Board Accepts Controversial Book Donation

Rejected by the Conejo Valley Unified School District more than two months ago, several copies of a book written by former Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes have made their way to a Camarillo school.

The county Board of Education’s conservative majority--Marty Bates, Angela Miller and Ron Matthews--voted Monday to accept three copies of “Our Character, Our Future” for the Gateway Community School library. In the book, the conservative former radio host delves into weighty topics, such as character, morality, abortion and homosexuality.

“This [book] shows what happened in our country as far as the moral depravity and it shows a plan to bring this country back to the greatness we lost,” Matthews said in an interview. “It’s just a very good treatise.”

Donated by Elaine McKearn, a conservative member on the Conejo Valley school board--the book caused a stir in February when copies were first given to principals of several Conejo Valley elementary schools along with a flier advertising an upcoming Keyes speech to benefit his conservative foundation.

The district rejected the books, saying McKearn violated rules that require scrutiny of gifts and fliers as well as screening whether the material was age-appropriate for students.

In addition, her opponents on the board also questioned whether McKearn was trying to push her conservative political agenda on the district’s children.

With her donation turned down at one school district, McKearn then offered the books to the county Board of Education. Trustees Al Rosen and Janet Lindgren requested more time to read and review the book, but the board majority rejected that request by voting Monday to accept the books.

“I had never seen the book and I feel the county should have a certain criteria for accepting the materials,” Lindgren said.

Copies of the book will be available for students at Gateway in Camarillo, a continuation school for teens operated by the county school board. It has satellite campuses in Fillmore, Moorpark and Ventura.

The writings of Keyes, who espouses ardent anti-abortion, anti-homosexual positions that make some moderate Republicans squeamish, have some officials cautioning students to use critical thought when reading the book.

“This is a book with a very strong agenda, with a very strong right-wing agenda,” said Theodora Davitt-Cornyn, a Unitarian Church member who has studied most of Keyes’ book. “It’s just a pretty unhealthy little book, and I’m concerned about the agenda being narrow.”