Stepfather upset with school book

By RAY WYCHE
Staff Writer

A Cerro Gordo man is alarmed and upset about a book his 12-year-old stepdaughter checked out of the Cerro Gordo Elementary School library, a book containing “every curse word you can think of,” he says.

Clifford O’Bryan said the fifth grader checked out “Dictionary of American Slang” as part of a school assignment to make a “word map” by arranging words in a particular pattern.

The copy of the work that O’Bryan’s stepdaughter brought home to use in her project was published by Thomas Crowell Publishers. The book’s covers show signs of significant wear, with scratches and torn spots.

The book contains numerous words and terms usually not heard in polite company, including several words referring to sex acts that are stated in normally unprintable words.

The book also has entries that use unacceptable names for African Americans.

O’Bryan says he went to Principal David Pless’ office and explained his objection to the book as being unsuitable for elementary school students.
“He asked me to bring it to him but I didn’t have it with me when I went,” O’Bryan says.

“Every curse word I’ve ever heard is in this book,” he said.

A card in the card pocket on the inside back cover of the book shows that it was last checked out using the old card system in 1985 by a teacher at the school. School libraries in the county system began using electronic library book check-out procedures in place of the old card system years ago, and it’s possible the book has been checked out since 1985.

O‘Bryan said Friday afternoon that he had talked with the Superintendent Dan Strickland of Columbus County Schools and was told that “the only thing to do is to give the book back to the principal and put it back in the school until a committee is formed to review the book. And that may take a while,” O’Byran said Strickland told him.

“So the book is on the way back to the school,” O’Bryan said.

Strickland said Monday the book has been returned to the school but will not be available for check-out by students at the present. The book will be reviewed by a media advisory committee that will determine its suitability for elementary school-age readers.