one of Pinney’s first proposals: to pull nine books from required reading lists because of content she said was sexually graphic, vulgar and violent.
ARE the books, graphic, vulgar, and disgusting? You decide.
The ensuing saga drew hundreds to a six-hour board session, spurred ongoing dialogue about the appropriateness of class materials and prompted dueling Web sites on the issues. The board later voted 6-1, with Pinney dissenting, to keep the books on reading lists.Let me get one thing straight. Our schools ARE shaped by the beliefs and moral values of school board members – whether they be liberal or conservative, Christian or atheist. District 214 is currently a reflection of the values of the majority of its current board members, and administrators.
Today, they (the incumbents) insist they’re not out to ban varied views, but fear an influx of board members who would let their religious beliefs shape the schools.
Since incumbent board members seem to believe that Christian moral values are inappropriate for 'shaping schools,' I am wondering which value system IS appropriate? Socialism? Secular humanism? Existentialism? Buddhism? Hinduism? Islam? I would like to ask the incumbents, which value system do YOU use? And why should we consider your moral value system (whatever it is) to be superior to Christian values?”
More from another supporter of the incumbents…
Ultimately, Friends of District 214 chairman Arlen Gould worries, that could lead to things like…censoring student newspapers or even questioning teacher applicants about their political views.
Censoring student newspapers? We could only wish that someone at Buffalo Grove had used better judgment before allowing students to publish an article in the student newspaper declaring “Oral Sex the New Romantic Norm.” Does Ms. Gould imagine that most parents want their kids told that oral sex is now the dating norm?
Does she not see that high school students openly writing about oral sex, in a student newspaper, is an indication that something is terribly wrong? Oh, I forgot. There can't be anything wrong. This is an award winning school district...
More from Ms. Gould:
…“If you have personal religious beliefs, that’s wonderful,” Gould said, “but if you want them involved in the schooling of your children, go to a private school or do home-schooling.”
Let me paraphrase. “Public schools are no place for traditional moral values. If that’s what you want you had better go somewhere else.”
They may not want our input but they certainly want our tax dollars…
Incumbent school board member Alva Kreutzer weighed in with this:
“I believe parents and people in the community should be able to ask questions. That’s fine,” Kreutzer said. “I just don’t want a total takeover of the board where someone says, ‘It’s going to be this way.”
Total takeover? It is now 6 liberals v. 1 conservative.
Adds Dussling (current board president): “Is it going to be something like Kansas? I have no idea. But I do know this: There are those who want to control our curriculum, and that’s what I’m concerned about. Public education.”
Does public education require exposing teens to graphic depictions of rape, sodomy, bestiality, oral sex, sex with a hotdog, and a real dog?
Those who want to ‘control’ the curriculum? Mr. Dussling, YOU and your fellow liberals now control the curriculum and you have neglected to use that power to protect whatever is left of our children’s innocence…
The article closed with an interesting quote by Melissa Deckman, author of “School Board Battles: The Christian Right in Local Politics.”
“It’s good in a community to have different viewpoints expressed. I think that’s healthy,” Deckman said. “But I think when any group that’s out of the mainstream tries to hijack that for their own causes, the parents ultimately will say, ‘We need to focus on the kids.”
Are people with conservative moral values really ‘out of the mainstream?’
Are we trying to hijack the school board for our own causes?
It seems to me, people with left wing values already have…
Read the whole article.
AN INTERESTING NOTE: Culture Campaign usually gets several hits a day on the webpage where we have posted the book excerpts -- from perverts looking for bestiality. That ought to tell us something...
