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that meeting to express their views from

Cougar Parent Connection at Vernon

all over," said school board member

Hills High School. "What they're posting

Cope Cumston. District spokesperson

on their blogs can be used against

them."100

Kathy Wallig summarized the funda-

·

mental problem that produced the big

Niles--In May, the Park Ridge Education

crowd: "Sex education becomes a moral

Association filed suit against the Park

matter; it's a matter of ethics."103

Ridge School District for prohibiting the

union from placing its "Teacher Talk"

newsletter in a take-home packet given to

Indiana

students every other Thursday. The

Intelligent Design

· Indianapolis--In November, state repre-

union claimed that the district was vio-

lating its first and fourteenth amend-

sentative Bruce Borders (R-Jasonville)

ment rights. District officials, however,

said he would introduce a bill in the

maintained that the take-home packets

state legislature mandating the teaching

are intended to include notes from indi-

of intelligent design in Indiana schools.

vidual teachers and information about

The Republican was not alone in calling

school activities and student groups, not

for such legislation, getting support

political or sectarian messages.101

from across the aisle. "Evolution was

designed by God," said Rep. Jerry Denbo

(D-French Lick). "I really think that

Book Banning

· Arlington Heights--A meeting of the

should be taught." Despite such biparti-

san support, the Indiana Civil Liberties

Township High School District 214

Union said it would likely oppose any

school board ran until 1:30 a.m., and

bill akin to the one proposed by Borders

required overflow seating in a nearby field

because it would violate the separation

house, when the board debated removing

of church and state. In the end, the

several books from the district's curricu-

ACLU didn't have to act: In light of a

lum, including Toni Morrison's Beloved

December federal court ruling in

and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five.

Pennsylvania against the teaching of

Board member Leslie Pinney spearheaded

intelligent design, Borders introduced a

the book-banning charge, objecting to the

bill in January that called only for "accu-

depictions of sexual activities and drug

racy in textbooks."104

references in many of the books. In the

end, though, the board voted to keep the

titles. "I think some of [the books] are very

Freedom of Expression

· Columbus--When the Columbus North

provocative in a very positive way," said

board member Miriam Cooper. "I think

Triangle--a high school newspaper--ran a

they are appropriate."102

story on the dangers of oral sex, it put the

limits of student journalism in the spot-

light. School board member Russell

Sex Education

· Urbana--It took the Urbana public

Barnard likened the article to something

"you might find in a magazine like

schools four years to come up with a

Playboy or Hustler," adding that it "should

new curriculum guide for physical

not be in a school newspaper." Colum-

development and health education,

bus North Principal David Clark, while

which it finally adopted in May. The

uncomfortable with the subject matter,

major sticking point was what and how

nonetheless disagreed with Barnard. "It

to teach about sex. That was clear when

these kids . . . are coming to me saying

the committee drafting the guidelines

they know it's a problem then I can't stick

sat down to finally complete them in

my head in the sand," he said. According

February. "Quite a few people came to

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