Stratford postpones approval of book recommendations

The Stratford Board of Education last Wednesday voted to postpone approval of the book advisory committee recommendations to its meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20, in the high school band room.

Members of the school district book advisory committee that included school board members, school district staff and Stratford school district residents, met this summer and voted to remove two of the 14 controversial books from the teacher’s classroom. Those books are “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “Welcome to the Monkey House.”

Dr. Nathan Lehman, Stratford schools superintendent, informed the two families that requested to have the books removed from the teacher’s classroom of the book advisory committee’s decision.

School board member Jeannie Tichy last Wednesday pleaded that the school board honor the book advisory committee’s decision to keep the other 12 questionable books in the teacher’s classroom.

In other news: N The school board approved the school district’s contract with Pape Bus Service of Independence with a small increase in rates this year because of the economy. It is a four-year contract in which the school district negotiates rates every two years.

Stratford middle/high school will offer a new “Eye of the Tiger” club for students in eighth through 12th grades this fall. Advisor Craig Martens is volunteering his time for the club.

“Eye of the Tiger” club will be comprised of individuals nominated by staff and also self nominated. The club centers around the core tenets of the TIGERS acronym of Teamwork, Integrity, Grit, Excellence and Respect, culminating in the ultimate goal of Success.

School board members approved the resignation of high school secretary Elaine Forrest and the hiring of Sara Lewerenz as her replacement. New hires also include Lynne Brown as a special education paraprofessional in the middle/ high school; Dana Brezinski, Alexys Killian and Jake Skroch as special education paraprofessionals in the ele-