Several spoke out against the book's potential removal prior to the vote, and many of the same speakers returned to the podium after the decision to voice their displeasure. The board's vote, while applauded by a group of audience members, drew outrage from the majority of the public. "Fourteen (years old) for one child may be very different than 14 for another child, and I think that we have to be really careful." The public reacts "Maturation level is so variable between students," she said. McMichael, in response, said she read the entire novel and felt it would be more appropriate for high school students than middle-schoolers. A second motion, to move the book to the high school, passed by the same margin thanks to the votes of President Kurt Morris, Vice President Leigh McMichael, Walter Knapp, LeeAnne Pitzer and Christina Keiling.Īn audience member displays a sign that reads "Ban the Fascists, Save the Books" in protest of the Sparta Board of Education's decision to move a novel from the middle school to the high school library during a board meeting at the Mohawk Avenue School Thursday, Feb. The board initially voted on whether to accept the committee's recommendation, but the motion failed 5-2 with only Wendy Selander and Vanessa Serrano voting yes. Prior to the vote, Sparta assistant superintendent Tara Rossi reminded the board that, per district policy, "no challenged material may be removed solely because it presents ideas that may be unpopular or offensive to some." The decision ran counter to the opinion of a district review committee, which recommended the novel remain in the middle school with an "8" on the binder denoting it as a book for eighth-graders. The board's 5-2 vote at Thursday's meeting - members Lauren Collier and Craig Palleschi were absent - moved all copies of the 2017 book " The Upside of Unrequited" to the high school library effective Friday. SPARTA - The Sparta Board of Education voted to remove a young adult novel from the middle school library following a parent complaint, a controversial move that has many concerned about censorship and book banning in the district.
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