Amanda Claire Curcio

Democrat staff writer

A principal's ad-hoc decision to pull a summer reading assignment after a handful of parents slammed the book's content and language is calling into question Leon County Schools' censorship bylaws.

The book – an award-winning and critically acclaimed 2003 British novel, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," by Mark Haddon – is narrated by a 15-year-old mathematical whiz with cognitive disabilities, similar to autism and Asperger's Syndrome, who relays what he sees and hears in an almost emotionless way, including when adults around him curse or doubt the existence of God.

Critics of the decision say that dropping the assignment without going through a committee review process violates district bylaws and sets a troubling precedent.

"This case is very startling. A handful of parents are making choices for every other parent in that school," said Sarah Hoffman, a National Coalition Against Censorship program manager. "There is a reason policies are in place – to protect educators and the decisions they make.

"This seems like a knee-jerk reaction," she added.

According to LCS bylaws, when someone has an issue regarding instructional materials, including library books, a complaint is to be filed formally. Administrators and principals determine the validity of the complaint, and if they find that the allegations are warranted, the material goes to a committee that evaluates its "pedagogical and educational merits as a whole," Hoffman said.

After receiving "concerns over the delivery of the text" through emails and telephone calls, Lincoln High School Principal Allen Burch said he wanted to "give the opportunity for the parents to parent" and canceled the assignment. Students who already did the work could receive extra credit.

While the move was made to accommodate offended parents, others are displeased with the decision.

"I was stunned," said Valerie Mindlin, whose children went to Lincoln. "I feel like it is second-guessing teachers. I never thought that the school would participate in an act of censorship.

"At what point do you let parents decide the curriculum for an entire school?" she asked.

In "Curious Incident," which can be read online at the Internet Archive, the f-word is written 28 times, the s-word 18 times, and the c-word makes one appearance – in Britain that word is less charged than it is in the U.S. A few characters also express atheistic beliefs, taking God's name in vain on nine occasions.

The foul language and the religious skepticism alarmed Sue Gee, former teacher and a mother of an incoming Lincoln eleventh-grader, who emailed Burch on July 20.

"I am not interested in having books banned," Gee said. "But to have that language and to take the name of Christ in vain – I don't go for that. As a Christian, and as a female, I was offended. Kids don't have to be reading that type of thing and that's why I was asking for an alternative assignment.

"I know it's not realistic to pretend bad words don't exist, but it is my responsibility as a parent to make sure that my daughter knows what is right or wrong," she added.

When asked about the dropped reading, Assistant Superintendent Scotty Crowe said the summer assignment was not part of the syllabus and can bypass review channels.

"We take censorship very seriously," Crowe said, after affirming that LCS officials were not a part of the decision. "But it wasn't a part of the true curriculum. We use summer reading as a way to keep kids engaged over the summer. The book will remain on the media center shelves and is not being banned."

"Curious Incident" was assigned to all Lincoln High School students during the summer break. Students were expected to complete projects, tiered by grade-level, based on the book. The novel was to be discussed during the school year, and the assignments, which were posted on the school's website until Friday, were due after school began.

Burch was not the only one contacted by a concerned parent. In her email, Gee copied School Board member Alva Striplin, who is now recommending the removal of "Curious Incident" from the district's approved reading list.

"We are simply listening to parents' concerns," Striplin said. "We've got a million books to choose from and this one should not be on the district approval list."

"Curious Incident" has been banned before.

Lake Fenton Middle School in Michigan pulled it from its approved reading list in 2010, according to the Michigan Live Media Group. The American Library Association also reported that the Wilson County School Board in Tennessee, near the buckle of the Bible Belt, banned it last year as well. That decision was overturned less than a week later because review procedures were not followed.

Despite the two reported challenges, schools have welcomed the book more often than not.

Many Florida schools – in Bay, Broward, Collier, Duval, Highlands, Lake, Manatee, Marion, Miami-Dade, Orange, Pinellas, Okaloosa, Osceola and Seminole counties, for instance – "Curious Incident" has already been assigned. In Leon County, FAMU Developmental Research and Mclay schools also assigned the novel.

While the book has already been dropped, parents and students can still advocate for censorship policies to be followed, Hoffman said. She suggests petitioning the School Board or voicing concerns in writing.

"People have a right to their opinion," she said. "But they should also be very concerned that this happened without reviewing it properly beforehand."