School Has the Best Response for Mom Who Complained About a Perfectly Good Book

Rockwood School District/YouTube

There are plenty of ills within our system of education in the United States. Concerns exist about literacy levels among students across the country. School shootings are commonplace. There are even discussions about whether older children are showing the respect that teachers and educators deserve.

Amid all of this, some parents are still determined to make nonissues a point of contention. Thankfully, when one mother complained about a perfectly fine book — one that actually tells an important story about overcoming adversity — the school handled it perfectly.

'We have to preview what we are letting the kids see on there,' one mother complained.

A mother in the Rockwood School District in St. Louis turned to Facebook to complain about a book a teacher read to her second grader, Upworthy reported.

“Anyone else check out the read a loud book on Canvas for 2nd grade today?," the mom wrote. “Ron's Big Mission was the book that was read out loud to my 7 year old. I caught this after she watched it bc I was working with my 3rd grader. I have called my daughters school. Parents, we have to preview what we are letting the kids see on there."

The story was about how a child overcame segregation in South Carolina.

This mom didn’t explain what about this book perturbed her enough to come to social media, but the book, Ron’s Big Mission, tells the true story of Challenger astronaut Ron McNair.

In 1959, McNair was a 9-year-old boy living in South Carolina. He visited the library only to be told by the librarian that they did not loan books to “coloreds.” In an incredible show of courage, McNair refused to leave the library until he was allowed to check out books. The librarian called police. When they arrived, they eventually persuaded the librarian to let the boy check out the books.

We don’t know what issue this mom could possibly have with an incredibly brave child advocating for himself, desegregating the library, and growing up to become an astronaut. It doesn’t get more heroic and inspirational than that.

Although she didn’t detail the nature of complaint, we have a sneaking suspicion that it’s racism.

Parents immediately defended the book.

Brittany Hogan, the Rockwood Education Equity and Diversity director, told KMOX that other parents came to the book’s defense.

"They were saying this is amazing that they were buying copies of the book," Hogan explained. "One of our parents came out and said she was going to purchase a copy for every second-grader at the elementary school that her children attend."

Parents weren’t the only ones to stand behind the book. In response to the complaint, the school’s principal, Carlos Diaz-Granados, read the story to the entire student body.

'His story deserves to be told,' the district employee said.

Many believe that McNair, who lost his life along with the rest of his crew on the Challenger mission in 1986, should be remembered. "He deserves to be celebrated,” Hogan said, per KMOX. “His story deserves to be told to our children. It's important that we continue to move in a space that embeds diverse curriculum."