Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is at the center of a controversy in the Fond du Lac School District .
The book is currently being used in the sophomore advanced English reading curriculum. A student was given an alternative book to read when there was an objection to reading Angelou 's work, but the parents of that student want it removed from the curriculum. About 80 people attended a meeting at the High School this week, many spoke as the School District's Reconsideration of Materials Committee met to decide whether the book she be removed from the curriculum. District
Superintendent Greg Maass would hear the appeal depending on the Committee's findings. He says the Committee rarely meets to consider teaching materials. "We have curriculum committees in departments, that review these materials long before they're adopted," says Maass. "This particular selection . . has a history within the school district that predates me, and it was reviewed by the teachers . . for use within the curriculum."
The book is autobiographical and details Angelou's life in the south, including her rape and the resulting unwanted pregnancy. However Maass says the book offers several perspectives that students could learn from. Maass is waiting for the Committee's findings and could hear an appeal depending on what they decided. The next step, if there is one after that, would be to take the matter to the full School Board.
(Thanks to Bob Nelson, KFIZ)