MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2014 - OCTOBER 19, 2014
riversideindependent.com
Banning books still in style by Vickie Vértiz Inappropriate content for the age group was the reason for banning The Fault in Our Stars by a Riverside schools committee from its middle school library. This move was in response to a parent complaint about the teen love story content being too risqué for the middle schoolers. A similar parent complaint in the Cucamonga School District also banned the Pulitzer Prizewinning novel, forcing the Rancho Cucamonga Middle School library to implement a book audit, reported the Los Angeles Times. The Riverside Unified School District book reconsideration committee heard testimony, discussed and voted on the matter in the afternoon of Monday, September 29. A 6-1 decision removed every copy of the John Green novel from library shelves at Frank Augustus Miller Middle School. They also decided to deny other middle schools the ability to buy or accept the book as a donation, said the Times. However, the book will be allowed to be in high school libraries, committee chairwoman Christine Allen told the Times. Allen is the librarian at Arlington High School, where the committee met to discuss the matter. All it took was one parent, identified as Karen Krueger, to ask the committee composed of teachers, parents, a principal, and
tim not to tell anyone who they are talking with. After obtaining the serial numbers to the Green Dot cards, the money deposited to the card is immediately removed by the suspect. The caller is not connected with the Riverside Superior Court or the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. No RivPlease see page 4
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at a middle school library because the plot involved teenagers dying of cancer, using explicit language, and having sex. In the age of Please see page 2
Police warn of fraudulent scam calls The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department would like to warn the public of fraudulent scam phone calls. Recently, various frauds have occurred in the Riverside County area where criminals contact victims by telephone to impersonate law enforcement officials or utility company officials. Court Scam: In the first type of scheme, the caller claims to be
a member of law enforcement, or the court system. The victim is told he or she has a warrant for failing to appear for jury duty. The caller demands payment for the warrant via credit card information, or a Green Dot card. The suspect typically remains on the phone with the victim while he or she travels to the store to obtain the Green Dot card. The suspect further instructs the vic-
Bill to mandate child-abuse training for teachers signed into law Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s (D-Los Angeles) bill to strengthen training requirements and prevent child abuse in schools was signed into law by Governor Brown Monday. The legislation would require all school employees to be trained according to standards developed by the Department of Education in the proper identification and reporting of child abuse, so that abuse can be stopped in its tracks. Gatto’s AB 1432 addresses the lack of training on how to recognize and report child abuse in K-12 settings. The California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act requires certain professionals, known as mandated reporters, to report to law enforcement or protective services known or suspected instances of neglect, or physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Despite these requirements, current law does not require school districts to train personnel on detecting and reporting child abuse, nor does it inform them of their responsibilities or that failure to report is a misdemeanor punishable by jail time. Gatto’s legislation addresses this problem by requiring school employees to complete reporting training. The Assemblyman has been working closely with child advocates and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom
John Green’s book was banned from from a Riverside middle school library -Courtesy Photo
a librarian and instructional services specialist, to have the book removed or that it be made available only with parental consent. Krueger did not think the book should be made available
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