N C A C

Kids Right to Read Project

A project of the National Coalition Against Censorship

CO-SPONSORED BY

American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression Association of American Publishers Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

School Board Members Billings Public Schools Lincoln Center 415 North 30th Street Billings, MT 59101 November 11, 2013

Dear School Board Members, We are writing in regards to the challenge to Sherman Alexies Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian in Billings Public Schools. We understand that a parent in the district objects to language and sexual content in the book. We urge you to stand by district educators and retain use of this book in 10th grade classrooms. Absolutely True Diary is a largely autobiographical account of the authors upbringing on a reservation in Spokane, WA. The book is beloved by teens and adults alike for its uplifting story of triumph by a boy with few advantages as well as its honest, fresh voice. It is selected by teachers across the country for its appeal to reluctant readers and because it serves to introduce vital issues such as the struggles of young adulthood, the search for personal identity, bullying and poverty. Arguing that Absolutely True Diary does nothing but reinforce negative stereotypes of Native Americans, is akin to arguing that Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird only reinforce negative stereotypes of African-Americans or the American South. Such remarks belie a fundamental misunderstanding of the opportunities for empathy, identification and comprehension such narratives offer. No educational rationale has been advanced for removing the book, nor could one be plausibly made. The literary value of this novel is widely recognized and it has won numerous awards including the National Book Award for Young Peoples Literature in 2007, the 2008 Book Sense Book of the Year Childrens Literature Honor Book, the 2008 Pacific Northwest Book Award, and the 2008 American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award, among many others. In its vote, the Skyview High School reconsideration committee unanimously held that the book was a valuable pedagogical tool, stating: This is a contemporary coming of age novel for young adults, which demonstrates the characters struggles with many issues that are still relevant today. In our experience with school curricula, we have found that there are few instructional materials that do not include something that is offensive to someone. Further, it would be wrong to assume that the disturbing scenes, profane language, negative events, etc., portrayed in a work are endorsed by the author, the teacher, or the school. In fact, classroom study provides a fertile ground for students to interpret surface aspects of literature and to exercise critical thinking as they discuss the characters and issues in a work.

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Curricular choices are uniquely within the discretion of local school authorities so long as they are based on legitimate educational grounds. Brown v. Hot, Sexy and Safer Productions, Inc. 68 F.3d 525, 534 (1st Cir. 1995), cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1159 (1996). Thus, courts have held that a parent has no right to tell a public school what his or her child will and will not be taught, Leebaert v. Harrington, 332 F.3d 134, 141 (2d Cir. 2003), or to direct how a public school teaches their child. Blau v. Fort Thomas Public School District, et al, 401 F.3d 381, 395 (6th Cir. 2005). See also Parker v. Hurley, 514 F. 3d 87, 102 (1st Cir., 2008). Any other rule would put schools in the untenable position of having to cater a curriculum for each student whose parents had genuine moral disagreements with the schools choice of subject matter. Brown v. Hot, Sexy and Safer Productions, Inc., 68 F.3d 525, 534 (1st Cir. 1995), cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1159 (1996). See also Swanson v. Guthrie Indep. School Dist., 135 F.3d 694, 699 (10th Cir. 1998); Littlefield v. Forney Indep. School, 268 F.3d 275, 291 (5th Cir. 2001) While parents are free to request an alternative assignment for their children, they have no right to impose their views on others or to demand that otherwise educationally worthy materials be removed, merely because they consider them objectionable, offensive, or inappropriate. School officials therefore cannot remove a book because some object without potentially violating the constitutional rights of other students and parents. We strongly urge you to keep Absolutely True Diary in Billings classrooms. While one may sympathize with the parents concerns, the school has a duty to base its decisions on sound educational grounds and constitutional considerations. The students deserve no less. Sincerely,

Joan Bertin Executive Director National Coalition Against Censorship

Chris Finan President American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression

Charles Brownstein Executive Director Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Judy Platt Director, Free Expression Advocacy Association of American Publishers

Kent Williamson Executive Director National Council of Teachers of English

Lin Oliver Executive Director Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators

Larry Siems Director, Freedom to Write and International Programs PEN American Center

CC: Terry Nelsen Bouck, Superintendent Debra Black, Principal, Skyview High School Kim Anthony, Director of Curriculum