NORTHVILLE, Mich- A mom on the east-side of the state is outraged and claims her child is reading an unedited version of Anne Frank’s diary in school. The book, which is a different and newer edition than the versions usually given out to classrooms, features graphic passages that Anne Frank wrote about her private parts.
After hearing about what her 7th grader was reading, Gail Horek filed a formal complaint with the district, requesting that students go back to reading the more censored version of the famous Holocaust-era book.
“It’s pretty graphic and it’s pretty pornographic for 7th grade girls and boys to be reading. It’s inappropriate for a teacher to be giving this material out to the kids when it’s really the parents’ jobs to give this information to students,” says Horek.
Despite the outrage, not every parent is against their children reading the material.
The Assistant Superintendent responded to this issue with the following message to our FOX affiliate in Detroit:
Thank you for contacting me regarding a concern that was raised with you relative to the use of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, a book used within the seventh grade English Language Arts Curriculum. Northville Public Schools uses an established process to review concerns brought forth related to instructional materials used within our schools. Parents are considered partners in their children’s learning and when concerns surface they are encouraged to communicate with the classroom teacher and building principal to resolve those issues. If the parent is not satisfied with the response at the building level, a committee consisting of parents, teachers, media specialists, and administrators will be assembled to review the concerns expressed by the parent using the Citizen’s Request for Reconsideration of Materials Procedure.
Sincerely,
Robert Behnke
Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services
