To the editor,

Thank you to Pierce County Journal and writer Sarah Nigbor for writing specifically and accurately about parental appeal to remove curriculum from English 9 in River Falls. The book was never asked to be removed from the school library, only the curriculum.

It cannot be overstated parents were never told children would be reading below grade level material that was sexually explicit and against the school code of conduct for language.

Why does the school want to have sexually explicit material and swear words in their literature? Who is ultimately in charge of what our children learn at school? The teachers chose the curriculum. The school board had the authority listed in their own policy 871 to remove the curriculum. Why did they choose not to? Do they feel it’s good and right for adults to teach sexual content to children without parental knowledge or consent?

I was told by an English 9 teacher “There are thousands upon thousands of books out there that can show students that.”

Why did River Falls teachers choose not to use any?

River Falls schools need to start teaching the rigorous academics without sexual deviance our tax dollars are funding. River Falls cannot be a character school of excellence and have curricula that violates its own code of conduct at the same time. Either we have character and ethics or we don’t.

Jaclyn Wahlquist

River Falls