I can say it is starting to become more and more common to see this, and I believe it may be the result of the American Library Association's [ALA] Office for Intellectual Freedom slowly losing its grip on the clouding of the minds of local communities. You see, the school superintendent, assistant superintendent, and the school librarian opposed the removal of a book that prominently featured feces, but the school board, following proper procedure after an initial complaint by Tammy Harris, removed the book anyway. I believe it was ruled educationally unsuitable and pervasively vulgar, so, under Board of Education v. Pico, its removal was perfectly legal. And it was not banned, despite how often the ALA uses that term and the media repeat it.
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| Squish - Bathroom Humor Elementary School Book Graphic |
Enough of that, let's get to the facts:
- "Woman Wins Appeal to Have 'Diaper Baby' Book Banned," by Deborah Wrigley, ABC 13 Eyewitness News, 13 July 2011, includes news video broadcast and illustrates media unwittingly using ALA propaganda word "banned" as books removed from schools by schools are not banned—the last book banning in the USA occurred about half a century ago.
- "Book to Remain at School Despite Parent Complaint," by KRTK, ABC 13 Eyewitness News, 8 June 2011.
- "Parents Blame Book for Son's Suspension," by KRTK, 12 News Now, 19 May 2011.
In summary, the poo poo head got kicked out of school! Goodbye, Mr. Hankey!
NOTE ADDED 16 JULY 2011:
Here's the latest story on the matter:
- "Channelview ISD Removes 'Poo Poo' Book from Elementary School Library," by Kevin Reece, KHOU 11 News, 15 July 2011:
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| Children's book containing ALA propaganda. |
Ha, ha, ha, that's really funny. Too bad it is not true.
In a major propaganda coup for the ALA, the book merely repeats ALA propaganda it uses when promoting National Hogwash Week: "Read banned books!" In reality, no books have been banned in the USA for about half a century. Further, as to the constitutional rights of children being the same as adults, the US Supreme Court said, among other things, "The interest in protecting young library users from material inappropriate for minors is legitimate, and even compelling, as all Members of the Court appear to agree."
And apparently, Channelview ISD did just that and removed material inappropriate for children, including the ALA's propaganda. Bye, bye, poo poo head!
Have you taken any time to READ this book? Only the bad guys do the name calling and ultimately get punished for their behavior. It really has a good message about friendship and justice. This book was also written in a style to encourage kids to be creative. You should watch the Sir Ken Robinson video about the importance of creativity and education. It is time to READ the book before criticizing the book. Did you ever read the picture book, EVERYONE POOPS ?? Have you done the research about how to get autistic children and reluctant readers to have positive experiences with reading?
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out that "banning a book" is not the same as not pulling it from a school library. I personally believe the ALA’s banned book week is incredibly hypocritical. Asking that a book be removed from a shelf is just as much an act of expression as anything the ALA has ever fought to protect.
ReplyDeleteHey, Anonymous, women menstruate. Why don't books for children picture bloody tampons? You miss the point here: books like this--and the one you cited--should be in the Adult section of a library or be shown to kids by their parents, not teachers.
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