East Penn School District

'Porn' No Longer on Emmaus High Summer Reading Lists

Emmaus High School Principal Dave Piperato tells East Penn School Board members that he and the parent who challenged two books on the Emmaus High School summer reading have reached an agreement.

Emmaus High School Principal David Piperato told the East Penn Board of School Directors last night that a verdict has been reached regarding two books from the EHS summer reading list some parents considered to be potentially “pornographic” in nature. The summer reading program at Emmaus High School entered the limelight in September when two parents came before the school board to voice their concerns about the graphic sexual and drug-related content of two books on the list -- Tom Wolfe’s “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” which was on the 10th grade list, and “Prep,” a 9th-grade selection written by Curtis Sittenfeld. A subsequent written challenge to both books under District Policy 109 by a third parent touched off a formal district …

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careless fills

10:15 am on Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Optimist is correct - it is not a recommended reading list - instead, it is actually a required reading list! A student MUST read two of the selections from the list. If it was a recommended reading list, students could read other books for assignment credit, but that doesn't seemt to be the choice here - they must pick books from this list. Fortunately, the problem is resolved. Good night!   more ›

Ban This Column. Please!

Trying to remove “Prep” and “Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” from Emmaus High School’s summer reading list is a sure-fire way to improve their readership.

If I ever write a book, my first promotional act will be to ask some group to ban it. Publicly. Preferably at a well-attended school board meeting. It would be icing on the cake if it also chose to burn copies in the town square – I’d give it a discount price on the hard cover. Few things get people more excited about a book than someone trying to stop them from reading it. “Satanic Verses” by Salman Rushdie would likely have wound up in the remainder bins of bookstores had not Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa on Rushdie for writing a novel that some claimed was blasphemous to Islam. Yes, Rushdie had to go into hiding under constant threat of death but his book remains stocked, read and discussed, and I bet his royalties are pretty…

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rm

7:00 pm on Friday, November 9, 2012

Gracie, I hope that there is a 'summer reading list' and a summer spelling list and a summer math facts list. If there is not then the school is not doing their job. If you believe that the school should not be dictating what your child reads during the summer vacation, then you have missed the whole point of the summer reading program which is to prepare or introduce the child to the material to…   more ›

East Penn School District

Patch 'Prep' Book Group Scheduled for Tomorrow Night

All members of the East Penn community are invited to discuss Emmaus High School 9th-grade summer reading selection 'Prep' by Curtis Sittenfeld on Thursday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Zion's Lutheran Church.

A young adult book titled “Prep” grabbed well more than 15 minutes of fame in East Penn School District when two parents came forward at the Sept. 10 meeting of the East Penn Board of School Directors to challenge the book -- a 9th-grade Emmaus High School summer reading selection -- due to what they called its “pornographic” content. Soon after, the East Penn Patch editors put out an invitation to a “Prep” book discussion group, calling upon members of the community to read the Curtis Sittenfeld work along with us and then get together to talk about the book – the good, the bad and the potentially pornographic. Since then, a number of Patch readers expressed an interest in being a part of the Patch "Prep" conversation. That conversation …

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East Penn School District

Five Things to Know About East Penn 'Porn' Challenges

Superintendent Thomas L. Seidenberger last night updated the East Penn Board of School Directors on the status of the current book challenges in the district and set the record straight on past book objections.

Two books on the Emmaus High School summer reading list -- "Prep" by Curtis Sittenfeld and Tom Wolfe's "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" -- became the focus of attention this fall when a parent came to a September meeting of the East Penn Board of School Directors to raise concern about the "pornographic" nature of the works. That initial public criticism of the books sparked a frenzy of activity in the district, ultimately resulting in a formal challenge to both books under an established district procedure known as "Policy 109." Last night, Superintendent of Schools Thomas L. Seidenberger took a moment during his report to the East Penn Board of School Directors to update the board on the status of current Policy 109 challenges and to …

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East Penn School District

‘Prep,’ ‘Acid Test,’ Challenged in East Penn Before

Formal challenges were filed against 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test' in 2007 and 'Prep' in 2011 using established East Penn School District policy.

The current controversy surrounding two books on the Emmaus High School summer reading lists is not a first for the East Penn School District. Some board members expected to vote Sept. 24 on a motion to eliminate Tom Wolfe’s “Acid Test,” which is on the 10th grade summer reading list, and “Prep,” a 9th-grade selection written by Curtis Sittenfeld, as summer reading options. However, Board President Charles Ballard dismissed the motion for procedural reasons without giving the board a chance to discuss it. The main thrust of Ballard’s dismissal came from the fact that the books were not challenged under a formal district procedure known as Policy 109. Until that happened, he said, the board, in Ballard’s view, should not make any …

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East Penn School District

‘Prep’ Book Group Moved to Oct. 25

Due to an unforeseeable conflict with the vice presidential debate Thursday night, East Penn Patch editors have rescheduled the 'Prep' book discussion group for Thursday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Zion's Lutheran Church, 5901 Kings Highway, Old Zionsville.

A young adult book titled “Prep” grabbed well more than 15 minutes of fame in East Penn School District when two parents came forward at the Sept. 10 meeting of the East Penn Board of School Directors to challenge the book -- a 9th-grade Emmaus High School summer reading selection -- due to what they called its “pornographic” content. Soon after, the East Penn Patch editors put out an invitation to a “Prep” book discussion group, calling upon members of the community to read the Curtis Sittenfeld work along with us and then get together to talk about the book – the good, the bad and the potentially pornographic. Since then, a number of Patch readers expressed an interest in being a part of the Patch "Prep" conversation. That conversation …

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East Penn School District

Porn or Not Porn? Help us Decide on Oct. 11

The Emmaus and Lower Macungie Patch editors invite Patch readers to discuss controversial Emmaus High School summer reading selection 'Prep' by Curtis Sittenfeld at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 in Zion's Lutheran Church, 5901 Kings Hwy S, Old Zionsville.

Editor's Note: Please note that this article has been changed to reflect the correct location of the book group which is Zion's Lutheran Church, 5901 Kings Hwy S, Old Zionsville. Curtis Sittenfeld’s “Prep” entered the spotlight in East Penn School District when two parents came forward at the Sept. 10 meeting of the East Penn Board of School Directors to challenge the book, a 9th-grade Emmaus High School summer reading selection, due to what they called its “pornographic” content. Soon after, the East Penn Patch editors put out a feeler about a “Prep” book discussion group, inviting community members to talk about the merits of the work, and a number of Patch readers expressed an interest in being a part of the conversation. That …

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East Penn School District

‘Prep,’ ‘Acid Test’ Could Still get the axe in East Penn

East Penn Board of School Directors will delay a decision on removing the books 'Prep' and 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test' from the Emmaus High School Suggested Summer Reading List until the works are properly evaluated.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include a paragraph on East Penn School Board President Charles Ballard's reasons for dismissing the motion before the school board last night. The original version did not provide that information. This will not be the last the East Penn Board of School Directors hears of controversial Emmaus High School suggested summer reading selections “Prep” and “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.” The board was expected to vote last night on a motion to eliminate Tom Wolfe’s “Acid Test,” which is on the 10th grade summer reading list, and “Prep,” a 9th-grade selection written by Curtis Sittenfeld, as summer reading options. However, Board President Charles Ballard dismissed the motion for procedural …

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optimist

10:20 pm on Thursday, September 27, 2012

It's a summer reading assignment. It's the only academic thing going on at that time. A parent really ought to be able to get involved in that if they wish. Give parents a little more credit. Remember it's all about choice right?   more ›

East Penn School District

East Penn to Vote on Summer Reading List ‘Porn’ Tonight

A motion to remove two books from the Emmaus High School optional summer reading list is one of four motions up for decision at tonight’s meeting of the East Penn Board of School Directors.

The East Penn Board of School Directors is expected to vote tonight on a motion proposed by School Director Julian Stolz at the board’s Sept. 10 meeting that could remove two books from the Emmaus High School optional summer reading list. The decision before the board, if approved, would eliminate Tom Wolfe’s “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” which is on the 10th grade list, and “Prep,” a 9th-grade selection written by Curtis Sittenfeld. Stolz’s motion was prompted by a parent who came before the board at the Sept. 10 meeting to share her concerns about what she described as the pornographic nature of the books. To catch up on the Patch coverage of the "book ban" motion before tonight's meeting, including what your friends and neighbors …

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Abel Anderson

9:50 am on Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Careless, we need to find out if these periodicals are in the library. How could we have overlooked this smut? We also need to find out if kids are permitted to read this smut in school, during free time or carry it with them. It's obviously porn and it explains how to perform sex acts without the clever guise of literature. Cosmo, Redbook, Glamour, and Men's Health need to be removed from EHS …   more ›