District allows ‘Caged Bird’ to sing

Supt. Alan Rasmussen ruled that the Ocean View School District will not ban Maya Angelou’s book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” at Tuesday’s board meeting, but asked that the district consider requiring parental permission to check out the controversial novel.

In a meeting often interrupted by applause from the audience, Rasmussen and several trustees praised Angelou’s autobiographical book as a worthy piece of literature, while acknowledging that parents should make the final decision on whether the book’s contents are appropriate for their children. The themes in “Caged Bird,” which came out in 1969 and has often incited controversy in schools, include rape, teen pregnancy and child molestation.

“Our decisions should reflect our principles and not individual preferences,” Rasmussen told the board. “While everyone has a preference or a way of looking at things that aren’t necessarily wrong, others may see things differently.”

Trustee John Briscoe and former Westminster School District Trustee Judy Ahrens have attempted to remove the book from school shelves, with Ahrens reading a passage from the book at the Oct. 6 board meeting. The two also addressed the Huntington Beach City Council about the issue last month. After Rasmussen announced his decision, Briscoe said he still believed the book was unsuitable for students.

“The book is a good read,” he said. “I’ve never said the book should be removed from society or the public libraries or Barnes & Noble. I think it’s a fine book for adults. I don’t think it’s an appropriate book for little boys and girls.”

Rasmussen ordered the book removed from shelves last month after the complaints, and an instructional review committee of teachers and administrators read the book and submitted a report to Rasmussen. As of Tuesday, “Caged Bird” was still absent from school shelves.

Rasmussen said the district would implement a new system to keep the book away from students who did not have permission to check them out.

As one example, he said, librarians could keep the book behind their desks.

Trustee Debbie Cotton praised the efforts of Rasmussen and the review committee, saying she considered the topic a 1st Amendment issue. She added that despite the novel’s graphic nature, she didn’t feel the subject matter was inappropriate for children.

“When you read the book, there is a context for it,” Cotton said. “It’s also done from an 8-year-old’s perspective, so it’s not done in an obscene way.”