Critic Finney: Pull Kids From CSD

From report by Maureen Dolan/Coeur d’Alene Press of the Coeur d’Alene School Board meeting Monday:

Mary Jo Finney, one of four ad hoc committee members who voted to remove the Steinbeck novel from whole group instruction, spoke to the board.  Finney, who has been at the forefront of several book challenges in the Coeur d’Alene School District for a decade, said she believes the committees are just a formality, and the committee members are expected to simply vote based on teachers’ literature requests. “This last invariable message from the media bullies, to me personally, has been very clearly received,” Finney said. “If I vote differently than the teachers and the administrators then my name and my information gets released to the public and I am bullied by the newspapers, television stations, radio stations and national coalition groups. At this point, I have to be cautious answering my phone, opening my front door, and I receive emails from strangers. This is bullying mentality at its highest level. It is shocking that there is such outrage because a person is outspokenly conservative.” She said she was one of six votes, and feels she was targeted. “This meeting and discussion should be about guidelines and selections, not a particular book or a particular committee member,” Finney said. “I have every right to not personally like this book, but I would not be horrified if my 12-year-old read it.” She said she would be horrified if her child was told to read the offensive language out loud at a teacher’s direction in the classroom. Finney said that did happen to one of her own children. “It has been 10 long years that I have worked to get this district to be more accountable to parents with safeguards and standards, but now I would suggest that parents pull their children from 271, or better yet, never put them in.” She said her children haven’t been in district schools for four years, and she is grateful they have been safe from retaliation from teachers because of their mother’s views. More here.

Question: Do you think proponents of the move to down grade Steinbeck’s “Of Mice & Men” for Coeur d’Alene ninth-graders were bullied?