NORTH ATTLEBORO - The top story of last week’s "North TV News," once again led this week's newscast, the removal of a book from the Martin Elementary School library at the request of a single parent.
The move by the school department, first exposed by The Boston Globe, exploded after The Sun Chronicle published a front-page story last Friday, January 19.
The book, “Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice,” is a collection of poems aimed to inspire children to stay aware of issues and become a new generation of activists.
In a press release and email sent Tuesday afternoon, Superintendent of Schools John Antonucci announced the book was once again available for students to read.
“Although we followed the established district process, it has since become clear to me that this matter was not approached or communicated properly,” Antonucci said in the press release.
The action occurred less than 24 hours after members of the town council criticized the school department’s decision to remove the book.
Click the top video below to stream highlights of the town council discussion.
School Committee Chair Tasha Buzzell attended Monday’s council meeting but did not speak. She visited North TV on Thursday to discuss the past week and why she didn't address the council.
Click the second video below to stream the interview.
The decision to remove and then return the book from and to the library will surely be a hot topic when the school committee meets on February 6 in the Rice Meeting Room in the Woodcock School Administration Building LIVE on our Education and Government channels: Comcast channels 9 and 15 and Verizon channels 22 and 23 in North Attleboro. The meeting will also stream LIVE on northtv.net.
The author of “Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice,” Mahogany L. Browne, spoke to North TV via Zoom on Wednesday about the controversy.
Click the bottom video below to stream the exclusive interview.
North TV will, of course, continue to cover this story and provide the most in-depth coverage available.
