TRUMBULL—Trumbull’s Board of Education got an earful at February’s board meeting, when a local father read aloud a portion of a book called, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (1999).
George Sarris said that a copy of the book had been assigned to a friend’s son’s tenth grade English class; Sarris says he looked at what was written, and was “shocked at what I read.”
Sarris’ friend Gordana Thompson planned to attend the Board of Education meeting, but said she “felt very uncomfortable” reading from “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” aloud. Sarris agreed to attend, as well as read several graphic excerpts from the assigned book. He posted his public comments for the BOE on Facebook, in “an effort to strongly encourage parents to take an active interest in finding out what their children are being taught…..”
*****WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT below*****
My name is George Sarris. I have five children and thirteen grandchildren, and have lived in Trumbull for over 30 years. So, quality children’s education is an important value to me. I’d like to read a few short excerpts from an assigned book in a tenth-grade English class at Trumbull High:
“. . . the boy kept working up the girl’s shirt, and as much as she said no, he kept working it. After a few minutes, she stopped protesting, and he pulled her shirt off, and she had a white bra on with lace . . . Pretty soon, he took off her bra and started to kiss her breasts. And then, he put his hand down her pants, and she started moaning . . . He reached to take off her pants, but she started crying really hard, so he reached for his own. He pulled his pants and underwear down to his knees.
‘Please, Dave. No.’
But the boy just talked soft to her about how good she looked and things like that, and she grabbed his penis with her hands and started moving it . . .
After a few minutes, the boy pushed the girl’s head down, and she started to kiss his penis. She was still crying. Finally, she stopped crying because he put his penis in her mouth, and I don’t think you can cry in that position.” – pp. 30-31
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Sarris read three more excerpts; after two minutes, one board member cut in, “Thank you–thank you—we’ve heard it—thank you very much.”
Sarris continued, “As elected members of the Trumbull Board of Education, you have been entrusted by Trumbull parents to provide a significant element in the training of their minor children and youth to become mature, responsible adults. Why is this kind of literature – that encourages and glorifies taking advantage of young girls and boys–and could even be said to encourage rape –- considered an important, valuable and appropriate vehicle in fulfilling that trust?”
Go to minute 6:44 to hear Sarris’ full public comment.
Thompson said when her son came to her, expressing discomfort about the reading material, she was shocked to find “page after page [describing] rape, drug use, etc.” She emailed the school board, the superintendent, the high school principal, adding that no permission slip was given to parents before the book was assigned.
She also said her son was able to get a different book for the assignment, and that her intent is simply to let parents know what their children are being exposed to in a public school setting. The Trumbull mom said that while kids find ways to hide material from their parents, it’s another matter when a teacher distributes material that would ” … get people fired from their workplace for even mentioning that kind of language.”
Trumbull board members did not respond, as of publishing time.
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