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plaints from students and parents at

for the school system, however, denied

Westminster High School, Charles I.

that employees tried to keep students

Ecker, superintendent of Carroll County

from exiting, saying that staffers simply

public schools, banned The Earth, My Butt,

explained to students as they were leav-

and Other Big Round Things from school

ing that they would receive an unexcused

libraries countywide. But the book which

absence for doing so. Despite what sup-

depicts self-mutilation, date rape, and

posedly transpired, Antonio Williams,

eating disorders, is also an award-winner,

chief of the city schools police, said that

and it quickly gained vocal support from

"we weren't going to hinder their ability

other students and parents. Ultimately,

to do a peaceful demonstration. The real-

after receiving numerous complaints

ity is, I didn't want anybody arrested or

about censorship, in January Ecker

taken into custody. Quite frankly, the

reconsidered his complete ban on the

kids that are demonstrating are kids that

normally attend school regularly."122

book and returned it high schools while

· Bethesda--By February 2006 former Wash-

keeping it out of middle schools. One

student offended by the book, junior Joel

ington Post reporter Colman McCarthy had

Ready, however, was not ready to just give

been teaching a peace studies class for years

in after Ecker changed his stance. "I'm

at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.

not going to accept a [committee's] deci-

When one student questioned on a group

sion that is stacked against the values of

e-mail list whether McCarthy's course

Carroll County," he said.124

should be eliminated, however, it was clear

that his class was far from unanimously

beloved. According to the Post, within a few

Multiculturalism

· Baltimore--In April, the Baltimore school

hours of the message going up, there were

more than 150 responses both ardently for

system found itself the target of a biting

and against McCarthy's class. And the stu-

critique from the chairman of the board

dent who posted the initial message,

of a major African-American museum

Andrew Saraf, is definitely not happy: Saraf

when it failed to implement a statewide

and his friend Avishek Panth are leading a

curriculum about the history of African

charge to get rid of the class, which they say

Americans in Maryland. George L.

presents only one side of controversial

Russell Jr., board chairman of the

debates over world peace. "It's not accept-

Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland

able for a public high school to be used to

African American History and Culture,

push a political agenda. That's not what

said that Baltimore students had been

education is about," Saraf told Front Page

robbed of an opportunity to "know

Magazine. McCarthy responded to Saraf

examples of courage and struggle"

and Panth's moves by arguing that he's

because the city failed to implement the

"never said [his] views are right and theirs

new curriculum. State Superintendent

are wrong. . . . In fact, I cherish conservative

Nancy S. Grasmick noted that the failure

dissenters." Principal Sean Bulson, for his

to implement that curriculum was espe-

part, made clear that complaints or not,

cially troubling because the Baltimore

peace studies wasn't going anywhere. "It's

school district is predominantly African

been an institution here, and kids from all

American, and district children deserve

across the spectrum have taken it," he said.

to have their schools teach them their

"It's not about indoctrination. It's about

history. "I think it's disappointing, par-

debate and dialogue."123

ticularly when we have a system that is

majority African-American students,"

she said. The district said that it had dis-

Book Banning

· Carroll County--After receiving com-

tributed the curricular materials to 120

32