Township High School District 214
Encyclopedia
Township High School District 214 is located in Cook County
, Illinois
. It is the state's second largest high school district by enrollment .
by Tim O’Brien, Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut
, The Awakening
by Kate Chopin
, (Pulitzer prize winning) Beloved
by Toni Morrison
, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
, Freakonomics
by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
, and The Botany of Desire
: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
.
Some people, including students and teachers, believed that this action was far too extreme and decried the action giving it a moniker of Book Banning. And yet others felt that including classroom discussions that abortions can lower crime rates (Freakonomics) may not be an appropriate because some teachers do not provide balance and allowance for a pro-life stance. Also, to some parents, it is irresponsible to have students reading a book (A Plant's-Eye View of the World) which references the relationship between humans and the Cannabis
plant when the author is an activist for legalizing marijuana. The fact that “The Perks of Being a Wallflower
” is published by MTV and contains graphic depictions of date rape causes many parents to become concerned when this is required reading for the students. Most every news outlet covered the story, yet none could quote the books that most troubled this board member due to decency laws and FCC guidelines.
District 214 students signed a petition opposing the ban, saying that any sexual, drug, or violent references are not without a valid point. The petition reached 494 signatures before the board meeting on May 25, 2006 addressing the issue. That particular board meeting was attended by a large number of students and concerned citizens; so many, in fact, that the local fire department was on hand to make sure the room was not illegally overcrowded. The meeting extended until one in the morning as students and parents gave impassioned speeches defending their convictions. Among the speakers included were members of the debate clubs, former members of high school impassioned enough to come home from college, reverends, and numerous adults who had no children in the district at that time.
The attempted removal of these books from the curriculum was voted down by the school board 6-1 with Pinney as the lone dissenting vote.
On April 7, 2009 Pinney lost her re-election bid to Mark Hineman.
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It is the state's second largest high school district by enrollment .
Schools
- Buffalo Grove High SchoolBuffalo Grove High SchoolBuffalo Grove High School, or BGHS is a public high school located in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. It is one of six four-year comprehensive high schools in Township High School District 214, serving portions of the Villages of Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights and a small...
- Elk Grove High School
- John Hersey High SchoolJohn Hersey High SchoolJohn Hersey High School, , is a four-year public high school located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois in the United States, it has its students from Arlington Heights and also takes some students from Prospect Heights, Mount Prospect and a small part of Des...
- Prospect High SchoolProspect High School (Illinois)Prospect High School, or Prospect, is a public four-year high school located in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 214, which also includes Buffalo Grove High School, Elk Grove High School, John Hersey...
- Rolling Meadows High SchoolRolling Meadows High SchoolRolling Meadows High School, or RMHS, is a public four-year high school located in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 214. It is part of the second largest school district in Illinois, under Chicago...
- Wheeling High SchoolWheeling High SchoolWheeling High School, or WHS, is a public four-year high school located in Wheeling, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 214, which also includes Buffalo Grove High School, Elk Grove High School, John Hersey High...
Former Schools
- Arlington High SchoolArlington High School (Arlington Heights, Illinois)Arlington High School was a public high school located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, which operated from 1922 to 1984. It was the oldest school in Township High School District 214 which served students in Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights,...
closed 1984 - Forest View High SchoolForest View High SchoolForest View High School was a public secondary school in southern Arlington Heights, Illinois, operational from 1963 until its closure because of declining enrollment in 1986. The school mascot was Fergie the Falcon, and the school colors were silver, black, and gold.-Athletics:Forest View's team...
closed 1986
2006 Book Removal Controversy
One school board member, Leslie Pinney, questioned the approval of certain books as required reading texts for high school students. The books under consideration are: The Things They CarriedThe Things They Carried
The Things They Carried is a collection of related stories by Tim O'Brien, about a platoon of American soldiers in the Vietnam War, originally published in hardcover by Houghton Mifflin, 1990...
by Tim O’Brien, Slaughterhouse-Five
Slaughterhouse-Five
Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death is a satirical novel by Kurt Vonnegut about World War II experiences and journeys through time of a soldier called Billy Pilgrim...
by Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
, The Awakening
The Awakening (novel)
The Awakening is a novel by Kate Chopin, first published in 1899 . Set in New Orleans and the Southern Louisiana coast at the end of the nineteenth century, the plot centers around Edna Pontellier and her struggle to reconcile her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood with the...
by Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin, born Katherine O'Flaherty , was an American author of short stories and novels. She is now considered by some to have been a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century....
, (Pulitzer prize winning) Beloved
Beloved (novel)
Beloved is a novel by the American writer Toni Morrison, published in 1987. Set in 1873 just after the American Civil War , it is based on the story of the African-American slave, Margaret Garner, who escaped slavery in 1856 in Kentucky by fleeing to Ohio, a free state...
by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved...
, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an epistolary novel written by American novelist Stephen Chbosky. It was published on February 1, 1999 by MTV...
by Stephen Chbosky
Stephen Chbosky
Stephen Chbosky is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director best known for the coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower...
, Freakonomics
Freakonomics
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything is a 2005 non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner. The book has been described as melding pop culture with economics, but has also been described as...
by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Stephen J. Dubner
Stephen J. Dubner is an American journalist who has written four books and numerous articles. Dubner is best known as co-author of the pop-economics book Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything and its 2009 sequel, SuperFreakonomics.-Background:His parents were...
, and The Botany of Desire
The Botany of Desire
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World is a 2001 nonfiction book by journalist Michael Pollan. This work explores the nature of domesticated plants from the dual perspective of humans and the plants themselves...
: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
Michael Pollan
Michael Pollan is an American author, journalist, activist, and professor of journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. A 2006 New York Times book review describes him as a "liberal foodie intellectual."...
.
Some people, including students and teachers, believed that this action was far too extreme and decried the action giving it a moniker of Book Banning. And yet others felt that including classroom discussions that abortions can lower crime rates (Freakonomics) may not be an appropriate because some teachers do not provide balance and allowance for a pro-life stance. Also, to some parents, it is irresponsible to have students reading a book (A Plant's-Eye View of the World) which references the relationship between humans and the Cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
plant when the author is an activist for legalizing marijuana. The fact that “The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an epistolary novel written by American novelist Stephen Chbosky. It was published on February 1, 1999 by MTV...
” is published by MTV and contains graphic depictions of date rape causes many parents to become concerned when this is required reading for the students. Most every news outlet covered the story, yet none could quote the books that most troubled this board member due to decency laws and FCC guidelines.
District 214 students signed a petition opposing the ban, saying that any sexual, drug, or violent references are not without a valid point. The petition reached 494 signatures before the board meeting on May 25, 2006 addressing the issue. That particular board meeting was attended by a large number of students and concerned citizens; so many, in fact, that the local fire department was on hand to make sure the room was not illegally overcrowded. The meeting extended until one in the morning as students and parents gave impassioned speeches defending their convictions. Among the speakers included were members of the debate clubs, former members of high school impassioned enough to come home from college, reverends, and numerous adults who had no children in the district at that time.
The attempted removal of these books from the curriculum was voted down by the school board 6-1 with Pinney as the lone dissenting vote.
On April 7, 2009 Pinney lost her re-election bid to Mark Hineman.
Feeder school districts
- Arlington Heights School District 25Arlington Heights School District 25Arlington Heights School District 25 operates seven elementary schools and two middle schools and is located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.Elementary Schools: Dryden, Greenbrier, Ivy Hill, Olive-Mary Stitt, Patton, Westgate, and Windsor...
- Buffalo Grove-Wheeling Community Consolidated School District 21Wheeling Community Consolidated School District 21Wheeling Community Consolidated School District 21 is a school district that serves most of Wheeling, Illinois and surrounding communities, such as Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights. As of 2006, there are ten elementary schools in the district and three middle...
- Mount Prospect School District 57Mount Prospect School District 57Mount Prospect Public School District 57 is a community public school district that serves over 2,000 pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students in Mount Prospect, Illinois, United States, covering an area of 4.3 square miles .-History:...
- Prospect Heights School District 23Prospect Heights School District 23Prospect Heights School District 23 is a school district located in Prospect Heights, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. The majority of the schools, are located in the corner of Palatine Rd. and Schoenbeck Rd. Dwight D...
- River Trails Middle School (almost all of)
- Community Consolidated School District 59Community Consolidated School District 59Community Consolidated School District 59 has headquarters in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Though headquartered in Arlington Heights it's also to be called Elk Grove Community Consolidated District 59, as it serves most of Elk Grove Village and some parts of Arlington Heights,...
(almost all of) - Palatine Community Consolidated School District 15 (some)