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Parents, students urge alternative-text option after concerns about assigned ninth-grade novels
Summary
Several members of the public spoke during the Oct. 14 public-comment period to object to classroom assignment of The Hate U Give for ninth graders and to request an upfront alternative-text process for parents; the committee listened and did not respond during the public comment period.
Three public commenters addressed the school committee Oct. 14 to express concern about assigned ninth-grade novels and to request clearer, upfront notice and an alternative-text process for parents.
Philip Jenkins, a Portsmouth resident and parent, said he does not want his ninth grader to read Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give and described difficulty obtaining an alternative without multiple meetings and emails. "Parents should be told at the beginning of the year that alternative text exists," he said, and requested that alternatives be offered up front rather than requiring parents to pursue individual exceptions.
A student, Abigail Jenkins, told the committee the alternative book she had been offered, The Bean Trees, includes sexual metaphors and content she considered inappropriate for 13- and 14-year-old students. She read passages she described as objectionable and urged the district to choose alternatives that are less politically charged and more age-appropriate.
Another parent, Kayla Andreen, said she supports parental choice and asked that the district avoid assigning material that she felt further exposed students to content they already encounter outside school. She described school as a setting that should remain a neutral, safe place for learning and asked that the school provide a welcoming list of approved alternatives for families.
The committee did not engage in discussion during public comment. The chair read the committee's public-comment policy, noting the committee will listen but, when public comment is not an agenda item, will not respond during that portion of the meeting; follow-up would come from the superintendent or her designee if appropriate.
