Newspapers = Fascinating Forbidden Fruit?

From Pioneer Press:

Last week, the school found itself in the headlines of the newspapers delivered there, after it was reported that a parent had complained forcefully about the "sex, death and general mayhem" in the Pioneer Press and other papers.

...

Newspapers are now placed behind a library counter, but students can still read them if they ask. News of the decision was not universally hailed by other Deerwood parents, who do not share the notion that leaving a paper on a library counter was equivalent to "leaving a loaded gun on the table," as the complaining parent is reported to have written in an e-mail.

Overall, it sounds like other parents were Not Impressed with the decision* (or, rather, the lack of any sort of process that led to the decision), but some have put a positive spin on the situation:

"My first response was, 'That lady's second-grader can read the newspaper? Way to go, all of those teachers at Deerwood!' "

*As the Pioneer Press is one of the newspapers the parent objected to, you may want to look at some other takes on the story, including (hooray!) a video of a local news segment.

Comments

[E_I]

I can't one person can affect stuff like this. Seriously.

[E_I]

Oops. I meant "I can't believe one person can affect stuff like this."

[Tom]

I can think of a few newspapers that should be kept out of the hands of children... the NY Post comes to mind. ;-) Actually this is just silly. One person complains in an email and the library overreacts. I would like to know how this mom got her 2nd grader interested in reading the paper, though.

[jess]

I was laughing reading the story, so I felt I had to explain myself to the woman next to me at the coffee shop, and she thought it was ridiculous & said, "I wish our paper were that inflammatory."

[nrkii]

Ugh. NUTSO-AH (never underestimate the stupidity of average humans). That's going to be my new motto.