Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Emmaus High School Principal Dave Piperato tells East Penn School Board members that he and the parent who challenged two books on the Emmaus High School summer reading have reached an agreement.
Emmaus High School Principal David Piperato told the East Penn Board of School Directors last night that a verdict has been reached regarding two books from the EHS summer reading list some parents considered to be potentially “pornographic” in nature. The summer reading program at Emmaus High School entered the limelight in September when two parents came before the school board to voice their concerns about the graphic sexual and drug-related content of two books on the list -- Tom Wolfe’s “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” which was on the 10th grade list, and “Prep,” a 9th-grade selection written by Curtis Sittenfeld. A subsequent written challenge to both books under District Policy 109 by a third parent touched off a formal district …
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Trying to remove “Prep” and “Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” from Emmaus High School’s summer reading list is a sure-fire way to improve their readership.
If I ever write a book, my first promotional act will be to ask some group to ban it. Publicly. Preferably at a well-attended school board meeting. It would be icing on the cake if it also chose to burn copies in the town square – I’d give it a discount price on the hard cover. Few things get people more excited about a book than someone trying to stop them from reading it. “Satanic Verses” by Salman Rushdie would likely have wound up in the remainder bins of bookstores had not Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa on Rushdie for writing a novel that some claimed was blasphemous to Islam. Yes, Rushdie had to go into hiding under constant threat of death but his book remains stocked, read and discussed, and I bet his royalties are pretty…
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Formal challenges were filed against 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test' in 2007 and 'Prep' in 2011 using established East Penn School District policy.
The current controversy surrounding two books on the Emmaus High School summer reading lists is not a first for the East Penn School District. Some board members expected to vote Sept. 24 on a motion to eliminate Tom Wolfe’s “Acid Test,” which is on the 10th grade summer reading list, and “Prep,” a 9th-grade selection written by Curtis Sittenfeld, as summer reading options. However, Board President Charles Ballard dismissed the motion for procedural reasons without giving the board a chance to discuss it. The main thrust of Ballard’s dismissal came from the fact that the books were not challenged under a formal district procedure known as Policy 109. Until that happened, he said, the board, in Ballard’s view, should not make any …
40.537169
-75.506229
East Penn School District Administrative Offices
800 Pine St, Emmaus, PA
/articles/prep-acid-test-challenged-in-east-penn-before
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Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Recent book challenges in East Penn School District will help maintain the Lehigh Valley's place on the national Challenged and Banned Books list for 2012-2013.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
East Penn Board of School Directors will delay a decision on removing the books 'Prep' and 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test' from the Emmaus High School Suggested Summer Reading List until the works are properly evaluated.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include a paragraph on East Penn School Board President Charles Ballard's reasons for dismissing the motion before the school board last night. The original version did not provide that information. This will not be the last the East Penn Board of School Directors hears of controversial Emmaus High School suggested summer reading selections “Prep” and “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.” The board was expected to vote last night on a motion to eliminate Tom Wolfe’s “Acid Test,” which is on the 10th grade summer reading list, and “Prep,” a 9th-grade selection written by Curtis Sittenfeld, as summer reading options. However, Board President Charles Ballard dismissed the motion for procedural …
40.537169
-75.506229
East Penn School District Administrative Offices
800 Pine St, Emmaus, PA
/articles/prep-acid-test-could-still-get-the-axe-in-east-penn
1760508
/locations/7913013
Two Emmaus High School students list their reasons the East Penn School Board should keep 'Prep' and 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test' on the suggested summer reading list.
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Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Special to Emmaus Patch By Chrissy Cilento, Emmaus High School Senior Out of all the evening plans I’ve heard my classmates talk about at school, one of the most unexpected had to be yesterday in English when two girls chattered excitedly about going to the school board meeting that night. Speaking from personal experience, unless something is really, really interesting, students don’t ever go to school board meetings. So why is it that all of a sudden when the words “Prep” and “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” are mentioned there’s a sudden influx of Emmaus High School students attending these meetings? Well, from what I see in school and hear in the hallways, kids are genuinely passionate about this situation. Just from talking to a …
careless fills
10:15 am on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Optimist is correct - it is not a recommended reading list - instead, it is actually a required reading list! A student MUST read two of the selections from the list. If it was a recommended reading list, students could read other books for assignment credit, but that doesn't seemt to be the choice here - they must pick books from this list. Fortunately, the problem is resolved. Good night! more ›