Editor's Note: Clarification on WHS 'Required' Reading

For more than a month controversy has surrounded the selection of Sherman Alexie's semi-autobiographical missive 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian' as part of 's freshman reading list.

The coming-of-age tale earned Alexie the 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, but its content has also lead at least three school districts nationwide to ban or limit its presence in student curriculums.

District parents addressed the with their concerns and some penned letters to the editor asking for a ""

Other parents expressed an opposing view and stated that they did not want other parents dictating which .

In letters to the editor, WHS students vehemently and the school's selection, calling the book "a beautiful treasure-trove of insight for students to explore" and one that encouraged critical thinking. Liz Griesmer, a WHS junior, to lobby for its continued inclusion.

A reader recently asked Patch to clarify if Alexie's award-winning text was, in fact, "required" reading or rather, "suggested" reading.

WHS Language Arts Supervisor Tim Harrison explained the matter.

"The English Department maintains an extensive list that contains a vast number of books," Harrison said. "Our English teachers have the freedom to decide which titles they will use based on the learning objectives outlined in the official curriculum document.

"There are no 'required' books. If a teacher selects a particular title, then that book becomes 'required' for her or his class. With that said, if a parent finds a novel particularly objectionable, the teacher will offer the student an alternative assignment."

At the Feb. 28 BOE meeting, Board member and Chair of the Curriculum Committee Ann Cary said the book will remain a choice for ninth-grade teachers to use.

”We believe there are insufficient reasons being advanced to revoke the approval of the book,” Cary said.