School Board Candidates Clash Over Classroom Literature

Laura Schisler, a candidate for , said she’s heard it from district parents and grandparents.

“I have grandparents who will say to me, ‘I’m really concerned about what my child is learning,' ” Schisler said. “It’s really interesting to see how parents and grandparents alike are responding to this.”

Schisler and her running mates for the Moon Area School Board said concern is growing among parents who fear that novels and textbooks in the district contain themes too explicit for school-age children.

Republican nominees Schisler, Gia Tatone, Samuel J. Tranter, Dennis Harbaugh, Ron Steele and Mike Olszewski are vying in against incumbent board members and Democratic nominees Lisa Wolowicz, Rosemarie Varsanick, James Donohue, board president Mark Scappe and first-time candidate Danny Barefoot.

On its candidate website, the Republican ticket for the board features excerpts from books the candidates say are age-inappropriate for Moon Area students.

“I believe that the opener of this book is extremely disturbing for 11-year-olds,” the website said of a middle-school title, The Graveyard Book, about a boy raised by ghosts after the murder of his family. Many of the examples on the site center around violence or sexual content.

For Scappe, the issue has emerged in recent weeks as nothing more than a political device for his opponents. He said the district has seen no uptick in complaints or criticism of its literature.

“It’s a political thing,” Scappe said. “We would be having more complaints if this was really a problem. The administrators and teachers evaluate the books. That’s the process.

“We shouldn’t have to micromanage,” he said. “We pay the experts, the teachers, good money to make these recommendations.”

As the election nears, the issue has  at recent board meetings, with Scappe and Superintendent Donna Milanovich dismissing the idea of growing concern regarding reading materials. 

Milanovich said at the board's meeting that only a “small minority” has objected to specific pieces of school-selected literature. 

“This is a public school, and really we do need to make sure that we have global materials reaching all students,” she said at the meeting. 

The candidates vying to replace current board members said if elected they would advocate the importance of age-appropriateness to school administrators. 

“A small percentage may be complaining, but everybody’s voice matters,” said Tatone. “We have to decide a curriculum using our best discernment.”  

“We’re just asking them to teach respectful material,” Harbaugh said. “If those students go into Dr. Milanovich’s office and say the things they’ve just read in those books, what happens to them? They’ll be expelled or suspended.”

Board member James Donohue said he read books with his sons when they attended Moon Area High School and was pleased with the district's selection.  

“With all things said, it’s purely a political red herring, and it’s just the wrong path to take when you look at objectively what we as a board do and what the role of parents and teachers play together,” he said.

Check back with Patch Monday for more about what the candidates have to say about the upcoming election.