Baldwin ? The Baldwin school board Monday sidestepped controversy by referring to committee the evaluation of a sexually explicit novel the superintendent pulled from a class for ninth-graders.

A motion approved 6-1 by the board instructs a Baldwin High School committee to review “We All Fall Down” and report in about two weeks whether it should remain part of the curriculum of a freshman orientation course.

That action followed a presentation by Connie Wehmeyer, the district’s curriculum director, in which she read some of the most salacious passages in Robert Cormier’s novel.

“Does it meet learning objectives in our curriculum?” Wehmeyer asked.

At Supt. Jim White’s urging, the board agreed classroom copies of the book wouldn’t be made available to students while the committee’s review was pending.

But students interested in finishing the novel can try to check out a copy of the book in the high school’s library.

“One copy in the library is not fair to all the freshmen in that class,” said Stacy Cohen, the lone board member to vote against the motion.

She offered an alternative in which the high school committee would review the book, but copies confiscated by the administration would be returned to teacher Joyce Tallman. Students could then finish the book on their own, Cohen said.

Cohen’s motion died for lack of a second.

About 100 people attended the special school board meeting.

Applause erupted several times when board members and Wehmeyer discussed reasons the book might not be suitable for ninth-graders.

Cormier’s book

“We All Fall Down” examines teenage issues that include peer pressure, alcohol abuse and divorce. There are sexual references and explicit language.

Cohen said the book was appropriate because it offered students a venue for discussing real-life situations they could likely face while in high school.

“They’re thinking about this kind of stuff,” Cohen said.

Board member Blaine Cone countered: “Do we have to lend credence to it?”

White acted after receiving two complaints from parents and reading excerpts of the novel.

Policy review proposed

During the meeting, Wehmeyer urged the board to rewrite its policy on challenging academic materials. It’s possible policy language drafted by the Kansas Association of School Boards will be merged with current district policy, but no timetable was set for that reform.

Wehmeyer said the orientation course, which was intended to introduce health issues, promote study skills and improve reading performance, should be redesigned. Class objectives are unreasonably broad, she said.

While the curriculum director said several times Tallman made a good-faith effort to teach the course, Wehmeyer also offered a detailed summary of why “We All Fall Down” was an inappropriate selection for the class.

Tallman has used the novel in the course for three years. No student was required to read the novel, and could choose a different book and read in the library.