High school teacher keeps job after handing out pornographic 'banned book'
Posted: October 05, 2009
12:52 pm Eastern
By Chelsea Schilling
2009 WorldNetDaily
"The Perks of Being a Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky
A father of a high-school student is infuriated after he said a teacher provided "banned books" to her 11th-grade students, including at least one with explicit descriptions of homosexual sex acts, rape, masturbation, profane language and even bestiality.
John Davis, father of an 11th-grade student at William Byrd High School in Vinton, Va., told WND that English teacher Kathleen Renard provided her personal copy of a book called "Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky to one of her English students, and it was passed to his son. The book is published by MTV Books.
Davis found the book in his son's possession, along with a bookmark that said, "Read banned books. They're your ticket to freedom."
"My son was reading the book and stated it was a school assignment," Davis told WND. "He was embarrassed that I began to peruse through the book and discovered its contents. He advised that the book belongs to his English teacher, Mrs. Kathleen Renard."
Upon reading the book, Davis discovered the following:
sex acts between teenagers
male and female masturbation
suicide
oral sex
extensive use of profanity, especially the "F"-word
multiple cases of homosexual acts between teenage boys, including kissing, seduction and anal sex
illegal drug and alcohol use, including smoking marijuana and LSD usage
anonymous homosexual acts between men and boys
rape of a teenage girl while she cried
molestation of a young boy by a woman
molestation of a young girl by an older man
how hitting a girl can turn her on and make her love a boy
attempted sex between a boy and a dog
Davis confiscated the book and arranged to meet with Renard and William Byrd High School Principal Richard Turner.
Amazon.com excerpt from 'Perks of Being a Wallflower'
The father said the English teacher was not present at the Oct. 2 meeting. He asked the principal if he could speak with the teacher, but he said Turner refused to call her in, saying, "I'm not going to fire her over this."
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"I was supposed to be meeting with him and the teacher together so I could get some answers," Davis said. "He wouldn't let the teacher come in because he was trying to protect her."
Davis said the principal explained that Renard had made "a whole row" of banned books available to her students in celebration of the American Library Association's "Banned Book Week." She included her personal copy of "Perks of Being a Wallflower," complete with her own name on the inside jacket, among other selections.
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The book is listed among ALA's top 10 "most frequently challenged books of 2008." The ALA "banned" books also include many other stories that reference sex, occult themes, violence, offensive language, drug abuse, homosexuality and suicide.
The principal told Davis he believed the book was inappropriate, but he said the father handled his complaint improperly.
Parents were not informed that these banned books would be made available to the students. Davis said that when he expressed this concern to the principal, he replied, "You're right about that."
According to Davis, the principal said he believed the teacher should not have provided the books. Principal Turner claimed he had met with the instructor and disciplined her, but Davis said he would not say what actions had been taken. Instead, he told the father, "That's between me and her."
Davis said, "As far as I know, he may have just given her a paid day off. He wouldn't tell me."
Renard's personal copy of 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' included a 'banned books' bookmark inside
Principal Turner acknowledged that the school also carried two copies of the book in the library and said he had asked to have them removed from the shelves.
Messages left with Principal Turner and Roanoke County School Board members had not been returned at the time of this report.
Davis mentioned WND's big list of teachers who have sexual relationships with minor students and said he is concerned that a teacher who provides sexually explicit reading material to her students could have ulterior motives.
Instructor's name appears inside 'banned book'
Davis is still in possession of the book and has chosen not to give it back to the instructor because he said he doesn't want it back in the hands of students.
"This is one of the better schools around," he told WND. "People need to wake up and start questioning some of the things that are going on in the schools. They wonder why we're having so many problems with teens. A lot of it has to do with what goes on in the schools."
Concerned individuals may contact William Byrd High School or the Roanoke County School Board.
