On March 23, a clandestine book review committee met in the Communist City of Dover. There is supposedly a recording of the meeting, yet no one can access it. The agenda, time, and date were secret, and released to the Dover squad and the person filing the complaint a day prior.
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To date, nine books have been submitted to the review committee, one in January, and eight in February. The lengthy forms, one for each book, were submitted to the Principal, Superintendent, School Board, assistant Superintendent, City Council, and the City Attorney. Silence followed.
Apparently, they have never had books challenged in the schools, and therefore, they had no idea what to do with them!
After the long silence, the School Board and Administration decided their minion, the Superintendent, would pick the committee members to review the books:
Voting members:
- Karen Berg (parent/guardian)
- Matthew Cox (parent/guardian)
- Susan Spence (community member)
- Matt Mayberry (community member)
- Charles Reynolds (community member)
In addition, the following School District employees are assisting the committee as advisory participants:
- Facilitator – Christine Boston
- Principal – Peter Driscoll
- Librarian –Kristin Whitworth
- Co-CIA Director – Siobhan Mehalek
- Teacher – Eric Schlapak
- Teacher – Steve Coco
The School Board’s current policy on general book reconsideration is policy KEC, available here.
When pressed about the process, the following was explained by the city attorney.
“The policy is open-ended about the process and, so, my understanding is that the committee is likely still mapping that process out. I do expect it will likely take some time to work through each individual book review request filed, as the committee members are (or are likely) going to read each separate book in its entirety as part of the process. Right now, the committee is reading the book for which reconsideration.”
“No SAU employees will be voting members of the Book Review Committee, but appointed by the School Board and Superintendent”, who have made their position clear, pornography is a-ok with them. “The committee is also going to be posting notices of meetings in accordance with RSA 91-A.”
No notice ever happened. One could search the heavens and not find one notice on the first review. And the “certified letter” to the person filing for the review never came!
It’s a bit like the fox guarding the hen house, but it was decided, without any input from parents actually concerned about the content of over 100 books that meet or exceed federal, state, and city laws on sexual adult content. By the way, our laws are not a consideration for the review process or even referenced, even though the filer brought up the city ordinance on adult entertainment during the review meeting.
These are not stories that have occasional minors drinking or fornicating. They are violent depictions of adults preying on children, sex, drugs, pedophilia, and crime written by sick adults making a buck off our taxes.
The first public review was set for March xx, with no notice on the city website (as the review process mandates) as per 91-A rules; nothing online or by email, nothing. The person who filed the complaint was not sure what was going on until she was told it was a public forum, not a review. Forum?
The time was set, and a group from the LBGTQ community was there to protest, apparently, these adults love pornography! This is where confusion goes on steroids. Mr. Mayberry, chair, (he of the failed Congressional bid against Matt Mowers) chaired the happy group. He was empowered to chastise Dover citizens confused about the conundrum surrounding this strange informal but formal meeting that did not follow one iota of formal committee rules in the city code.
He bit off heads and barked about Roberts’ rules. A so-called “conservative,” his alliances were clear from the start. They were pro-porn.
A retired police officer, with online credits as follows…
- Consent Decree Auditor and DoJ consultant
- Former Chief of Police, Mayor, and City Manager, Dover, NH
- Past President, International Assn. of Chiefs of Police.
…explained how suicides are up, and other teen problems are increasing daily. But he defended porn in schools. It’s OK. Apparently, he could not put 2+2 =4 together and maybe identify root causes from the school library books that glorify such behavior!?
A brief pause from “books” to online access, another problem in schools, ended sharply by Co-CIA Director – Siobhan Mehalick, who went on the record that it was “impossible” for school children to access porn sites from school Chromebooks and then said if they do, IT would know about it and immediately contact parents.
Mayberry refused to look at the screenshots from a student’s Chromebook and mansplained the person with the actual screenshots (evidence). Btw, the student’s parents with the screenshots were never notified. Ignorance is bliss!
There was lots of banter from the LBGTQ representative (I am grateful only one stood and spoke of their personal trials and tribulations rather than listen to all of their pity me stories) about how removing porn hurts the LBGTQ children!? I guess the crimes of pedos towards their children are ok by them.
At the end of almost 2 hours, Chairman Matt Mayberry asked the school advisers if they would allow their tween-age children to read this book. All of them said they would allow most of their 14 yr old children but not others. Poor kids. What’s stopping the “others” from reading them as well?
The first book challenged is Tricks, by Ellen Hopkins. It chronicles five teens through various horrific journeys. It is “Tricks,” as in ‘turning tricks,’ sex, for money. There is pedophilia, rape, underage sex work, drugs, alcohol, and suicide. These children are sadly damaged without any hope of being productive adults.
This book contains explicit sexual activities including child rape and abuse; drug abuse; violence; alcohol use; and adult and child prostitution.
Even when the author tries for something positive, she manages tragedy. Not a book for the faint of heart, especially a child.
This author has made a fortune writing many similar sexually explicit books victimizing children(15 in Dover schools), and now Dover is adding to her juicy profits by acquiring more of her books for the School Board and review folks! Guess they haven’t figured out how to use free downloads or to just take copies from the library. I would love to know how many students are victims of such crimes as the head librarian, Ms. Whitworth, said this book is needed in the schools to help and support children in such situations!!
What children? What happened to “let’s contact the parents”?
The librarian went on to state all the schoolchildren come to her with every book they are interested in! Ok, there’s an oceanfront lot in Arizona for sale, too.
According to the committee, it is the ending of all these horrible stories, not the journey, that matters. Living as preyed upon, adult raped, abused, drug overdosed, sex trafficked, alcoholic is okay if the ending isn’t so bad? It was bad for someone. Tricks was so daunting the newly created group will apparently be replaced by a newer group selected exclusively by the School Board.
Before that happens, this review committee unanimously voted to keep Tricks! A proud moment for review board chair Mr. Conservative Mayberry!! He finally got to be a politician. Here here!
One has to wonder if the pornography titillation in these books is filling a void in these sad adult people’s lives. Consenting adults can do whatever they want. Children under 18 should not be exposed to such violations at taxpayers’ expense! It’s the law. What happened to protecting a child’s innocence, DARE, all the angry parents protecting their children from evil? All you hear from them is that removing these books will harm LBGTQ children. When keeping them accessible in schools does just that. Harm.
And did any of these ‘reviewers’ even think to ask if the book TRICKS and other redeeming topics are in the Dover Public Library so minors intent on reading them can find them there?? YES, it is there, and MORE!!!! 102 and counting.
At some point, a child will take one or more of these books seriously. A guide to improper behavior or the acceptance needed to have an affair with a pedophile, rape, drink alcohol as a minor, and do drugs.
These are not books that have moral values or outcomes; they are full of racial slurs, bigotry, and slang, and are poorly written. So, it’s not literature. They are not teaching morality, so what is it? Why are some adults saying, “kids will find sex and drug use online” or “it will help them navigate hardships”? Ok, but if one in 10 are using this book as a self-help guide, what about the other nine? What happens to the one child after reading it that truly needs help? I guess we’ll find out.
