A Seattle-area school board has removed the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird from the district’s ninth-grade reading curriculum after a group of teachers, parents, and some students complained that the Harper Lee book was racially insensitive.
On Monday night, the Mukilteo School Board in Washington approved a resolution to strike the book from school reading lists. The move was supported by District Superintendent Alison Brynelson, according to the agenda.
The novel is not outright banned and can still be found in school libraries, however, and teachers may be allowed to use it in the classroom if they choose, Fox News reported.
According to the school district, parents, teachers, and students who spoke at the school board meeting spoke overwhelmingly in favor of removing the book from the required reading list, with one student arguing that the book "...did a lot of damage" to her as the only black student in the classroom.
"It really did a lot of damage," said district spokesperson Diane Bradford to Fox News. "Not only was it uncomfortable but for her, it turned out to be traumatic because of the way that it was handled and what it brought out with her classmates," Bradford said. "She said it actually led to more use of the n-word and she felt bullied as a result of her response in class."
"It was clear from the comments received that there are many legitimate and thoughtful opinions about this novel and its place in school curriculum," Bradford told the outlet. "The students who shared their experiences and thoughts with the board were especially compelling in their reasoning that there are other novels that can teach similar literary conventions and themes without causing further harm to students."
The book, which was published in 1960, is set in the 1930s and revolves around a young white girl who must contend with the racial inequality of the small Alabama town she lives in. In the story, her father, a lawyer named Atticus Finch, defends a black man falsely accused of raping a young white woman. Despite all evidence proving his innocence, the jury finds the man guilty of rape.
The award-winning story was later adapted into an Academy Award-winning movie starring Gregory Peck for its realistic portrayal of the United States in the Jim Crow-era, and was heralded as an eye-opening expose of racism inherent in America’s institutions during the early 20th century.
In recent years, the novel has received negative attention from hypersensitive parents and teachers who find its portrayal of racism to be "offensive."
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