Former state Senate candidate Josh Youssef incites Gilford school controversy
Josh Youssef, a former Republican nominee for the state Senate in Laconia, is at the center of the controversy in Gilford over a high school reading assignment.
Youssef was visiting William Baer, an attorney with a ninth-grader at Gilford High School, when their discussion turned to an English class reading assignment, “Nineteen Minutes” by New Hampshire author Jodi Picoult. The novel, which tells the story of a bullied teenager’s high school shooting rampage, has been on the school’s class reading list since it debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list in 2007.
“I picked the book up at my friend’s house and randomly opened it to page 313,” Youssef wrote, “and to my utter shock and amazement found hard-core, graphic pornography.” Youssef proceeded to scan the page he found so offensive, which includes a graphic description of date rape, and posted it on his public Facebook page.
“This is what is being ‘taught’ in public schools, not just anywhere in this country, but IN YOUR OWN BACK YARD!” he wrote. “Is this trashy smut what you want poisoning your kids minds? Would you introduce this type of material to your children? No need to answer…the government school is doing it for you!!!”
The post drew over 300 comments including one from a parent who accused the teacher of pedophilia. “'Getting off’ on arousing pubescent children is sick,” he wrote. “Is she another sick pervert in need of a state funded timeout ???” Youssef agreed. “In my opinion the author is a pervert,” he wrote. “I dont think it is unreasonable to infer that someone who reads and enjoys the perverted material could be the same by extension.”
Baer, who said he didn’t want his daughter reading a book he considered “pornographic,” subsequently met with the school principal who explained it was an “oversight” that the school did not notify parents in advance and provide a waiver, as they had in previous years.
Baer was not mollified. He went to Monday’s school board meeting to complain. Youssef, who had urged parents to join the protest, was there with video camera in hand to capture the proceedings.
Baer was given two minutes during the public comments segment to address the board. When another parent spoke in support of the assignment, Baer interrupted and refused to give up the floor. After the board chair repeatedly asked him to be quiet, police removed him from the meeting and arrested him for disorderly conduct.
Youssef called the board’s two minute limitation on public comment “a conspiracy to deprive Mr. Baer of his rights.” Youssef wrote, “Mr. Baer’s arrest was unlawful, and could be construed as wrongful, or malicious. That is actionable under title 42 of the US Code, a civil rights violation.”
After the school board meeting, the board issued a statement apologizing “for the discomfort of those impacted and for the failure of the school district to send home prior notice of assignment of the novel.” Policies regarding use of controversial material will be revised before the 2014-15 school year.