Indiana Happenings

Indy high school questions Toni Morrison book

INDIANAPOLIS — Students at a suburban Indianapolis high school had to turn in a Nobel Prize-winning novelist’s book they had been reading for class after a parent complained that its content was inappropriate.

Franklin Central High School officials said they were reviewing Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon,” which had been assigned to about 50 juniors in two advanced-placement English classes.

Franklin Township School Board member Scott Veerkamp said he and another board member had received complaints from a parent about the book, then asked school administrators to pull it from the classes.

Veerkamp said there were depictions of sex, profanity, demeaning language and suicide in the book that he found offensive.

“I was about as appalled as I’ve ever been in my life,” he told The Indianapolis Star. “I wouldn’t want to expose my children to that garbage.”

Franklin Central Principal Kevin Koers said copies of the book were collected from students Wednesday. He said he was reading the book and would talk with the teachers and others as he hoped a decision could be reached on it by Monday.

“There is a lesson in the book,” Koers said. “The teachers are very adamant in how they do their work. They are upfront with the students as to why (some material) is in it.”

Morrison won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 for work that included “Song of Solomon,” which tells the story of a black man’s attempts to unravel the mystery of his family’s past.

Joan Bertin, executive director of the New York City-based National Coalition Against Censorship, said objections have been raised before to the teaching of Morrison’s novels in schools.

“With sophisticated literature like Toni Morrison novels, we tend to get parents who think their children should be protected from the very difficult life situations that these books portray,” Bertin said.

Franklin Township School Board President Steve Randall said he was concerned about the book’s graphic material but that the district needed time for a complete review.

“I think you have to let administrators do their jobs,” Randall said.

Indiana ranks 3rd for census

INDIANAPOLIS — State officials said Indiana’s 78 percent rate of returning census forms is among the highest in the nation.

The Indiana Department of Administration said mail-in results released Wednesday show Indiana tied with Iowa. The two states trailed only Wisconsin and Minnesota, which both hit 80 percent. The national rate was 72 percent.

Census-takers will begin going door-to-door Saturday to count remaining people. Census-takers must present an ID badge that contains a Department of Commerce watermark. If asked, census-takers should provide contact information for their supervisor or local census office for verification.

Census-takers should only ask the questions that appear on the census form. They should not ask for Social Security numbers or bank account or credit card numbers.

–AP Reports