Books' content provokes Higley Unified protest

May 22—The content of some coming-of-age book titles for an independent reading assignment recently raised a stink at Higley Unified School District.

Bob Parrish aired his concerns publicly before the Governing Board May 8. Of the five books in question, he singled out one in particular for its "extremely sexually explicit" content — "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult.

"Studies have found discussing and reading this content can normalize these deviant behaviors," said Parrish, who read aloud one of the objectionable passages from the book. "Introducing this into our schools only exacerbates the moral decline of our youth.

"Schools should focus on the basics and keep the content appropriate."

"Nineteen Minutes," which reportedly has been banned by some 43 school districts, is about a teen who after years of bullying commits a mass school shooting.

Parrish, a retired commander from the Maricopa County's Sheriff's Office, and his wife are raising their 17-year-old granddaughter, who is a junior at Williams Field High School.

She came home one day with a permission slip from her English class for the book titles, which also included "Paper Towns" by John Green; "The Perks of being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky; "It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini and "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas.

These four books also have been banned by some school districts: "Paper Towns" for its use of language and mention of a sex act; The "Perks of Being a Wallflower" for its topics that include drug use, teenage sex, sexual abuse and abortion; "It's Kind of a Funny Story" for its content involving teen depression and suicide and "The Hate U Give" for its depictions of racism and anti-police views.

"The assignment required a parent signature but had no content warning for any of the novels," Parrish said, adding that there were no alternative novels offered.

He said he and his wife became suspicious because they've never had to sign a permission slip for their children to read a book. The two then sleuthed out each title and were shocked with their findings.

According to Parrish, his wife met with the English teacher to raise objection to the reading material and she later went and purchased two alternative novels for her granddaughter to read instead.

Parrish then met with the school principal, who he said was unaware of the reading assignment.

"I had him read an excerpt from Nineteen Minutes," Parrish said later, adding that he told the principal "it's inappropriate for you guys to be teaching this in school and I'm holding you responsible."

Two days later the principal called and said that after speaking with "multiple teachers and a director...he felt there was too much good material" in the books and refused to pull them, Parrish said.

"He said the assignment supported a strong reading habit but said nothing about the nasty stuff like what you find in Playboy magazine," Parrish said.

According to Parrish, the principal also noted that it was an independent reading assignment and that students had a choice.

"To read one of the five books is not a choice," said Parrish, who also contacted his state senator and representatives about the issue.

Parrish demanded the district revised the permission slips to include more information about the reading material in order for parents to make an informed decision.

Parrish also claimed that the teaching was in violation of House Bill 2495, which was signed into law in 2022. The law prohibits a public school from "referring students to or using any sexually explicit material in any manner."

"The book referenced during public comment was not required reading material for 11th grade English students," district spokeswoman

Jessica Bautista said in an email. "It was presented as one of several options for an assignment, which required parent permission.

"No teachers required the books. What was required was that the students complete an independent reading project. The books were not required but were suggested for an independent reading project. All students had the opportunity to select another novel that was different from those suggested. Parent permission was required for all books, suggested or not."

The district said that in the 11th grade English Language Arts course, emphasis is placed on reading diverse texts at a more critical level.

That said, the district is considering revising the permission slips to include more details for parents, according to Bautista.

"The district is reviewing policies and procedures associated with independent reading projects and novels," she said, adding that "Nine Minutes" will not be recommended moving forward.

Parrish said he was happy that the book was pulled and added that the district needed to better train teachers that these sorts of books lead to "normalization."

"The more they teach about that stuff, they think it's OK," he said.

Six other people at the meeting also took the district to task for the books.

"This assignment featured books that contain sexually explicit material," said Tamara Farah, director of Smart Families Network.

According to Farah, under state law "parents are to be granted the opportunity to evaluate whether that content possesses serious educational or literary value for minors."

"Parental notification and consent were required regarding these books but the school only provided the title and a description that did not include the pornographic content in the permission slip that went home to parents," Farah said. "There is no respectable justification for a teacher to present books like this to minors for a reading assignment.

"These books will stir up students sexually instead of awakening the mind intellectually."

She cited a study that she said indicated that "early intentional exposure to pornography use in children and adolescence can lead to delinquent behavior, high-risk sexual behavior and substance abuse."

"Is that what we want for kids?" Farah said. "Shouldn't students' minds remain healthy so they can focus on their future aspirations and proficiencies needed to succeed in their careers?"

She urged the board to remove the books from the classroom.

Callie Koons, a registered nurse, said she recently considered switching her children from charter school to an HUSD campus but news about the books made her reconsider.

"I want to send my kids to the public school but these actions leave us with no other choice than to pull our kids out and send them to charter schools or home schools," Koons said. "Home schooling is becoming so much more popular not because these parents necessarily want to. They don't trust the school systems and they don't feel like they have any other options."

Koons said that the "last place a child should feel over-sexualized or aroused" is in a classroom.

"Why are we letting books that talk about unhealthy teenage sex lives and classifying it as literature into our English classrooms?" she asked. "There is a time and place for children to learn about sex and it isn't from a book about school shootings."

Koons also referenced studies that showed the detrimental effect on children younger than 18 exposed to "pornography."

"Research indicates that adolescents who consume pornography may begin to see it as a realistic representation of sexual relationships, which can lead to unrealistic expectations and a distorted sense of what constitutes normal," she said. "There is evidence that repeated exposure to pornography can have addictive properties for some individuals. This can lead to issues such as increased anxiety depression self-esteem for example."

Coons said parents should be able to send their children to school knowing that the district has their best interest at heart and that the material they are being encouraged to read and study are uplifting and thought-provoking.

Donovan Hansen called for the teacher to be fired and the principal reprimanded for allowing the books.

"I pay taxes for the Higley School District," he said. "We have three children who reside in the Higley School District.

"They will never attend a Higley school unless and until we can rely on administrators to protect children from pornographic material in school. We've removed them and applied their ESA funds elsewhere for this reason."

The state's Empowerment Scholarship Accounts gives families up to $7,000 per student to attend a charter, private or home school.

"Higley schools should have a policy preventing students from being given pornographic material," Hansen said.