Some Lorain County JVS parents furious over required reading, board yet to remove book from curriculum

LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - A book that’s required reading for freshmen at Lorain County Joint Vocational School has some parents furious, calling the book inappropriate and even pornographic.

Some parents were under the impression that the board was going to decide on whether to remove the controversial book from the curriculum at Thursday’s school board meeting, but the superintendent said they won’t even discuss it again until sometime in January.

Diane Kerecz said she doesn’t want the school to ban the book ‘Looking for Alaska’. She just wants the district to remove it from the curriculum for 9th graders.

“The movie of this book is rated R, 17 plus,” Kerecz explained. “This book should be for no one under 17.”

The Amherst mom said her 14-year-old daughter came to her on the very first day of English class this year and told her the book they were listening to made her feel uncomfortable.

“Kids have access to this material outside of school, but I thought we held our classrooms to a higher standard,” Kerecz said before the board on Thursday. “Regardless these words cannot be spoken on FCC-regulated airways nor can they be written in any local newspaper but hey let’s speak them to our 14-year-olds.”

Looking for Alaska has been banned in other school districts across the country for its sexually-explicit nature.

“They don’t have the book to hand out the poor kids are listening to it so they’re all listening to it all together and it’s gotta be the most awkward thing that you can listen to with your peers and your friends so what is it really doing be destroying their innocence?” said Tony Kerecz, uncle of the 9th grader.

The Amherst mom asked if her daughter would be transferred to a different English class that’s when she learned the entire 9th grade was reading it. She said then the superintendent called her.

“He called me back and said, ‘No, you’re right there was a breakdown in our procedures. You were not notified, none of the parents were notified,’ but we’ve been doing this book for five years in this school.”

JVS and Wellington school board member Ayers Ratliff introduced a resolution that passed in late November asking JVS to remove the book. It’s now been forwarded to the curriculum committee who will make the final recommendation on the book’s future in the district.

“Can we ask some questions about the book looking for Alaska now? Is she the curriculum person?” Ratliff asked during the meeting.

“Yes, but the book as the board president spoke last month will be done in January,” said Lorain County JVS Superintendent, Glenn Faircloth.

“I would like to know how that book got in our school five years ago and is still going,” said Ratliff.

“Well, that book is part of our language arts department, yes along with other books that we have, so that’s not the only book that we have,” said Faircloth.

Then things got heated between Ratliff and Faircloth.

“You should have had a major issue with it when they wanted to do it!” Ratliff yelled.

“Why would I have an issue with the book?” Faircloth asked.

“Because I would not let a book like that be taught to 9th-grade students if I were the leader of this school,” said Ratliff.

“That’s fine you can feel that way but incidentally I’m the CEO of this school,” Faircloth retorted.

19 News asked the superintendent for an interview on the book, and he declined. He said they will discuss the book in a curriculum meeting in January, but there’s no exact date yet.