Peabody school board wants no control over summer reading program

PEABODY – Discussions over Peabody’s school summer reading program may have been blown out of proportion, said School Committee member Beverley Ann Griffin Dunne.Dunne, who was recently quoted in another newspaper article, wants to set the record straight: She and her fellow members of the School Committee do not wish to have control over what books are and are not present on the reading list.”Absolutely not,” she said. “I would never stop someone from trying to read something on their own if they want. That’s their business.”What Dunne would like see the committee do, however, is require that students have options when choosing what books to read.Her request came after receiving numerous complaints from parents and students about a particular book on last year’s ninth-grade reading list: “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” by Mark Haddon.Dunne said she has never before received so many calls from upset parents than she has in regards to the vulgar language throughout the pages of that book. She said the strong language wouldn’t be appropriate to read aloud at a School Committee meeting or printed in the newspaper, and therefore, shouldn’t be forced upon students.”There was no alternative,” she said. “As long as there’s some choice (for the students), I don’t think there would be a problem.”Dunne thinks quite highly of Peabody’s summer reading program, and said it’s unfortunate that it may have been cast in a negative light.”We were giving feedback,” she said. “We do have to have standards. I know they put a lot of thought and effort into the reading list, but I also think they do need to know how some of these things are perceived by some families.”After speaking with Michalene Hague, head of Peabody High School’s English Department, Dunne said that an appropriate alternative will be added to the list for those students who wish to opt of out reading Haddon’s novel.Also new this year will be the option for all students from the elementary schools to the high school to choose a non-traditional book report format, such as a poem, instead of a standard written report.”It’s a pretty exciting program,” said School Committee member Dave McGeney. “It’ll get them motivated to read.”