High school students in Durham will now be able to study alternatives to Pulitzer-Prize winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird to better reflect the student demographic.

“The book is still available as a choice of study, however the students have the option of making the choice of what they prefer, and that is us simply being respectful,” said Terry Simzer, spokesperson for the Durham District School Board.

“You don’t choose one book and say, ‘OK, this is the book we’re going to study as a whole class.’ Those days are over. We have a very diverse population of students.”

Written by Harper Lee and published in 1960, the book is set in 1935 in small-town Alabama and revolves around the Finch family. The father, Atticus Finch, is a struggling lawyer who agrees to defend a black man who is alleged to have raped a white woman. One of the most enduringly popular books of the 20th century, it became a standard text in classrooms around the world.

One reason for the change is the book’s use of racially charged language, which could make some students feel uncomfortable, he said.

“It was a different time, different era,” Simzer said. “We simply want our students to be engaged and to feel welcome by creating an inclusive environment that’s sensitive of their rich, cultural diversity.”

Though the novel may be inconsistent with the times, it’s not off-limits to teachers, Simzer said, adding that it “would not be following the outcome of the discussion which was agreed to that there should be a variety to choose from” should a teacher decide to teach the book anyway.

How principals have interpreted the change may be causing confusion, said Dave Barrowclough, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation District 13, referring to concerns raised by some teachers about whether the novel could still be taught.

“Some interpreted it as a ban on the book, others interpreted that it shouldn’t be used as a standalone text,” he said. “It’s just about being sensitive about the book, because it is a little controversial, and supplying other books if kids need those.”

Simzer emphasized that the board did not ban the book.

“Anyone who thinks otherwise is either not informed or wants to bend the truth,” he said.

Paul Downes, an associate professor of English at the University of Toronto, lauds the board for encouraging teachers to diversify the range of fiction studied in classrooms.

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“I find that some schools tend to teach a safe, reliable set of texts from many decades ago, including Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, Brave New World, To Kill a Mockingbird,” he said. “My three boys have gone through TDSB at different ages and every one of them has read the same fiction, so the board keeps rehashing the same old stuff again and again.

“They’re great works, classic works of literature, but there’s an enormous amount of great stuff written in the last 30 years that doesn’t get taught enough in the schools.”