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Letter to the Editor | West Bend School District committee to decide about book The 57 Bus | By Sue Kellom

July 11, 2023 – West Bend, Wi – Earlier this spring, parents expressed concern about a book being used in West Bend School District 8th grade English classes that they felt was inappropriate.  This was The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater.  In June, a resident of West Bend completed paperwork to “challenge” the school district and asked that The 57 Bus be removed from the 8th grade “book club” reading list.
Letter to the Editor 57
A “reconsideration of instructional resource” committee was formed, and as per WBSD policy, the majority was made up of WBSD employees and one Badger parent.   Carol Heger recently  met with the committee and explained why she and others felt that the profanity, vulgarity, and obsession with gender identity was not appropriate for students ages 13 and 14. It seems that the school personnel on this “reconsideration” committee are opposed to removing this book from the English book club list,  because it is an optional book.  Nevertheless, the book normalizes the trans agenda and asserts that gender and sexual identity can be chosen. Profanity in the book includes 12 uses of F-ck and other words such as motherf—ker, pr—k, and pu—y.  Content that would garner an R rating if it were a movie, or would be censored if spoken in the media, is being offered to our youth by teachers and administrators.  Are they more concerned about the LGBTQ+ agenda than protecting minor children? The committee will make its decision on The 57 Bus on July 13 at 5:00 pm at a public meeting at the WBSD Education Service Center.
Please contact the school board if you do not approve of The 57 Bus being part of the 8th grade curriculum of WBSD.  You will find their email addresses on the WBSD website west-bend.k12.wi.us/District/ Department/59-WBSD-School-Board, or call WBSD at 262-306-4800.
Sue Kellom
West Bend

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you Sue for bringing attention to this inappropriate book in our West Bend middle school (it’s also being used in high school). It’s definitely not fine, classical literature!

  2. Very well written, Sue; thank you! Just the profanity alone would make this a rated “R” movie or “TV-MA” show, which means it’s intended for ages 17+. The choice is clear, and I pray the WBSD board does the right thing.

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