‘Losing Our Freedom Of Speech’: Parent Speaks Out Against Middle School’s Explicit Reading List
A parent informed the Daily Caller News Foundation that Cooper Middle School, McClean in Virginia, had given students an inappropriate reading list this year for their 7th Grade English class.
According to a copy, students in the English class received a variety of books that covered topics ranging from illegal immigration to Black Lives Matter. The reading list makes it clear that students do not have to read all the books, but a teacher in the middle school told students they would be required to select from the options provided unless their parents offered a different, approved book. This was shown on an orientation video for the class.
The DCNF reported that “Jane”, a parent from Communist China who migrated to the U.S. and requested anonymity in order for her child not to be bullied by other students and teachers, first received the syllabus after the open-house. “I did not think much about it because I thought that it was about English teaching. But. . . When I looked at the second page there were words that seemed to be completely unrelated.
Students will read a variety of books over the course the year in order to explore eight key concepts: identity, community, the unknowable, loyalty, justice and ethics. The book list differed slightly depending on whether the students were taking an honors course or a regular English class, but both lists included controversial books that had explicit sexual or violent contents.
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Jane said to the DCNF that her parents were very young during the communist Revolution. Every textbook, be it about math, physics or Chinese, was all about indoctrination. Politics was everywhere. . . It looks like this “English” class is now indoctrination.”
“The whole state or country is wrong. Each person is a tiny screw in a large machine. Jane continued, “I wonder if teachers know what critical thought is.” When I lived in China, there was no freedom of expression. In the United States, I now feel that we are losing our right to freedom of expression. It’s about more than just speech. “It’s not just about speech.
The book “Stamped” is included in both syllabi. It was written by controversial author Ibram Kendi, a man who has argued that all white people are racists and compared 2020 anti-lockdown protesters to slaveholders. The “kid-friendly remix” of Kendi’s original book “Stamped From The Beginning” gives a simplified explanation to his racial theory while encouraging students “to build an antiracist America by recognizing America’s racism past”, according to an extract from the preface.
Jane said to the DCNF: “I read about Kendi [the author of one of the books] and I saw him in person. When I saw his book on the list, that was alarming to me. I began to Google books and found some that were not on any of the other lists. “There were some BLM-sponsored books.”
Jane continued, “I do not think that schools should give these books to students in 7th grade classrooms.” This curriculum was designed to promote an identity ideology. I do not think it is right for a teacher at a school to promote a political agenda. “They’re paid by the taxpayers, and we pay their salaries.”
Parents across the nation have expressed concern about controversial reading lists in recent years as more schools and libraries attempted to incorporate BLM and LGBTQ ideology into classrooms. At a Senate hearing on Sept. 12, Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, read out loud sections of books that showed the graphic nature of stories assigned to students by public schools.
This list includes several other BLM-related books: “The hate you give,” “Dear Martin,” All American Boys,” Ghost Boys,” Just Mercy,” New Kid,” and “A Good Kind of Trouble.” The fictional stories are used to introduce concepts such as “microaggressions,” white supremacy in modern times, police brutality, and inherent racism.
Parents are not allowed to opt out their children from reading books that contain extreme violence or have overly politicalized ideas. However, the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), told DCNF they have the right to opt out their child if “they do not feel comfortable with any book on our school’s reading list.” FCPS administrators informed DCNF all “controversial books” go through a thorough committee review before being assigned to the students.
Jane was concerned about certain books that she said had an ulterior motive or sexual themes inappropriate for children 12 and 13 years old. She cited “Gracefully Grayson,” a book about a boy who realizes during the story that he’s a girl. He wants to transgender.
Jane, a DCNF employee, said that the students were growing not only physically but also mentally. “They (public schools) want to influence our children and force them to follow their ideology. Identity is very important. “But discovering your identity is a journey that lasts a lifetime.”
Some books are more focused on the sexual side of the LGBTQ community, such as “Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe”, and “They both Die at the End”. Both novels feature two teenage boys who make out and want to have sex.
Other stories like “Shatter Me,” Uglies,” “The Fifth Wave,” and “Five Feet Apart,” focus on characters who want to have sex or physical contact but can’t for various reasons. “Shatter Me”, in particular, focuses on eroticism as a way to show readers that the protagonist cannot touch anyone due to her power to kill them on contact.
“His hand. In the beginning of the book “Shatter Me”, the passage describes the moment when the male cellmate touches the female protagonist for the first time. “Two tips of two fingers touch my cloth-covered shoulder for less than one second, and every muscle in my body clenches its spine.
The administration cited their policy, which requires teachers to notify parents 30 days prior to the class reading of a sexually explicit text. Parents can opt out their child from reading these books, or suggest alternative books.
Jane said the following:
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