On May 8th, Wallenpaupack Area School District held their monthly board meeting in the high school library. During the public inquiry period, 10 community members had registered to speak, regarding many policies and potential changes in policies. There were a variety of speeches, as follows:
Chris Rollison, “Wallenpaupack Sports Programs”; Mel Vogler, “Wallenpaupack Culture”; Alexandra Allison, “Policy”; Tammy McCloud, “Parents Rights”; Jasmine Ruiz, “Curriculum and Policy”; Jill Hardina, “Budget”; Adam Basile, “Banning Books”; Carolynn Burkholder, “School Policy”; Martha Tashiro, “Sexual Content in Books at School”; and Maria Rotella, “School Policy, ESSER Contracts, Books”.
Adam Basile, a senior at our high school who applied to speak at the board meeting, felt very strongly about student voice and our right to express our opinions on the same level as our administration and adult community members.
“I heard about the issue of people wanting to ban books, and I found myself feeling very passionate about it. I love reading and literature, and with how much I have learned and gained from literature, it is stupid to deny that to other kids”
He went on to speak about student participation, “As the students at the school, we are the ones directly affected by the decisions made; it’s important that our voice is known.”
“Especially as high schoolers, were on the verge of entering society and we must know how to express ourselves.”
Basile continued to describe his process while writing his speech. “As I wrote the speech, I made thoughts and connections I had never realized before. The act of compiling my thoughts into one speech formalized my ideas in a surprisingly exciting way.”
Paige Geesey, a senior who attended the board meeting, was interviewed regarding her experience at the board meeting and her feelings about it. When prompted about her favorite speaker, she immediately answered Adam Basile. “Adam, because it was nice to see a perspective about banned books from a student perspective; I really liked what he said.”
She felt passionate about student representation at school board meetings. “I think student voice is really important because we are the heart of everything”
“I think it’s important to keep us in mind when talking about topics that involve us; adults tend to do what they think is best for us but refuse to listen to what we think.”
Michael Soskil, a junior in attendance of the meeting, spoke strongly about the topic of banning books and the implication it holds academically.
“I think, for people that were in favor of banning books, I feel like there was a lot of stereotyping and generalization there. My biggest problem is the classification of books by using one word, like how some speakers used the word ‘porno’.”
Soskil then went on to discuss the value of books and the way sex scenes affect the value of a book.
“There are a lot of books that have sex scenes, but the value of the book outweighs the sex scene. A lady that spoke said she read the first three pages of a book and then stopped — how can you say that the book isn’t worth the value?” he questioned.
In short, across the district, there is contention and strong feelings rising within our students. It is evident from their words and participation that they are passionate about the topic of banning some of the books in our library.
Many board positions are contested and will be voted on, on Tuesday, May 16th. If able, all registered voters are encouraged to go to the polls! Your vote counts.
