WPUSD decides to keep controversial book as required reading

Western Placer Unified School District board members decided at Tuesday's school board meeting to keep the controversial book, "The Hate U Give," as a part of the ninth-grade required reading curriculum. "The Hate U Give," was assigned in March at Twelve Bridges High School. It was introduced the year before to Lincoln High School with no known complaints. Since the book's introduction to Twelve Bridges, parents, students and community members have voiced their concerns about whether it should remain. The book was written by Angie Thomas and inspired by the "Black Lives Matter movement," according to her website. Thomas said she wrote the book as a project in college a few years after the death of Oscar Grant. Grant, a 22-year-old African-American man, was killed early New Year's Day 2009 by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police Officer Johannes Mehserle in Oakland. Grant was shot in the head while laying face down. Mehserle was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, instead of what many said should have been murder. The events were captured on video and went viral on social media. Grant's death sparked protests across the U.S. "The Hate U Give" tells the story of a teenage girl, Starr Carter, who "moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends," according to angiethomas.com. "The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, at the hands of a police officer." The book became an immediate young adult New York Times bestseller and was adapted into a movie shortly after it was published. Because of the book's controversy and mixed responses from the Lincoln community, school district Superintendent Kerry Callahan appointed a committee to make the decision about whether "The Hate U Give" should remain as required reading. The committee was comprised of six current English teachers (three from each high school), each high school's principal, two district administrators and two community members, according to Western Placer Unified School District director of personnel services Michael Maul. The committee met four times between March 30 and May 8. Maul gave a brief synopsis presentation Tuesday for how the decision was made. He said the committee was tasked with answering the questions, Does the material support the curriculum? Is the material educationally appropriate? Is the material suitable for the age level? After nearly two months, a decision was made. "The novel will remain a part of the English 9 curriculum but an alternate text or set of texts will be available for selection by students or parents," Maul said. "All students will remain in the same classroom, regardless of the text they have selected." Maul addressed some parents' concerns about the use of profanity. "Although the F word being used 92 times can be disturbing, it's not considered obscene," Maul said. Maul said the decision was "significantly influenced by board policy, especially in connection with diversity, inclusion and diminishing inequities." The decision was also significantly influenced by teacher and professional opinions on the value of the material, what other districts have done, especially nearby districts, and input from parents and students both in favor and against the novel. Maul said detailed information on how the committee came to their decision will be available online soon. In other news Lincoln High School Principal Jennifer Hladun announced that the Class of 2023 Valedictorian is Quest Rhodes. She also announced that the two co-salutatorians are Alysaa Rizzardo and Gabe Northam. Hladun highlighted some of the programs and activities on campus, such as the Lincoln High School Choir, which performed a selection at Tuesday's school board meeting and the STEM program. Hladun also invited program representatives to highlight Advanced Placement, Seal of Biliteracy, athletics and science. The board also heard speeches from "Students' Voices" that detailed their experiences at Lincoln High School. A motion was passed unanimously May 2 to declare May 14 to 20 as Employee Appreciation Week. Western Placer Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Cliff De Mcgraw read the resolution aloud. "Now, therefore be it resolved that the Governing Board of the Western Placer Unified School District hereby recognizes and wishes to honor the contribution of the district's certificated and classified school employees to quality education in the state of California and in the Western Placer Unified School District, and declares the week of May 14 to 20, 2023 as Employee Appreciation Week in the Western Placer Unified School District," De Mcgraw said. He talked about how important school employees are. "The Governing Board of the Western Placer Unified School District has the utmost respect and admiration for its certificated employees and classified employees who have dedicated their lives and their talents to the education of our students, who are truly our most precious and important resource," De Mcgraw said.