Get a grip...

This post may upset a few people.  This lady is clueless.  She lives in a suburb of Atlanta, Ga. not too far from me.  She wants to ban Harry Potter books from the school libraries stating that it tries to indoctrinate children into the Wicca religion and "Referring to the recent rash of deadly assaults at schools, Mallory said books that promote evil - as she claims the Potter ones do - help foster the kind of culture where school shootings happen. 

That would not happen if students instead read the Bible, Mallory said."  I am all for reading the Bible but, Harry Potter does not foster the 'kind of culture where school shootings happen.'  She also tries to say that the books are harmful to children who are not yet able to differentiate between fantasy and reality.  Does she really listen to what she is saying or think about what she's saying before hand?  First, the books are placed in the fiction section of the library/media centers.  I know because I work in one of the schools in the district she is trying to get these banned from.  Second, isn't helping children to differentiate between fantasy and reality a job of the child's parents until they are old enough to do so on their own?

Here's a synopsis of the history of this lady trying to get the series banned from our district's school libraries (taken from the AJC.com)

• Harry Potter and the Loganville mother: Laura Mallory, a Loganville parent, challenges the books in September 2005, saying the stories promote and glorify witchcraft. She wants the books removed from her children's school, J.C. Magill Elementary, and all Gwinnett public school libraries.

• Harry Potter and the Magill panel: A Magill Elementary review panel says the books have merit and should be available to children. The panel is comprised of parents, community members and school staff members. Mallory appeals the decision to the district.

• Harry Potter and the Gwinnett panel: A district-wide media panel reviews the books and says the books should stay in school libraries. Mallory appeals to the Gwinnett County school board.

• Harry Potter and the hearing of the ban: In April, the school board conducts a hearing on the issue. Mallory and her supporters say the books need to go because the stories are dark, violent and inappropriate for children. The school system and Potter fans defend the books as modern literature.

• Harry Potter and the officer's report: The school board's hearing officer strongly recommends the books stay. She says removing them would open the school system to ridicule.

• Harry Potter and the order of the school board: The Gwinnett school board in May unanimously rules in favor of the books. Board members say they have merit because they promote reading and improve students' literacy skills. Mallory appeals to the state Board of Education.

• Harry Potter and the state of Georgia: The state board hearing officer will listen to oral arguments related to the appeal in the Education Department's executive board room, Suite 2070, Twin Towers East, Atlanta. The hearing, which should last about an hour, is open to the public, though the public cannot comment.

I can't seem to find it right now but somewhere I know I've read that this lady HASN'T EVEN READ ANY of the books!!!  Having the opinion that Harry Potter books are evil is one thing, but trying to get it banned because of that opinion when you haven't even read the books is just ridiculous.  Sure she quotes all this other research but to just take what those people say, not even consider the other side of the argument, and not read even one of the books to see if they have any merit at all is laughable.  I wonder what she would think about this book, by a literature teacher?

(FYI, the State will hear the argument in December.  A hearing officer heard both sides early in October and is supposed to make a recommendation to the State board.  But the state board's ruling may not be the final word. If the state board rules against her, Mallory will have the opportunity to appeal to Gwinnett County Superior Court.)

I could go on and on but I will just post a letter by a current UGA student and a former student of Gwinnett county about this:

"Why ban the one series that has youths reading again?

I am a proud 2003 graduate of the Gwinnett County school system, graduating summa cum laude from the University of Georgia this year. I attribute the foundations of my achievements to the fine educators of our school system, but the ever-shrinking framework within which they can teach is a growing cause of concern for me and — I hope — for the community.

My senior year in high school, I sat in a small room in the English department with a paper cutter, removing (on the county's orders, I was told) the essay published in the back of every copy of "Lord of the Flies" because it mentioned Devil symbolism.

"Without evil, what would they have counter good [to build conflict in the narrative]?" I asked incredulously.

Now in my senior year of college, I am ashamed on behalf of the county to acknowledge a further imposition upon our school system in the proposed banning of the Harry Potter books.

As a part-time job, I tutor high school students and say to you plainly that our standardized bubbling craze is rendering them functionally illiterate. Why, then, would we consider eliminating the one series of books that has rekindled interest in literature among young readers? On "Harry Potter" release dates, bookstores around the country are overflowing with children who will not only bury their heads in a book for the next week but also then engage in literary discussion among their peers.

If magic portrayed in a positive light threatens someone's sense of virtue, shall we also eliminate "Cinderella" or "Beauty and the Beast?" Fairy godmothers, magic slippers, magic beans, etc., are strewn all about traditional children's literature and bedtime stories. And the job of explaining the differences between real and imaginary, right and wrong, is — as it always has been — one left to the parents.

If your opinions differ from the status quo, take it upon yourself to instill in your children a moral code more suited to yours. As the parents, you have that right. But you don't have the right to extend your shield over anyone else's child; it imposes ignorance and intolerance on a generation of children who have already seen their fair share of both.

ENBAR TOLEDANO"

Well said!