More Police nonsense. Father arrested for Speaking Against Sexually Explicit Book

[Deberg_1990]

What the??? He violated the 2 minute rule.

You can jump to around 5:00 in the video.




Gilford, NH- A father of a high school student was arrested at a school board meeting Monday night after protesting the school’s sexually explicit required reading assigned to his 9th grade daughter at Gilford High School.

The book in question, ”Nineteen Minutes” by author Jodi Picoult, is about a school shooting taking place in a fictitious New Hampshire town, and it contains themes of student violence, bullying, and sexual aggression. There is one particularly provocative and graphic depiction of violent, drunken sex between two teens in the story on page 313. Click here to read the passage (warning: graphic language and explicit sexual content).

William Baer came to the meeting to voice his opposition to the school’s failure to send home notification alerting parents of the graphic content. “I’m outraged that Gilford High School would require my daughter to read this kind of material,” Baer told the Laconia Daily Sun.

Josh Youssef, a friend of Baer, spoke with Benswann.com about what preceded the school board meeting and Baer’s arrest. Youssef was at Baer’s home when they were talking about a reading assignment given to Baer’s daughter. Youssef opened the book and came across page 313, and they were shocked by the graphic description of rough sex. “His jaw dropped,” Youseff told Benswann.com.

Baer then contacted Principal Peter Sawyer of Gilford High School last Wednesday to arrange a meeting, but was told by Sawyer it would not be possible to meet before the weekend. Baer attended Monday’s meeting to make his concerns known to the school board. There was a police officer present at the meeting, Gilford Lt. James Leach. Youssef said that he had been told by other parents that it’s not common for police to be present at Gilford school board meetings.

The school board meeting allowed for public comment only; no discussion, questions or speaking more than once was permitted.

After Baer spoke for two minutes- the maximum speaking time dictated by the school board- another parent, Joe Wernig, spoke in support of the book’s content. Baer responded to Wernig’s comments, and it was then that he was asked to leave by Leach. When Baer asked if he was going to be arrested, he was escorted from the meeting by Leach and handcuffed before being placed in a police cruiser. After Baer’s arrest, Lt. Leach was not replaced by another officer for the duration of the meeting.



Baer was not the only angry parent at the school board meeting. Another parent, Sarah Carrigan, said that she was “utterly appalled that this was an ‘oversight’”. Baer’s wife, Barbara Baer, shares her husband’s frustration. “They can discuss this some other way,” she said. “They don’t need that kind of imagery.”

“Nineteen Minutes” has been part of Gilford’s 9th grade AP English curriculum since 2007 when it was published. The school issued a statement that concluded the district “will take immediate action to revise these policies to include notification that requires parents to accept controversial material, rather than opt out.” The school sent out a notice stating that the book assigned “depicts high school relationships, some of which are unhealthy.”

Baer told Benswann.com that the school’s notice was only sent out after he went to the principal to discuss it, and that the notice failed to disclose the graphic passage in the book. “I can’t believe the school requires this as reading material,” he said. “There’s no reason to expect this kind of thing.”

While some parents say that this book opens up critical dialogue between parents and their children, Baer noted that when he asked Sawyer to discuss the passage in context with the rest of the book, Sawyer said he was uncomfortable doing so.

In the extended video below, given to Benswann.com by Youssef, Baer is shown being arrested after speaking out. Youssef believes, and the video shows, at minute 5:05 the superintendent signalling Lt. Leach to confront Baer to remove him from the building.



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[NewChief]

As a teacher, I'd be hesitant to assign a book with that content as required reading unless it had overwhelming and necessary educational merit, which I can tell you that nothing by Jodi Picoult does.

That being said, I wouldn't doubt if the dad's behavior in the meeting is being minimized.

[NewChief]

My dad had a big sack of books one of his buddies had given him that had erotic passages in them. That was my spank bank from about 12.

[Holladay]

"Dear Penthouse"....

Beat me to it.

BTW, For those that are OK with this, saying they are thinking/reading/talking about it anyway. How would you feel if the school REQUIRED the reading of Penthouse Letters. They are about the same. In the 9th grade I was reading them as well. But required by the school??

The required part bothers me because it seems to condone underage and violent sex.

[Mr. Plow]

Originally Posted by Holladay

Beat me to it.

BTW, For those that are OK with this, saying they are thinking/reading/talking about it anyway. How would you feel if the school REQUIRED the reading of Penthouse Letters. They are about the same. In the 9th grade I was reading them as well. But required by the school??

The required part bothers me because it seems to condone underage and violent sex.

The school at the very least should get permission from the parents that their kid is about to read a book like this at that age. I'm assuming this book was just a yearly required reading for the class and nobody before had taken the time to really read through what the book involved.

[Fishpicker]

'Youssef opened the book and came across page 313'...

yech

[KC native]

Originally Posted by saphojunkie

I can't roll my eyes hard enough at every person involved in this story.

Overprotective dad.

Teacher should have known better.

Principal should have handled immediately.

School board should have never had father removed.

Cop should have laughed in their face when they wanted him arrested.

But most importantly...

That writer should be ashamed for writing about hot sticky cum on the carpet. Doesn't move the story forward and is completely pointless. Needlessly graphic and takes you out of the scene. I'm not offended as a parent. I'm offended as a writer. Pure shock value. Stupid.

Exactly

[ModSocks]

What is the point of the book exactly? Why would something like this be considered required literature?

I agree, most 14 year olds are going to be familiar with "Hot Sticky Cum", i'm just curious as to why something like this would be required?

Whatever happened to the good ol' "Controversial" books like "Catcher in the Rye"?

[KC native]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

You're out of your ****ing mind.

Originally Posted by El Jefe

Over protective? You would allow your 9th grade daughter (hypothetical if need be) to read that?

Yes, over protective.

A lot of kids are sexually active by 9th grade (and if they have cell phones or internet access, they've already seen worse at that point).

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

What is the point of the book exactly? Why would something like this be considered required literature?

I agree, most 14 year olds are going to be familiar with "Hot Sticky Cum", i'm just curious as to why something like this would be required?

Whatever happened to the good ol' "Controversial" books like "Catcher in the Rye"?

From Amazon...

Peter Houghton, an alienated teen who has been bullied for years by the popular crowd, brings weapons to his high school in Sterling, N.H., one day and opens fire, killing 10 people. Flashbacks reveal how bullying caused Peter to retreat into a world of violent computer games. Alex Cormier, the judge assigned to Peter's case, tries to maintain her objectivity as she struggles to understand her daughter, Josie, one of the surviving witnesses of the shooting.

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

From Amazon...

Eh.

Catcher in the Rye. Stick with the classics.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by KC native

Yes, over protective.

A lot of kids are sexually active by 9th grade (and if they have cell phones or internet access, they've already seen worse at that point).

Just because one kid has a ton of experience and knowledge doesn't mean the other kid does so making something such as this required reading without consent is not appropriate and does not constitute someone as automatically being overprotective if they wouldn't allow it.

[DaveNull]

I support the jailing of book banners on principle.

[KC native]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

Just because one kid has a ton of experience and knowledge doesn't mean the other kid does so making something such as this required reading without consent is not appropriate and does not constitute someone as automatically being overprotective if they wouldn't allow it.

We're talking about 14-15 year olds here. I started getting blow jobs at that point and I wasn't even close to being the only one.

If we were talking about 8th grade, then I'd be inclined to agree a little more (although not sure if I would completely agree).

With the spread of internet access and kids knowing how to circumvent just about any type of filter, it's ridiculous that someone would make an issue out of this book.

Also, American attitudes about sex in general are very prudish and ridiculous.

[DaveNull]

Better to take it to the school board than take it as an opportunity to talk about issues of underage drinking and pre-marital sex with your actual kid though.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by KC native

We're talking about 14-15 year olds here. I started getting blow jobs at that point and I wasn't even close to being the only one.

If we were talking about 8th grade, then I'd be inclined to agree a little more (although not sure if I would completely agree).

With the spread of internet access and kids knowing how to circumvent just about any type of filter, it's ridiculous that someone would make an issue out of this book.

Also, American attitudes about sex in general are very prudish and ridiculous.

The physical age is not what matters when talking about experience and knowledge related to this subject. Again, the experiences and knowledge of some students, whatever number that is, does not mean that the material is appropriate for all of them, especially without the parents consent.