Thread by @votedarlene

I completed, The House on Mango Street. Conclusion: This is a beautifully written book that contains no material that warrants this post by @UTBoardofEd member Natalie Cline. There’s no way she or the ‘concerned parent’ read the book. It would be my guess Ms. Cline acted on #uted

existing implicit biases rather than offer an educated and thoughtful critique of a book. I read the book looking for material that warranted the harsh declaration of 'disgusting.' I found none. Written as a series of vignettes, the book is a collection of lyrical prose in the

voice of its protagonist, a pre-teen Chicana (Mexican-American girl) named Esperanza.

Ms. Cline has repeatedly shown herself to be extremely biased against multiculturalism while expressing religious intolerance, bigotry toward the LGBTQ community, and harboring extreme right-

wing political views. It is not surprising that she would label this book as 'disgusting' and doing so without feeling the necessity of offering an explanation. That is what makes #HB348 Participation Waiver Amendments so dangerous. It will impede efforts toward offering Utah

students a culturally rich and diverse education. The law Cline cited allows students to refuse participation programs 'due to a student's or a student's parent's religious belief or right of conscience.' The only 'right of conscience' for requesting not to read this book is that

its author is a Chicana. There are literally no other reasons. The book is beautiful and does an excellent job of articulating the mindset of a twelve year old girl who could be anyone's daughter.

Because of HB348 Participation Waiver Amendments, schools must honor a student's

nonparticipation in classroom discussions of this book. The concerned parent, who could not have read The House on Mango Street reached out to a Utah State Board member they trusted and that Board members' personal biases led her to call this book, "disgusting," without ever

reading it. If Ms. Cline would like to alter my opinion that she'd read the book, she can do so by offering the explanation as to why she called it disgusting and to use any part of the novel as evidence. It is shameful that the child of the unnamed 'concerned parent' will now

likely miss out of what would certainly be a delightful discussion. And for what reason? Because of the opinion of and urging of an intolerant, ignorant, racist, and culturally biased state school board member who didn't even bother to read the book. This law, as well as

#HB427 Individual Freedom in Public Education sought to solve problems that did not exist. They will only serve to further isolate and alienate minority communities within the state's education system.

People seek out Ms. Cline because she is #USBE Board member. The disclaimer

'Not official USBE Board position' though required, is useless. Parents care about her opinion on these matters because she IS a member of the Utah State Board of Education. That position gives rise to authority. They trust her opinions. She uses that trust to promote her extreme

views. It will serve the children of Utah well when the day comes that Ms. Cline is no longer associated with the #USBE. She has and will continue to seek to cause considerable harm to public education in Utah. School Board elections, matter. #vote #usbe #uted #utleg #utpol