1AM MADNESS

Texas School Board Opts to Keep ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ in Late-Night Vote

The Conroe School District board heard from parents and community members until the wee hours.

The Conroe school district in Texas determined after a lengthy board meeting Tuesday night that The Perks of Being a Wallflower—a coming-of-age story about teenage social awkwardness—will remain on its library shelves. However, the book will no longer be on the academic curriculum. Board members cast their votes just before 1 a.m. Wednesday after members of the public made desperate appeals about what is and isn’t appropriate for students to read. Some parents were concerned the book contained material that may be offensive for minors and violated the state’s education codes. Others spoke in defense of the book, praising its many accolades and “social redeeming value.” A First Amendment rights attorney asserted, “This book does not violate the penal code. Keeping it in your library does not violate the penal code. Distribution of it does not violate the penal code.” The novel, written in 1999, was adapted into a film in 2012. “There has never been a criminal prosecution of the distribution of this book,” the attorney said.