Trustee Seeks Restraining Order on Book-Ban Group

An Anaheim Union High School District trustee on Thursday sought a restraining order against a parents group that she alleges has harassed her for refusing to ban two novels from English literature classes in local high schools.

An Orange County Superior Court judge refused to grant a temporary restraining order Thursday but did set a May 26 hearing date to hear arguments in the case. The judge will then determine whether there is sufficient evidence to grant a preliminary restraining order.

Trustee R.A. (Molly) McGee, who also teaches at the Crystal Cathedral Academy in Garden Grove, contends that members of a group called Citizens for Better Schools have made threatening phone calls to her at home and at work. She also claims that they have visited Crystal Cathedral trying to soil her reputation and question her morality.

“I’m concerned about the safety of my family,” said McGee, who has been a district trustee for 14 years. “They are making disparaging remarks that could hurt my record. It’s embarrassing professionally and personally to have this occur.”

Treva Brown, an Anaheim resident who is president of the group and the main defendant in the case, denies that she or other members of her group have harassed McGee.

She does admit that she and other group members have complained about McGee to Crystal Cathedral officials, both in person and by phone. But she denies calling McGee at home.

“I don’t think it’s harassment,” Brown said. McGee’s employers “have a right to know what type of material she thinks is suitable for our children.”

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The books that Brown’s group wants taken off high school students’ reading lists are “Ordinary People” and “The Great Santini.” Brown maintains that the books contain “pornographic” and sexual references and should not be required reading at school.

The Anaheim Union High School District Board of Trustees disagreed, voting 4 to 1 last September not to ban the two books from classrooms. The books had previously been approved for student use by the district’s citizen review board.

After that vote, Brown and her supporters targeted McGee and three other board members for recall. But they failed to gather enough signatures to force a recall election.

Citizens for Better Schools’ members continued to protest the acceptance of the novels and have demonstrated at board meetings. There have been no allegations of harassment from any of the other three board members who voted with McGee on the issue.

McGee said she was followed to her car after one board meeting by a member of Brown’s group and told that she was immoral and “was going to hell” for allowing the novels in the district, and she says group members have made similar comments to her employers at the church.

On May 3, McGee alleges, group member Carol McCabe, who is also listed as a defendant in the case, called Crystal Cathedral and asked to talk to teachers, the principal or the Rev. Robert H. Schuller “about Molly McGee and what kind of teacher she is and giving dirty books to children.” McCabe could not be reached for comment on the claim.

McGee said she also believes that Brown’s group is behind frequent phone calls to her residence--29 in the first four days of this month--in which the callers simply hang up without saying anything.

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A hearing was held Thursday in Superior Court in Orange on McGee’s request for the restraining order, which would block members of Brown’s group from harassing McGee, following her, telephoning her at home or at work, or coming within 100 yards of her.

Attorney John E. Brown, who represents McGee and is no relation to Treva Brown, said he was “disappointed” that Judge Gale P. Hickman decided to set another hearing date instead of issuing an immediate temporary restraining order.

“Our view is there has been harassing conduct,” he said. “It is unfortunate that a person who is a public official can have her civil rights trampled by disgruntled, self-appointed censors.”