RALEIGH - To satisfy critics worried about what children are reading in school, Wake County school administrators will require teachers to do two things: get permission to use certain books, and provide reading lists to parents.

The changes will ensure that parents know that books have been reviewed by the principal and found acceptable, administrators say. But some teachers and parents worry that the requirements will mean extra work for teachers and cause some controversial books to no longer be used.

"It's an insult to teachers to require them to do this," said Sharon Winzeler, co-chairwoman of the English department at Broughton High School in Raleigh. "You rely on us to be professionals."

Administrators say it's no different than the current practice of requiring teachers to get permission to show films that aren't in the school media center.

The reading issue came up in April when some parents and Called2Action, a local Christian activist group, complained to the school board about students being required to read three books -- "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker, "Beloved" by Toni Morrison and "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier.

The parents objected to what they called the "vulgar and sexually explicit language" in the books and said families should have been warned about them.

After meeting with the parents, board members asked administrators to review the book-use policy. That led to the changes announced Tuesday. The changes don't require board approval.

"I'm pleased that staff took a look and saw how to improve it," said Patti Head, chairwoman of the school board.

Viviane Cobb, one of the parents who complained to the board in April, said they got what they wanted.

"I feel like if all these things had been in place before, we wouldn't have had to go through this," said Cobb, whose child attends Reedy Creek Middle School in Cary. "I feel very pleased."

Teachers will have to fill out forms requesting permission from their principal to use material not on the district's reading lists. This change affects only middle and high school teachers.

Teachers will have to explain why they want to use a book and provide reviews from professional sources. They also will have to identify any potential challenges such as objectionable language, sexuality, violence or cultural/ethnic concerns.

Winzeler said many books used in English classes are not on the district's approved reading list, including such classic works as "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck and "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway.

"It's more paperwork that teachers will have to fill out," said Jennifer Lanane, president-elect of the Wake chapter of the N.C. Association of Educators, which represents the district's employees.

Cobb said filling out the forms won't be that much extra work.

Jo Baker, associate superintendent for instructional services, said principals will scrutinize the book requests. "I can't imagine any principal getting a form that has any of the boxes [for potential challenges] checked and not getting more information before approving the book," Baker said.

Triumph of timidity?

To Terri Boykin, whose daughter attends Southeast Raleigh High School, that could lead to censorship.

"I'm worried that a timid principal might feel pressure from parents and decide it's safer not allowing them to read it in class," Boykin said. "I'd rather leave it up to the teacher to decide what to read in the classroom."

Winzeler said some new teachers might decide it's not worth submitting controversial books.

Winzeler has no problems, though, with another new requirement that teachers provide information on reading lists to parents at the beginning of the year, semester or summer. She said she already does so to keep parents informed of what her classes are doing.

Administrators say most teachers already follow this practice.

Getting the information in advance could allow more parents to request alternate reading assignments for their children. They also could request that a book be removed from classroom use.

Challenged books

Administrators said five books were officially challenged this past school year -- "The Chocolate War," "Cassell's Dictionary of Slang" by Jonathon Green, "Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky, Peaky Spying" by Barbara Park, "Reluctantly Alice" by Phyllis Reynolds and "In the Night Kitchen" by Maurice Sendak.

"We want to give parents an opportunity to voice concerns and for the schools to make alternatives available when necessary," Baker said.

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