School Board: If you’ve heard the term “Corvallis Time” and never really got it, then some at The Advocate are with you. Waiting for the school board meeting to begin for over half an hour for a second time in a row, we began to wonder about the parents who might want to participate but have to also find time to help with homework and give baths and get kids into bed at an appropriate time. So we spoke to someone about it.
In an email Board Chair Sarah Finger McDonald wrote, “I apologize to anyone who waited for our business meeting to start. As with the previous meeting, we had an executive session that ran longer than expected… We will take this into account as we schedule future executive sessions before board meetings. Our goal is always to start on time and we will make an effort to do so in the future.”
A Controversial Book: At the latest school board meeting, two local mothers stepped up to talk about the novel “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. The book is a part of the curriculum for Corvallis schools.
One mother spoke in favor of continuing with the book as she believes it is an important part of world literature. She said that the calls on social media to remove this book were filled with slander aimed at educators and the board.
The second mother to step up read a short piece of the novel – a scene that depicted a boy being raped in explicit terms with the use the a word that most parents would rather their children not use. She went on to say that it was more traumatizing to children because it was a boy being raped, and that she had asked for a different book for her child who was given the novel “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens instead.
Again from Finger McDonald: “We always appreciate when families take the time to come talk to the board. We have no plans to address the question of whether Kite Runner should be part of the high school curriculum. The district has a clear policy and procedure for the selection of instructional materials and for challenging the appropriateness of materials (Board policy II/IIA Instructional Resources/Instructional Materials and II/IIA-AR Instructional Material Selection). In this case, the parent said they were able to work
with the teacher and their student is reading an alternative book. We will address the appropriateness of materials if the question reaches the level of board involvement.”
Vaccines for Volunteers: In another public comment, a mother who identified herself as the Benton County District Captain for Oregon Moms Union spoke about needing to be vaccinated against Covid as a requirement to volunteers at Corvallis public schools. She would like to volunteer at her children’s schools but is unable because she has not been vaccinated.
When asked why volunteers are not able to claim exemption from the vaccine, Superintendent Ryan Noss said that each request for exemption must be read and approved by Human Resources, and as the people in HR are busy trying to recruit and hire new staff they do not have the time to also meet with every unvaccinated potential volunteer.
Quick Takeaway: At the city council meeting on October 17, two quick takeaways…
1. City Manager Mark Shepard will be retained.
2. The Porter Park Playground will have a ribbon cutting on Sunday, October 23, at 11:00 a.m., at Porter Park, located at 1895 NW Hayes.
By Advocate Staff
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