Update on our previous post about the “Book Tasting” event from the Cameron Missouri high school. We have obtained clarification from the district and a copy of the documents seen in picture from the Cameron R-1 schools Facebook page. We will share that clarification and the 43 page document we received.
Today we received an email that documented a Missouri Sunshine law response that was forwarded to us. A concerned tax payer had request a copy of the document seen in the districts Facebook post about the “book tasting” event. The school district has fulfilled that records request and provided a clarifying statement. You can see the documents in the following image on the flat surface under the monitor.
According to the statement in the email response Mr Landi received, that document seen in the photo was apparently unrelated to the book tasting event and wasn’t intended specifically for the book tasting even. Here is the districts statement.
The following link will allow you to download the 43 page PDF provided by the Cameron R-1 school distinct.
Looking at this document and all of its pages, I am left with the two different gut feelings. First, this material lacks any warnings to the type of adult content found in these restricted books. Second, it seems this document is intended to get children interested in reading the adult content that superintendent Matt Robinson personally determined needed to be restricted to all students except those who are 18 years old. Is the school district truly spending tax payer resources to encourage children to read sexually explicit adult content?
It is interesting that the school district chose to use school district staff and resources to create this “unfettered review” for students. Despite being asked to do so for almost 2 years, the district refuses to create a similar document for parents. We want something that outlines the content in these books that caused the superintendent to restrict them. I believe it is reasonable for the Cameron R-1 school district to provide parents with a resource like this 43 page PDF that would allow us to make an informed decision about allowing our children to read these books.
Currently the Cameron R-1 school district doesn’t provide parents with anything that explains why a specific book has been restricted by the district. Even the Destiny Discover service parents can use doesn’t describe the content in these books. Superintendent Matt Robinson determined these books needed to be restricted, doesn’t the school district owe it to the parents to tell us why?
In a previous blog post titled “Reents-Dickkut says students can “view” restricted books” we covered what appears to be an intentional run around of the parents wishes. Restricted books were provided to the class without at least one parents approval. Dickkut appears to have admitted as much in her email response to a concerned parent.
Considering those two books, Speak and Hate U Give, were among the 43 pages in this document, I do not believe the district can claim this was an accident. The cover of each pages specifically states “These books require a parent signed Full Access Agreement” on every page. That is pretty clear to me. Here are those two books as seen in this document.
The Cameron R-1 school district has spent two years ignoring our questions about these books. Of course, I have more questions after inspecting this document. Who created this document and why? Was it created by direction of school administrators? Which one? Or is this dimply the act of one person and another attempt to indoctrinate our children and circumvent the will of parents.
I will close out this post by sharing an Instagram post from an account appearing to belong to the high school librarian. They are recording an unboxing video as the appear to promote a series of different LBTQAlphabetSoup books. Several of those books seen in this video have been restricted or outright removed because of their adult content.
Did you catch her mention of “diversity” as she discussed these books with a student? Notice her hashtags on that post in the description under the video? Yes, we have DEI in the Cameron R-1 school district.