Hempfield Area’s proposed college lit class sparks debate over appropriate material

After months of debate over the availability of library books, some curriculum books are on the hot seat at Hempfield Area High School.

During last week’s school board meeting, several parents voiced concerns over books intended to be included in a proposed college literature course for seniors.

The directors approved the course on the condition that, when finalized, proposed course materials also are approved by the board.

As the course proposal stands, the following books would be read by students: “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “The Kite Runner,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” “Hamlet,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Hate U Give,” “Secret Life of Bees,” “Handmaid’s Tale” and “Eleanor and Park.”

In previous years, the board had approved all of the proposed texts except “Slaughterhouse-Five.”

Parents who opposed some of these books expressed concerns over sexual content in them. “Slaughterhouse-Five” includes references to sex and bestiality; “Perks of Being a Wallflower” includes themes of sexuality and sexual assault; and “Handmaid’s Tale” includes themes of sexuality and prostitution.

District parent Tracy Miller said she agrees Hempfield should offer a college literature course but only if the course materials are appropriate.

“Find books that don’t have this kind of content in them,” Miller said. “Find appropriate books that teach our kids and educate our kids instead of putting sex in their hands.”

Director Mike Alfery specified he does not believe district texts should include “sexuality, nudity and pornography.”

“We need to stop the B.S. and determine what we want in and what we want out,” he said.

The optional course is designed to equip seniors to read various genres at a university level. In an email, Superintendent Tammy Wolicki said the proposed texts “reflect real-world scenarios and ideas they may encounter.”

“The texts chosen deal with difficult, complex and sometimes harsh ideas, but all are used to discuss redemption and recovery,” Wolicki wrote via email. “There is hope and perseverance in each one, which is what we will evaluate. In life, we have to learn how to overcome even the most challenging situations, and being able to talk about it through a text opens students up to empathy for others and understanding of their own situations.”

If the course is approved, seniors who take it could receive credits at Seton Hill University and Westmoreland County Community College. Hempfield Area officials will iron out course materials and details with Seton Hill before presenting a finalized list of texts to the board.

“If we come back and there’s not approval for the material, then we will pull the course and tell the students to sign up for something else,” Wolicki said at the board meeting.

Wednesday’s opposition came after a 10-month debate over appropriate materials in the district’s library.

At a November school board meeting, directors seemed to agree upon eventually enacting policies that would prevent sexually explicit books from entering or staying in the district library.

Wolicki and district solicitor Krisha DiMascio are developing a procurement plan for the board to consider. A procurement policy would ensure all books, regardless of message or cultural implications, are judged by the same standard of appropriateness, DiMascio said.