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Mitchell High School's principal and a parents group find novels about a boy wizard unobjectionable. The parent who objects will appeal.
By KENT FISCHER
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 1, 2001
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Harry Potter lives, for now.
Mitchell High School principal Tina Tiede announced Friday that teachers can continue to use the popular children's novels in class. Her decision rejected a parent's complaint that the books promote the religion of witchcraft and therefore violate the Constitution's separation of church and state.
Tiede said the books also fall in line with community standards and she found the teacher's strategies in using the books to be sound.
"I just couldn't see anything that made me feel that they shouldn't be able to use them," Tiede said. "They're an appropriate (reading) level, and the teacher used good, sound educational strategies.'"
William Niland, the parent who lodged the complaint, said he will appeal the decision to the School Board.
"I wasn't surprised (by the decision) at all," Niland said. "We'll get the lawyers involved and go to the board to take it out of all the schools."
As he has said from the onset, Niland said he does not want the books banned from campuses or libraries. He just doesn't want teachers using the stories in class with a captive audience of kids.
Tiede said she consulted the school district's attorneys, who advised her that Niland's separation of church and state argument didn't hold up.
Earlier, Tiede had convened a panel of parents to read and review the books, written by J.K. Rowling. Earlier this week the parents said they found nothing objectionable about the books. Their comments also weighed in her decision, Tiede said.
Although he disagreed with her decision, Niland commended Tiede for listening to his complaint and for taking it seriously.
"She's a good lady and a good principal," he said.
Teacher Timber Holmes began reading the third book in the Potter series to her class of 11th-graders shortly after the school year began. The book, The Prisoner of Azkaban, deals with a young wizard's study of magic and numerology. She told the panel of parents that her intention in using the book was to give students a break from the required readings of their English class. So, for a few minutes each day, Holmes read a few pages of the story to her students.
Students who objected to hearing the story were allowed to leave the classroom with an alternate assignment.
"Reading aloud shows kids that they can enjoy reading," Holmes told the review panel on Tuesday. "I've read a lot of really heavy reading, and to me this is cotton candy. It's wonderful, it's light. If a book could melt in your mouth, this one would."
None of the parents on the review panel said they found the book's focus on witchcraft objectionable or subversive.
Several parents said they found worthy lessons in the book, like the power of friendship. Almost all said they interpreted the book as fantasy, were impressed with the story's vocabulary and found it entertaining.
Niland, who was joined in the complaint by Tom Buck, pastor of Riverside Fellowship Church, contends that the book's focus on wizardry and the occult makes it unsuitable for classroom lectures.
"It violates what the government has outlined as the separation of church and state," he said.
Niland's son, Bryan, said his leaving class each day during the readings has brought him ridicule from classmates.
If Niland follows through on the appeal, the issue will head to the district, which will convene a panel of teachers and parents from around the county. The group will review the book and hold its own hearing. The group will then make a final recommendation to superintendent John Long, who will take it to the School Board.
Although Tiede's decision applies only to Mitchell High, the School Board's ruling would affect every school in the county. Long said he would try to have Niland's appeal heard before schools break for winter vacation.
Tiede spent much of Friday trying to use the Potter flap as a real-life civics lesson. She visited classes and explained her decision to students and tried to impress upon them how lucky they are to live in a society where differing views can be aired and discussed openly.
"It's a wonderful opportunity for us to talk to kids and tell them that they have a right to express their views, and that if they make a complaint, we'll take it seriously," she said.