Lawndale OKs Controversial Textbooks

Lawndale School District trustees have unanimously reaffirmed their support for the “Impressions” reading series, despite a review panel’s conclusions that some of the activities are inappropriate for grade-school youngsters and that some of the readings need to be handled with caution.

The board, which adopted the controversial series published by Holt, Reinhart & Winston last year, agreed to convene a panel of teachers, parents and administrators after receiving complaints from some parents and members of a conservative Christian organization that the stories are satanic and immoral and filled with morbid themes.

The 22-member panel reviewed 195 selections from the children’s reader and project book and the teacher’s anthology and resource books, which are used as supplements. It concluded that the books are generally acceptable, but that five selections in the teacher’s books are inappropriate and that 21 selections in all four books need to be handled with sensitivity because of religious or supernatural themes. An activity in which students would pass around a candle and discuss chanting is among the five selections found to be inappropriate.

Three panel members recommended that the books be removed from the district; two recommended that the books be used without any restrictions.

At the end of a hearing July 18, the board voted unanimously to keep the books in the district but ordered that copies of the panel’s reports be made available to teachers.