Trustees Refuse to Bar Auel Books From List : Moorpark: In stormy session, board’s 4-1 vote keeps ‘The Clan of the Cave Bear’ and other titles available to 11th-grade students.

After an emotionally charged hearing spanning more than five hours, the Moorpark school board early Wednesday rejected an appeal by one of its members to strip “The Clan of the Cave Bear” and other works by popular novelist Jean Auel from a high school reading list.

School board member Tom Baldwin had fought for more than a year to have four Auel novels removed from a recommended 11th-grade reading list because of concerns the books contain graphic sexual content inappropriate for students.

“Just because something finds its way into print and becomes a best seller does not automatically cloak that book under the mantle of literature,” Baldwin said at the meeting. “In the case of these books, a big mistake has been made, and I hope we correct it.”

But his colleagues on the board strongly disagreed, as did the majority of those who attended the Tuesday night meeting at the Moorpark Community Center.

“Our desire to shield children from the knowledge of sex is a doomed cause; our desire to keep them ignorant is futile,” said Virginia Buckle, a Moorpark High English teacher for more than 30 years. “Knowledge will not pervert them.”

In a concession to Baldwin’s concerns, the board agreed to provide parents with a synopsis of every book on the reading list and include an advisory message alerting parents that some of the novels may include adult material.

Even before the meeting, high school English teachers had altered the reading list so that students seeking to read any of Auel’s novels, except for “The Clan of the Cave Bear,” would need to obtain parental and teacher permission.

A vocal contingent of supporters praised Baldwin for his courage in bringing up the matter and risking being tagged a censor.

“Anyone who recommends this type of material to high school students should be ashamed,” parent Patty Daniells said. “What has happened to our public schools?”

Yet critics did not hesitate to call Baldwin a censor. They also accused him of manipulating the public process by personally filing a complaint to bring the issue to the board and then voting on the matter as a board member.

“Mr. Baldwin made his complaint as a private citizen,” Moorpark High School Principal Cary Dritz said. “I know of nowhere in a democratic society that a complainant or an accuser can sit as a judge.”

Dritz’s suggestion that Baldwin abstain from voting was echoed by Supt. Tom Duffy and fellow board members Gary Cabriales and Greg Barker.

“I’m extremely disappointed in him, in his claim that he still has a voice in this process,” Cabriales said. “He’s had his voice, he’s made his claim, and now it’s up to the board to take it from here.”

Baldwin’s complaint had already failed to find favor with separate high school and district advisory committees, with Duffy and with Frank DePasquale, the district’s assistant superintendent for instruction.

For his part, Baldwin said he remained steadfastly opposed to the inclusion of the books on the 182-title list used by students to select materials for book reports and extra credit work. He also said he had no intention of giving up his right to vote on an issue stirred by such strong beliefs.

“I had no intention, by complaining as a parent, to give up my right as a board member to vote on these matters,” Baldwin said. “I have a constituency that voted for me and put me up here to make these decisions.”

The specific targets of Baldwin’s complaint were “The Clan of the Cave Bear,” “The Valley of the Horses,” “The Mammoth Hunters” and “Plains of Passage.”

High school teachers and language arts Chairwoman Peggy Blakelock reminded the board that state educational guidelines advocate use of “The Clan of the Cave Bear” with students as early as ninth grade. Educators also said the books contain valuable insights into prehistoric man, survival skills, and the evolution of language and society.

Those arguments did not sway Baldwin, who maintained that while some authors portray sex discreetly in their work, Auel vividly depicts “every grunt and groan.”

Baldwin caused a brief stir when he announced his intention to read graphic passages from the books aloud for the benefit of those in the room and a live cable television audience.

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Board President Pam Castro strongly cautioned Baldwin against exposing possibly young TV viewers to the material and, after Cabriales and Barker voiced the same concern, Baldwin agreed not to read aloud from Auel’s novel.

“Here we are, arguing whether a book should be on our recommended reading list and yet we’re afraid to let it go out over the air,” Baldwin said.

After the stormy session that included more than 40 parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders squaring off on both sides of the issue, the board voted 4 to 1 to retain them on the reading list.

Also contained in the motion by board member Clint Harper was the provision that the district compile a database synopsizing all titles on the recommended list so that parents can easily review what their children may be reading at school. The list will also warn parents that some selections may contain graphic sex or violence inappropriate for younger readers.

“I think that any time you give parents and students more information, that’s good,” said DePasquale, who was asked to develop the database. “That is what I saw as the strong part of the decision, giving more information.”

Although he could technically appeal the ruling to the Ventura County Board of Education, Baldwin said he would accept the judgment of his own board to end the matter.

“If nothing else, I raised the consciousness of parents to that list,” Baldwin said, “so a lot more parents will be aware of what their children are reading.”