Classic Novels Suspended by Va. School for Racial Slurs

Classic Novels Suspended by Va. School for Racial Slurs
A classroom at the MESA Charter High School in Bushwick, Brooklyn, N.Y., on Oct. 28, 2014. With the New Year upon us, a host of changes in education is set to mark the lives of the city’s students, parents, and educators alike. (Petr Svab/Epoch Times)
The Associated Press
12/4/2016
Updated:
12/4/2016

Two classic American novels have been temporarily pulled from bookshelves in Accomack County Public Schools.

Media outlets report that earlier this month, a parent filed a complaint about “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” for their use of racial slurs.

Superintendent Chris Holland says the use of both novels in classrooms and libraries has been suspended per guidelines in the Accomack County Public Schools policy manual. A committee consisting of a principal, librarian, teacher, parent and potentially others will review the complaint and make a recommendation to the superintendent.

A racial slur appears 219 in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and 48 times in “To Kill a Mockingbird.”