GILROY
– School district trustees approved Gilroy High School’s
literature reading list Thursday night, but not without an
extensive review that resulted in a rare non-unanimous vote by the
board.
GILROY – School district trustees approved Gilroy High School’s literature reading list Thursday night, but not without an extensive review that resulted in a rare non-unanimous vote by the board.
Trustee Tom Bundros was the sole dissenter after fellow board members did not support his idea to move the controversial slavery novel “Beloved” from the required reading list to a list of optional texts.
“You have kids that are uncomfortable, parents that are uncomfortable and a teacher that is uncomfortable (with the content of ‘Beloved’),” Bundros said. “We could fix this real easy by putting the book on the supplemental list.”
English Department head for 2003-04 Peter Gray defended the book’s spot on the core reading list for English III classes.
Gray said the book’s author, Toni Morrison, is on the College Board’s list of authors whose books may be referenced on Advanced Placement exams. By not keeping “Beloved” on the core reading list, students taking the AP exam could be at a disadvantage.
“While I cannot guarantee there will be material (on the AP exam) related to that novel, I’d say it’s more than likely that exposure to that novel would give them a better preparation for the exam,” Gray said.
Last school year, parents sought to remove “Beloved” from the high school’s reading list. The novel is based on a slave mother who killed one of her children to save them from a life of slavery. It contains graphic scenes describing rape and bestiality.
Due to the sensitive material of some novels, the school board last year created a parental advisory policy. At the beginning of each school year, all parents receive the list of books their student will read. Parents can review the books and have the option to choose from a list of alternative texts for their child to read.
Since last year’s controversy, an undercurrent of criticism has emerged over the reading list’s rigor. Bundros on Thursday presented research indicating a need for more classic literature on the reading list.
Using data from the College Board Web site, Bundros showed that out of 19 “classic cultural and historical texts,” GHS has none of them on its required reading list. In non-honors and non-AP courses, only 24 of the so-called “101 Great Books” are required reading at GHS.
Bundros also contacted 10 of the top 20 high schools in California based on the state’s Academic Performance Index. None of the 10 had “Beloved” on their reading list, Bundros said.
The English Department will review its required reading list over the summer to consider placing more classic literature texts on its required reading list in the future, Gray said. The current list was developed over the last 12 years with the intent of being “diversified” and reflecting work from authors with “a variety of backgrounds,” the school explained in background material to the board.
Any change in the reading list, however, will come with a price. Hundreds of books must be ordered for classrooms when new material is added to the curriculum.
