Readington school board pulls ‘Perks’ from middle school library
READINGTON – In an issue that has roiled the school district for much of this year , the Board of Education has voted to remove “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” from the middle school library. The board’s Nov. 10 vote came after an hour of public comment in which only two of more than 20 speakers supported removing the book. After each speaker opposing the removal spoke, the audience packed into the Holland Brook School cafeteria broke into loud and sustained applause. The two speakers who favored removing the book were met with silence. The vote was 4-3, with one abstention from Paulo Lopes, who originally objected to the young adult novel and brought his complaint to the board, triggering the review process. Lopes, who lost his bid for reelection Nov. 3, alleged that a scene in the novel describing sexual assault “fails to show accountability or victim support, potentially misleading readers.” Anna Barton, Pamela Cassidy and Elizabeth Fiore voted against removing the book. David Rizza, Justina Ryan, Linda Rad and Ellen DePinto voted in favor of removal. Richard Pieros was absent. Why the Readington school board removed ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ Board members favoring removal said
Readington Township, NJ · 1d
