A school district supervisor in Texas found himself in the spotlight on Facebook after a post sparked strong reactions online. Some commenters labeled a teacher a “devil” for assigning a book they considered unsuitable.
Principal John Coons of the Abilene Independent School District received significant attention for his Facebook posts, garnering numerous engagements and a host of comments. However, he mentioned that he couldn’t share specifics with Fox News Digital.
Kuhn described his surprise upon discovering a social media user calling the teacher a “daemon” simply for selecting “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” as a reading material for a high-achieving freshman English class. The teacher was, Kuhn explained, new to this particular curriculum.
He continued, stating that the book contains some mature language. It may be tough for younger readers, which, I think, could lead to some backlash.
While Kuhn acknowledged that the book might be better suited for older teens, he argued that it’s quite normal for teachers to receive pushback on their choices, especially when those choices aim to challenge advanced students.
“It’s valid to question whether this book is appropriate for those 17 and 18, but the passages we were reading alongside it were too simplistic,” Kuhn explained. He felt that assigning it was justified given the students’ level, especially considering it was a distinguished literary work.
He pointed out that while some might censure the usage of certain words, they fail to recognize the literary context in which they were presented, which, in his opinion, is quite different.
Kuhn shared his astonishment at the rage directed towards the teacher over this choice, noting how they were unfairly called names. He found it intriguing that such intense anger could surface around one word when other comments were arguably worse.
In his comments regarding new educational measures, Kuhn referred to Senate Bill 2, calling it a subsidy for families at the expense of public education.
In addition to critiquing various bills mandating book inventories in classrooms, he specifically mentioned Senate Bill 13 and House Bill 8, which alter testing procedures in the state.
“There’s a movement that stifles local school officials as well as city and county leaders,” Kuhn said, highlighting how local authorities seem to be continually under pressure.
Since the pandemic, there’s been a wave of Parent Rights legislation aiming to provide transparency in what children are learning and restrict specific content in education.
Kuhn remarked that the social media posts in question were removed. He noted, “The original poster either deleted it or set their account to private; it’s unclear. I only know that the post is no longer visible.”
Finally, he mentioned that “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” would be held for further review by a committee, mentioning that he believed it was ideally suited for readers aged 14 and up.
