Highland Park ISD ends suspension for one book; six books remain suspended

One of seven suspended books at Highland Park ISD — The Glass Castle – is back on the district’s approved book list.

District officials said an individual withdrew a challenge Wednesday to the nonfiction book.The Glass Castle will be taught in high school English classes in the spring.

Superintendent Dawson Orr and Highland Park High School Principal Walter Kelly sent an email Wednesday night to parents with an update about the seven books that are suspended from the approved book list, pending review by a committee of parents, teachers and students.

The number of challenged books, they noted in the email, has dropped to six.

Orr suspended the books last week after parents raised concerns about some of their mature themes and sex scenes. A new group of parents and students are fighting the book suspensions and an alumna started an online petition to protest them.

Last week, Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, said she was heartbroken over her book’s suspension. Her memoir is about growing up in poverty with an alcoholic father and a mentally ill mother.

“My book has ugly elements to it, but it’s about hope and resilience, and I don’t know why that wouldn’t be an important message,” she told the Dallas Morning News.

Prior to the book suspensions, Walls had been chosen as keynote speaker for the district’s literary festival in February.

Six books remain suspended: The Art of Racing in the Rain; The Working Poor: Invisible in America; Siddhartha; The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian; An Abundance of Katherines; and Song of Solomon.

Three of the books, including The Glass Castle, were scheduled for use in English classes this school year. Orr said the suspended books are at the school’s library and can be read in students’ free time.

Highland Park ISD petition calls on district to reinstate suspended books

Highland Park ISD's suspension of The Art of Racing in the Rain interrupted some English classes that were already reading the book.

More than 1,300 people have signed an online petition that asks Highland Park ISD to reinstate seven suspended books.

Highland Park ISD Superintendent Dawson Orr suspended the books last week from classroom instruction after parents raised concerns about some of their mature content and sex scenes. The books cannot be used in English classes, pending a review by a committee of parents, teachers and students.

Three of the seven books were scheduled for use in this school year’s English classes. Orr said the books are available in the school library and can be read in students’ free time.

Highland Park ISD alumna Risa Gross started the online petition after reading a Dallas Morning News story about the book suspensions. The petition includes signatures from people who live in Dallas and around the country.

The petition acknowledges the good intentions of parents who “wanted to protect their children,” but says the group should not restrict what all high school students read.

“The seven books are not so exploitative, graphic, or sensational that they merit exclusion from HPHS; indeed, Siddhartha and Song of Solomon are on many school reading lists and constitute major works of the 20th century,” it says.

The seven suspended books are The Art of Racing in the Rain; The Working Poor: Invisible in America; Siddhartha; The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian; An Abundance of Katherines; The Glass Castle: A Memoir; and Song of Solomon.

The seven books will be reviewed by committee to determine whether they should be taught. The process may four to eight weeks for each book, Orr said.

A new group of parents and students say they will also fight the book suspensions with an email campaign.

Highland Park ISD parents start group to protest book suspensions

Highland Park ISD Superintendent Dawson Orr suspended seven books from classroom use after some parents circulated email chains of excerpts and contacted district officials.

Highland Park ISD suspended seven books last week after parents objected to some of their content. Now, a group of parents is calling for the books’ return to the classroom.

One of the suspended books is The Glass Castle, a memoir written by Jeannette Walls. She is scheduled to be keynote speak at the district's annual literary festival.

Two Highland Park High School moms, Laurie Dodic Steinberg and Natalie Davis, are leading the effort. They organized a meeting with about forty parents and students Sunday night. The group will launch an email campaign to object to the books’ suspension and show support for high school English teachers.

The seven suspended books are The Art of Racing in the Rain; The Working Poor: Invisible in America; Siddhartha; The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian; An Abundance of Katherines; The Glass Castle: A Memoir; and Song of Solomon.

Superintendent Dawson Orr suspended the books from instructional use after some parents circulated emails about their sex scenes or references to mature themes such as rape, abuse and abortion.

The suspended books will not be taught in English classes, pending review by a committee of teachers, parents and students. The books are still available in the school’s library.

The suspension interrupted some 10th grade classes, who were already reading The Art of Racing in the Rain.

Steinberg said Highland Park ISD is violating its own policy, which pledges to allow access to books, even if they are being challenged and reviewed.

“They have pulled The Art of Racing in the Rain right out of the hands of the sophomore English students,” she said. “They can say it’s in the library all they want, but the fact is they’ve pulled these books in the middle of the six weeks and are now asking the teachers to scramble for a whole new lesson plan. It’s just incredibly sad.”

Steinberg, who has three children, said the tough topics in books prepare students for college and adulthood.

“These books could have the potential to make some people uncomfortable, but having our children grow up in the sheltered environment — “The Bubble” — our children need to be exposed to different ideas and ways of life for others. We’re doing a disservice to our students if we don’t broaden their minds and let them know more about the outside world.”

Highland Park ISD’s book debate coincides with Banned Books Week, an annual event that celebrates the freedom to read and calls attention to book challenges at schools, bookstores and libraries.

SMU student tells police she was sexually assaulted in a campus dorm

An SMU student told campus police Wednesday that she was sexually assaulted by an acquaintance in a campus dorm.

The student said she was assaulted around 1 a.m. in the man’s dorm room in Crum Residential Commons.The dorm is located at 5805 Bush Avenue.

Southern Methodist University sent a crime alert to students and faculty.

Another SMU student reported she was raped off-campus on Sept. 7. She was assaulted when jogging about a half-mile northeast of campus. University Park police arrested a suspect Wednesday.

SMU police are investigating the campus sexual assault. Police ask anyone with information to contact police at 214-768-3333.

University Park postpones plan to fix up “Miracle Mile” on Lovers Lane

Miracle Mile has shown signs of aging, such as cracked streets and sidewalks. (Rex Curry/Special Contributor)

University Park City Council tabled plans Tuesday for an approximately $1.5 million spruce up of Miracle Mile, a strip of shops and restaurants on Lovers Lane.

In a Tuesday work session, Mayor Olin Lane and City Council agreed to hold off on the public works project for six to 12 months. They said they will be tied up with several major projects in the coming months, such as a proposed natatorium that would be shared by Highland Park ISD and the city.

Last spring, University Park officials proposed a makeover for the Miracle Mile. The shopping center, which runs from Douglas Avenue to Dallas North Tollway, has been showing signs of aging with cracked streets and sidewalks and patches of weeds. City staff suggested repaving the two-lane road, redesigning the parking and adding a new water line, landscaped medians and decorative lighting.

Bud Smallwood, director of public works, showed City Council four conceptual designs Tuesday at a work session. He said construction would take one to two years.

As part of the project, the city would widen the road and add landscaped islands. But the improvements would decrease the number of parking spots and interrupt local businesses, he said.

City council and staff agreed to table plans for at least six months. They asked for more studies to determine whether part of Lovers Lane or the parking area could be resurfaced rather than rebuilt.

University Park police release sketch of man who raped SMU student

University Park police on Monday released a sketch of the man who raped an SMU student near campus.

Police say a tattoo on the left side of the man’s neck depicts a crown and includes some script writing.

The student told police she was raped Sept. 7 while jogging. She said she was attacked about 11 p.m. in the 6700 block of Willard Drive, near Central Expressway and about a half-mile east of the Southern Methodist University campus.

She said the attacker had a small knife and grabbed her from behind.

The man was wearing a white Los Angeles Angels baseball jersey, blue shorts and white-and-black athletic shoes. She described him as black, in his early 20s, about 6-0 with a “football player build” and close-cut black hair.

University Park police are investigating the sexual assault and urge anyone with information to call 214-363-3000 or contact Detective Marshall at 214-987-5359.

SMU student reports she was raped while jogging near campus

An SMU student told police she was raped Sunday when she was jogging near the Southern Methodist University campus.

The woman told police she was attacked about 11:15 p.m. in the 6700 block of Willard Drive, near Central Expressway and about half a mile east of the college campus. She said the attacker had a small knife and grabbed her from behind.

The attack occurred on a residential street of University Park that’s lined with brick homes, sidewalks and trees.

She gave police a description of what the rapist was wearing: a white California Angels T-shirt, blue shorts and white high-top shoes. She described him as a black, in his early 20s, about 6-foot tall and with close-cut black hair.

University Park police are investigating the sexual assault and urge anyone with information to call 214-363-3000 or contact Detective Marshall at 214-987-5359.

SMU sent a crime alert Monday afternoon to students and faculty.

First school day kicks off Highland Park ISD’s centennial

Superintendent Dawson Orr greeted a Hyer Elementary kindergarten class on Monday morning. He traveled to each campus for the first day of school.

The first principal at Highland Park ISD rode a horse to work and hitched it to a post outside the schoolhouse.

One hundred years later, the school routine looks different in Highland Park ISD. A stream of children with colorful backpacks filed into Armstrong Elementary on the first day of school. Their principal, Skip Moran, waited outside to greet them.

This year, the first school day kicks off Highland Park ISD’s centennial. The school district will celebrate its 100th birthday in October with a block party at the high school football field. Each school features a display of historic memorabilia, such as cheerleader megaphones, old football uniforms and black and white photos. They’ll be part of a “Scots Museum” for the October bash.

Highland Park ISD memorabilia is on display at each campus. (Melissa Repko)

The milestone comes as district officials plan for the next 100 years. They’re coping with rising student enrollment and weighing options for new facilities. Portables returned to University Park Elementary this fall and other elementary campuses shuffled around spaces to create additional classrooms.

A facilities committee of parents, teachers and administrators will meet Monday night to discuss how to make room for more students. They’re considering construction of a new kindergarten campus or a new elementary campus, among other ideas.

But on Monday morning, most parents dropped off their children at school and snapped photos. Some students arrived with flowers for their teachers. Others arrived on bikes and skateboards.

As part of an annual tradition, Highland Park High School seniors handed out T-shirts to each kindergartner. The over-sized T-shirts welcomed the newest class in the district — Class of 2027.

SMU beer, wine sales total $350K at campus basketball games

SMU started selling beer and wine at arena concession stands in January. The university will expand sales to football games in the fall. (Sarah Hoffman/Dallas Morning News)

Southern Methodist University sold nearly $350,000 of beer and wine at basketball arena concession stands, according to the state comptroller’s office.

The sales figure indicates how much money the university stands to make when it starts to sell alcoholic beverages at football games this fall. SMU plans to kick off beer sales in Ford Stadium concourses at the first home game on Sept. 20 against Texas A&M. Alcoholic beverages are already available in stadium suites.

SMU began offering alcoholic beverages to the general public in January when its newly renovated Moody Coliseum reopened. They sold beer and wine at 13 men’s basketball games. Concession stands sold beer for $6 or $8 apiece and wine for $6 apiece.

Students had to show valid government-issued IDs outside of the arena. They got a wristband with tabs that limited them to three alcoholic beverages.

Nine of the 13 campus games sold out, SMU athletics spokesman Brad Sutton said. The games drew a higher turnout because of the team’s success, but Sutton said fans also appreciated the new amenity.

SMU sold nearly $650,000 of all concessions — including beer, wine and food during the 13 games, he said.

SMU is one of several universities looking to beer and wine sales as a potential revenue stream and way to draw fans to games. University of North Texas recently announced that it will sell beer to the general public at its football stadium in the fall. It previously sold beer in the stadium’s club and suite levels.

 

Highland Park Village owner says no grand plans, just “nips and tucks” for shopping center

Highland Park Village owner Ray Washburne said Wednesday that the historic shopping center won’t get a new hotel or major additions, but it will get “nips and tucks.”

Ray Washburne owns Highland Park Village with his wife, Heather Washburne, and in-laws Elisa and Stephen Summers. They bought the shopping center in 2009.

Washburne told Highland Park Town Council Wednesday that he and the shopping center’s co-owners tabled pricier changes, such as a new boutique hotel, underground parking and more shops and restaurants. He said they’re focused on smaller ones, like swapping tenants and adding landscaping.

But he told Town Council to expect several new tenants soon: A new clothing retailer will replace the former Marquee Grill & Bar. Patrizio will move out and a family-friendly grill restaurant will replace it. And a gourmet grocer will move into a renovated space on Preston Road, he said.

Washburne said he can’t reveal business names until contracts are signed. He said Tom Thumb plans to close at the end of the year and Patrizio will move out in February.

Highland Park Village is privately owned, but town council votes on whether to allow parking changes, renovations, and even minor tweaks such as new signs.

Last year, the town of Highland Park and Highland Park Village owners hired consultants to draft development guidelines of setbacks, height restrictions and parking recommendations for the shopping center. They signed a contract and agreed to split the approximately $173,000 cost. Highland Park Village owners agreed to pay for a separate economic development study.

But with Village owners’ change of plans, most of it hasn’t happened. Highland Park Mayor Joel Williams said consultants have studied only traffic and parking. Washburne said Highland Park Village won’t move forward with the economic study.

Without development guidelines, Highland Park Village and the town will continue the same approval process. A shopping center manager will present each proposed change to council members and they’ll put it to a vote.