SpeakSpeak News

LISNews.com notes that the Peru (IN) School Board voted 4-3 to retain the books Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife’s Apprentice in a third/fourth grade reading class at Blair Pointe Elementary. Teacher Anne Kreutzer defended the book’s use of strong language:

“There’s no excuse for bad manners, bad words or bad deeds,” Kreutzer said. “The books’ questionable material stands in sharp contrast to the good lessons and good characters who make good decisions when confronted with improper manner, words and actions by others.”

Parents of students in a La Cañada (CA) High School drama class are upset teacher Gale Caswell chose Bat Boy as the class’ next production. Karen Mathison said, “As parents, we are doing our best to raise our children not to be accepting of this type of incest, bestiality, animals copulating on stage, murder, murder, murder.”

Caswell agreed to remove the bestiality from the play after receiving the complaints. Mathison said the play couldn’t be toned down to the point of acceptability, so she’d like it to be cancelled outright.

Over 200 people showed up to a school board meeting to either support or condemn the musical, even though the board wasn’t planning on discussing it. Both stories were noted at BroadwayStars.

As noted at TV Barn, the wife of a National Guard sergeant has started a letter-writing campaign aimed at the FX network to prevent the cable station from airing the Iraqi war drama Over There. Michelle Tucker said it is both “disrespectful and distasteful” to air the series while the war is ongoing.

Her efforts have drawn a mixed response from other military families. Said Angela Dodge, “I applaud her for what she’s doing, but I think she’s being a little judgmental because the show hasn’t even aired.” Meanwhile, Sarah Boothe responded, “If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.”