Parent: Homework assignment crosses the line Parent: Homework assignment crosses the line

Central Middle School, on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010. A homework assignment including racy materials has some parents upset. Central Middle School, on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010. A homework assignment including racy materials has some parents upset. Photo: Helen Neafsey Photo: Helen Neafsey Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Parent: Homework assignment crosses the line 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Greenwich's top educator is defending the use of a handout sheet of literary passages containing racial, ethnic and gender slurs that was part of a homework assignment on free speech and censorship in the middle schools.

An "appetizer" to a project coinciding with the American Library Association's Banned Books Week, which took place in early October and celebrated the First Amendment, the handout was intended to get students to think about why certain literary classics are considered taboo, said Sidney Freund, the superintendent of schools.

Among the works quoted in the controversial hand-out, which did not say which books the racy passages came from but appeared to list their page numbers, were "The Pearl," "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Sounder."

"They're all books that are in our library that any child can read," Freund told Greenwich Time. "The quotes are being read by kids out of context on purpose. What we try to do always in school is we present things with opposing viewpoints."

The father of an 11-year-old Central Middle School accelerated learning program student who received the hand-out believes that educators crossed the line with the assignment, however.

"I feel as a parent of a seventh-grader that words that start with the letter `F' and are four letters in duration and that words that start with letter `N' and are six letters in duration are inappropriate," Gary Cella said. "Like many parents, I said, `Let's go over your homework.' When I saw this, I literally stopped in my tracks and did the classic double-take. It's not something you expect from any school."

A recurring theme among the passages, which also contain a series of expletives, is slavery and racism.

" `There are two things I can smell a mile,' the first man said in a loud voice. `One's a ham cookin' and the other's a thievin' n------,' " read one of the passages lifted from "Sounder," a William H. Armstrongnovel about the struggles of a black sharecropper family.

Freund said the hand-out was part of a broader project in which the students were expected to read from one of the works on the ALA's banned book list and do a persuasive essay or PowerPoint presentation on the subject of censorship.

Never before has the school district received any complaints about the exercise, according to Freund, who said it has been part of the accelerated learning curriculum for a number of years. Freund did open the door to changes in light of the controversy, however.

"My caution would be in the future, if we're doing this and prior to doing it, is a letter to parents letting them know what we're doing and explaining the lessons since there was some obvious concern related to this," Freund said. "Some tempering of the quotes could be made, and we would not lose the essence of the message that we're trying to deliver to the kids about censorship. But overall, the lesson in the unit is a good one."

One of the controversial passages included in the hand-out came from "House Divided," part of collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury.

It read: "Small fifteen-year-old fingers plucked at the buttons' on Chris' trousers like a moth drawn to an open flame."

Cella said he was so incensed by the racy content of the material that he called Freund's office and was referred to Shelley Somers, the Central Middle School principal.

"My goodness, they grow up so fast to begin with. Do you have to expose them to these words?" Cella said. "I spoke to some parents in the PTA, and they were really taken aback by it."

Messages seeking comment from Somers and from Anthony Mangano, the teacher who gave the assignment to Cella's daughter, were left Tuesday at the school.

Sam Romeo, a child safety advocate, community leader and WGCH radio host, complained to school administrators about the assignment after hearing from parents.

"Where is the sensitivity?" Romeo said, adding that people in the television and radio industry have lost jobs for using similar words.

Just because the books are available in the library, Romeo said that doesn't justify lifting such inflammatory passages from them.

"Can they also get a copy of Playboy and Penthouse magazine under free speech?" Romeo said.

A message seeking comment from Steve Anderson, the school board chairman, was left at his home.

School board member Peter Sherr confirmed that the issue is on the radar of educators but said he didn't want to pass judgment until he received a full explanation of the assignment.

"I've become aware of the situation," Sherr said. "I don't know all the facts yet. I believe the administration is addressing it. I'm looking forward to hearing all of the details."

Freund said he didn't know how many students received the hand-out and whether the assignment was limited to seventh-graders.

The same subject matter was likely taught at Eastern and Western Middle schools, according to Freund, who said an argument could be made that abbreviating some of the slurs and expletives in the hand-out could be seen as window-dressing.

"I doubt there will be a kid who doesn't know what the word is," Freund said. "Again, they're going to read it in a book."

Cella argued that educators are sending a mixed message, however.

"When your teacher is using the `F' word and the `N' word, it kind of OKs their usage outside that particular assignment," Cella said. "You can't have it both ways."

Staff writer Neil Vigdor can be reached at neil.vigdor@scni.com or at 203-625-4436.