 ATHLETIC SHORTS -- challenged in Texas, Jan. 2003 Tim Eaton, the Caller-Times Copyright © 2003 All rights reserved. Adult Published Read an Excerpt Behold, a censor's logic: "We do censor books as we do not have Playboy in the shelves and the novels by some authors. We prefer to call it monitoring," Hallowell said. "If you do keep this book based on First Amendment rights, then you cannot discipline students for foul language, hair color, clothing, et cetera, as that is infringing on their rights to free speech." Excerpt ATHLETIC SHORTS CHALLENGED IN TEXAS G-P school board votes to keep hotly argued book Members say that its value outweighs objections By Tim Eaton Caller-Times January 14, 2003 A parent's effort to remove a book from the library of Gregory-Portland Junior High School failed Monday when the school board voted to keep the book that contains profanity and references to gay sex and racism. With her husband at her side, Laura Hallowell tried to convince the trustees of the Gregory-Portland Independent School District to pull "Athletic Shorts: Six Stories" by Chris Crutcher because of its contents. She said the book was inappropriate for children in junior high school. She objected to passages that used racist terms for black people and other passages that discussed sex. She quoted specific parts of the book that mentioned sex acts and graphically described human anatomy. "We do censor books as we do not have Playboy in the shelves and the novels by some authors. We prefer to call it monitoring," Hallowell said. "If you do keep this book based on First Amendment rights, then you cannot discipline students for foul language, hair color, clothing, et cetera, as that is infringing on their rights to free speech." The board disagreed. In a 3-2 vote, the board members followed the recommendation of the administration to keep the book. Board members Wesley Hoskins and Gary Heatherly were absent. Earlier, Hoskins wrote to the board and removed himself from the issue because of a conflict of interest. Superintendent Paul Clore explained that Hoskins' wife is an English teacher in the district and served on a committee to consider the book's fate in Gregory-Portland. Board members Eric Burnett and Steven Carter opposed the book for many of the same reasons that Hallowell outlined. Carter also protested the book for its use of the God's name in vain. "It is our responsibility to censor what is indecent," Carter said. Burnett said his opinion echoed Carter's. "We are all disappointed with the moral decay in our society," Burnett said. "This contributes to that." Burnett added that he would forbid his high school-aged daughter from reading Crutcher's book. But the majority of the board saw more value in the book than harm. Trustee Becky Macha joined Board President Rey Rojas and Trustee Charlie Torres in favor of the book. They said that discussions about AIDS and racism are important lessons for young readers to learn. "I don't agree with the author's choice of words, but I think overall, the message is important," Macha said. "Books are a safe, non-threatening way to discuss controversial issues." Torres said he has been affected by racism like some of the characters in the book. "It's real life," he said. "Kids need to learn that ugliness is out there." Rojas also said he has felt the sting of racism, and the book does a good job describing it. For that reason, he said he wants students to be able to read Crutcher's accounts. "Unless you have felt hatred and bigotry, it's hard to understand these stories," Rojas said. Email reporter Tim Eaton at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it |
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