Dear Martin: CLASS READING = Negative portrayal of police
9th GRADE ASSIGNED LIBRARY BOOK
Rockwood parents have expressed concerns about “Dear Martin,” one of several Rockwood-approved books that portrays police in a negative light.
“My son's uncle is a cop. There was no question or compensation or thought or care if any of the students were from a Law Enforcement family. He was pretty offended by the anti-cop stuff.”
—Lafayette parent
Seen, right:
A white, racist police officer is yelling profanity at two black teens. He later kills one and seriously injures the other.
The injured person is a black teen leaving soon for college. He ends up racially profiled and handcuffed.
Students read it for language arts classes.
A school district in Georgia recently took action and left the book off a supplementary reading list. The district cited “extreme” and “unacceptable” content.
Below and to the right:
Additional excerpts with negative portrayals of police.
page 8
Officer says:
“Don’t you say shit to me, you son of a bitch. I knew your punk ass was up to no good when I saw you walking down the road with that goddamn hood on.”
“Officer Castillo, I mean you no disrep—“ Officer: “I told your punk ass to shut the fuck up.”
page 27
“All the courts “proved” yesterday was that a white guy can kill an unarmed teenager and get away with it if the kid is black.”
page 7
“..he feels a tug on his shirt and is yanked backward. His head smacks the doorframe just before a hand clamps down on the back of his neck. His upper body slams onto the trunk with so much force, he bites the inside of his cheek, and his mouth fills with blood.”
“The cop shoves him to the ground beside the police cruiser….”
page 11
“There was this kid, Shemar Carson…black dude, my age, shot and killed in Nevada by this white cop back in June…but what’s clear is this cop shot an unarmed kid. Four times.”
page 89:
“Cops get there and tell him to put his hands up cuz they think he’s robbing her and when he does, they open fire cuz they think his cell phone is a gun. (N word) getting shot for carrying candy and cell phones and shit.”
Although the district says it was a mistake, “Dear Martin” was assigned reading and part of
class lesson content. The novel was read aloud by the teacher in at least one IEP class, to students with learning disabilities. IEP means Individualized Education Plan.
The corresponding workbook was also assigned.
"It’s shameful that this book was REQUIRED study for a class of learning disabled students, and their parents had no knowledge of it. This is OVERREACH, and it is OUTRAGEOUS!!!”
—Lafayette parent
In all other classes, “Dear Martin” is a district approved option for the Cultural Identity unit and other units in language arts for grades 8-12.
It’s on Rockwood’s approved “Choice Book” list, which means teachers can recommend it for class assignments. Its “recommended” reading age is 8th through 12th grades. As of this writing, 14 students currently have the book checked out.
Curriculum information:
Actual spreadsheet of approved books:
RSD Choice Book List Grades 6-12
Other concerns about the book relate to mature content:
profanity
underage drinking
conversation about trying to get a girl up to a bedroom.
Rockwood has 85 copies of this book in our school libraries.
In comparison, Rockwood has 8 copies of a standard classic like, “Animal Farm.”
5 copies of “To Kill A Mockingbird.
DETAILS
Dear Martin”
by Nic Stone
Language Arts, Cultural Identity unit
Spring semester, 2020-2021 school year
Parent Concerns:
Portrays police as brutal racists
Mature content
Used as lesson content
Status: Rockwood says it was a mistake to use it as a read aloud.
Still used for language arts reading.