Albemarle School Board to vote on expelling ‘A Study in Scarlet’
THE DAILY PROGRESS
Aaron Richardson | July 18, 2011
Albemarle County Public Schools may soon remove Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Study in Scarlet” from sixth-grade reading lists.
The board will vote on whether to remove the book at its regular meeting tonight. Though the book could be removed from class reading lists and the required curriculum, it would still be available in school libraries.
A parent asked that the book be removed from reading lists because, he says, it casts Mormonism in a negative light. After reviewing the work, a School Board-appointed committee determined that it wasn’t age-appropriate for sixth-graders. According to the parent’s complaint, the book repeatedly refers to Mormons as violent and intolerant, and accuses them of murders and kidnappings.
“When you look at the work, the basic question is, if someone says it shows a lot of cultural or religious bias, you have to look and see if that work has enough value to where the regard for the work outweighs the cultural bias,” county schools Secondary Education Director Matt Haas said.
See also:
School Board likely to remove challenged book (NEWSPLEX.com | Carter Johnson, June 28, 20110
Committee member explains decision on controversial book (NEWSPLEX.com | Chris Stover, July 7, 2011)
Board delays decision on controversial book (NEWSPLEX.com | Jessica Jaglois, July 15, 2011)
School board delays vote on challenged book (106.1 FM–THE CORNER)
Text:The Albemarle School Board has deferred its vote on a parent’s challenge that involves a book at Henley Middle School. The county got complaints about the way Sir Arthur Conan Doyle characterized Mormons in his 1887 book “A Study in Scarlet.” The board heard Thursday night from Tim Dodson, who just completed the 8th-grade at Henley. He liked “A Study In Scarlet”, and views the book that introduced the world to Sherlock Holmes as a classic. The board expects to vote on August 11th.
Tags: Censorship, Challenges, School curriculums, Virginia