Definitive Edition of Anne Frank's Diary to Stay in Northville Schools

A Northville Public Schools material review committee unanimously decided to keep using the unedited version of Anne Frank's diary in order to avoid imposing "situational censorship."

The committee assembled last week to review the district's use of “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl – The Definitive Edition,” which got national attention because of a graphic passage describing the female body.

"The committee felt strongly that a decision to remove the use of Anne Frank:  The Diary of a Young Girl – The Definitive Edition as a choice within this larger unit of study would effectively impose situational censorship by eliminating the opportunity for the deeper study afforded by this edition," said Robert Behnke, assistant superintendent for Instructional Services, in the email.

The book is one of two set during the Holocaust that students in seventh grade literature classes in Meads Mill and Hillside middle schools can choose to read. 

The committee -- comprised of administrators, media specialists, two middle school English teachers and district parents -- reviewed the complaint from a mother of a seventh grade student at Meads Mill Middle School.

Gail Horalek, the mother who filed the complaint, said the school should have asked for parents' permission before assigning the book to students.

"If they watch any kind of movie with a swear word in it, I have to sign a permission slip," she said.

According to Behnke's email, the committee also suggested the district take more steps to provide information about the units of study within the middle school literature courses. The committees also suggested that the district provide book lists to parents and clarify that reading selections can be reviewed by parents prior to making a selection. 

Parents can soon expect information and book lists regarding the seventh grade English Language Arts units of study, as well as for other grades, Behnke said.