Book debate continues

RATHDRUM — The room was overflowing at the Lakeland Joint School District meeting Wednesday night.

Among the issues drawing the crowd were the reading materials included in the supplemental curriculum and potential changes regarding school resource officers being investigated after budget concerns were flagged.

After repeated headcounts to get the maximum occupancy in the district meeting room, some opted to give up their seats for those planning to issue public comments. Everyone else was moved to an overflow room or pulled blankets out of their vehicles to sit nearby on the grass.

Almost as soon as the meeting began, an executive session was called and board members moved to a different room in the district office.

Last week, during a special meeting of the school board for Lakeland Joint School District, board members and district administration discussed the circumstances leading to the pulling of “The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle” from three sixth-grade ELA classes.

After board members returned from executive session, public comments were addressed.

Librarian Melanie Wirth of Timberlake Middle School addressed board and parent questions about when “The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle” was originally added to the supplemental curriculum. 

Wirth said the book was added to the shelves in Spirit Lake in 2018, the same year the book was published. 

Prior to the meeting, Superintendent Lisa Arnold clarified the new supplemental curriculum process via email

“When we had a significant turnover in the board, they began the arduous task of ensuring that all of our curriculum was board approved (that is one of their duties outlined in Idaho Code). They made the decision to not bring items that had been approved during the tenure of the previous board,” Arnold said.

As a result, many novel sets have not gone through the new approval process, but there are steps for parent concerns about novels that are being used.  

The books are then brought to the supplemental curriculum committee, made up of staff and community members who review the materials and provide input.  

“Dis-Order in the Court,” “Old Yeller,” “Where the Red Fern Grows,” a younger reader version of “Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Adapted for Young Readers),” “The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle” and “The Hunger Games” were among the 12 titles in review.

As expected, “The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle” received many public comments, especially garnering staff responses and a few parent remarks. “Born a Crime” also registered additional comments and inquiries from the board.