1. Make a brief list of the major issues that arise in this case study.
2. What is the "problem" statement?
3. What action(s) would you take to discuss this situation, and the larger implications, with the school's faculty?
4. What steps would you follow to ensure that this situation would not happen in the future?

The following case study seeks to address several school leader competencies, including:

1. Identifying critical areas in which school board members should developpolicies

2. Dealing effectively with board members

3. Dealing effectively with parents and family members of your students

4. Providing appropriate supervision of staff

5. Finding ways to take a controversial situation and make it a positive learning experience for most members of the school community.

Role:

You are the Director of an urban independent intermediate/high school servingstudents grades 7-12. You have been a school administrator in one other schoolbefore being hired for this school.

The school:

This is an urban public school that services families that are dissatisfied with the number of students who are not graduating from some other local district high schools. The boardincludes some of the parents and community members who have very strong opinions about what they do and do not want the school to do. They want the school to teach morality as well as academic achievement. They want the school to help reduce the number of students who are having babies before marriage. They are very clear about the importance of having "strong moral principles" promoted at the school. As Director and a former supervisor of English, you were asked to chair the development of the student reading list for this school year.

Introduction:

The president/chair of your public school board has just called you. She is veryangry. Several parents have called, complaining about a book that 9th graders arereading. The parents feel that the novel is "very inappropriate, borderlinepornography." Among other things, the chair says that the book in questiondescribes two teenagers having a sexual relationship. She says the relationship isdepicted as "an ok thing, rather than something to be avoided." The bookallegedly also discusses teen prostitution in graphic ways. Some of the parentsare asking for the teacher to be fired. Some of the parents say if they are notsatisfied with the school's response, they will go to the local news media. Oneof the parents apparently has written an email to a number of other parents,strongly criticizing the teacher, you, and the principal, as well as the school board for allowing this to happen. This email went to an undetermined number of parents/family members at your school.

The Board Chair reports that the parents are saying, "Each student in a particular9th grade English class has been assigned to read this book, which discusses,among other things, child prostitution." The Board Chair has read a little of thebook, which she says is "very offensive." She wants to meet with you afterschool today.

The Board Chair is angry with you and the teacher. She is demanding action,including possibly firing the teacher. She thinks the books probably should bethrown out, or returned to the publisher. She wants you to come to the meetingthis afternoon with a list of the steps you are ready to take.

Over the next few hours, you discover that:

a. The teacher has in fact assigned the book to all students.

b. Your school has purchased 30 copies of the novel, which costs $12 each(20% discount because the teacher purchased more than 20 copies of thebook simultaneously).

c. The school provides each teacher with a certain amount of money to purchase class materials. This is a source of pride for the schoolbecause it empowered the educators and was discussed inthe original charter proposal.

d. The book in question won a national award for its "frank, honestdepiction of childhood prostitution" from a national group that is workingon this issue.

e. In reading parts of the book, you conclude that it contains graphic, explicitdescriptions of sexual activity.

You continue to discover that the Board of Education:

a. Does not have a policy about parent notification of potentiallycontroversial items.

b. Does not appear to have considered the state law that requiresparents to be notified of potentially controversial items andprovided with an alternativeassignment.

c. Does not require teachers to provide parents, students or theadministration with a syllabus ahead of time.

d. Does not require teachers to provide lesson plans to the director/supervisor.

e. Does not have a policy about the administrator reviewing andapproving proposed expenditures by teachers.

f. Has had an informal policy whereby the board and directorestablish a budget, and the director provides certain amounts of that budget to each teacher for use in purchasing material. Some money is retained for purchases that will help several teachers or the entire school.