Wallingford Superintendent of Schools Hits 'Pause Button' on Book Removal Controversy

Wallingford Superintendent of Schools Dr. Salvatore Menzo is hitting the “pause button” on the fallout of his decision to remove the book “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” from the reading list for high school freshmen because it wasn’t being taught at the time the decision was made in February, according to the Meriden Record-Journal.

Menzo said the book was last used in the fall semester and there has been no interruption of it being taught, according to the Record-Journal. The book is still available in the school library and for independent reading.

Menzo made his comments at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting in which residents spoke about the controversy swirling around the coming-of-age novel during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Parents had expressed concern that a complaint from one parent could result in a book being removed from the curriculum.

The parent, Jean Pierre Bolat, filed a complaint in November that the book included references to homosexuality, date rape, sex, masturbation, a glorification of drug and alcohol use and was inappropriate for the curriculum. Bolat is currently a member of the Board of Education but filed the complaint three months before he was sworn in.

Menzo sent a letter home to parents Monday to “provide clarification” on a misunderstanding about the decision to review the book.

“The Wallingford Public School District did not remove students’ access to this book; but rather, made a decision concerning the manner in which the book would be used by the school district following a request for review by a parent,” Menzo wrote.

Following Bolat’s complaint, a committee of teachers and Assistant Superintendent Shawn Parkhurst reviewed the book and determined it would remain in the freshmen curriculum.

However, the committee stated, “This book was not for everyone and that is why it is a choice and will remain a choice,” according to Menzo.

Bolat then forwarded the matter to the superintendent level where additional research was conducted.

“The review revealed ambiguities in the curriculum causing some to believe it was a required text,” Menzo wrote. “No specific novel in this unit is required. Some staff members interpreted the concept of choice as their choice and not student choice. I realized this is the primary issue needing to be resolved.”

The book, which was adapted into a PG-13 movie starring Harry Potter’s Emma Watson in 2012, is narrated by an introverted teenager, who describes his experiences in a series of letters to an anonymous stranger.

Luther Turmelle of the New Haven Register reports that during the nearly hour-long discussion of the controversy surrounding the book Monday night, Menzo insisted he wasn’t bowing to the wishes of one parent. He addressed the curriculum ambiguities and also said that while the book “has adult themes, it was written at a fourth- to sixth-grade level. I think we should have something a little more challenging for our students.”

As a result, Menzo is convening a curriculum writing committee comprised of teachers and administrators to conduct a “more expansive review of the curriculum and book,” according to Monday’s letter.

The curriculum committee will also develop “communication strategies for parents as to novels being read in classes.”

The committee will forward its recommendations to the Board of Education prior to the new school year, according to Menzo.

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