Local activist Ann Clark speaks at the Jan. 10 Dearborn Public Schools board meeting, calling for the banning of the “Assassination Classroom” science fiction manga series of books, in which students try to assassinate an octopus-like alien teacher to prevent Earth from being destroyed, which Clark said encourages students to kill teachers.
Said manga book teaches students to assassinate teachers
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – Activist Ann Clark spoke at the Dearborn Public Schools board meeting Jan. 10, calling for the banning of the “Assassination Classroom” books, which she said encourages students to kill teachers.
Clark, a Republican, lost to Democrat Sam Baydoun in the November 2022 race for District 13 Wayne County commissioner.
The “Assassination Classroom” books, by Yusei Matsui, are a Japanese science fiction comedy manga series about an extremely powerful octopus-like alien teacher who will destroy the Earth if it isn’t killed by a misfit group of students.
Clark said that she is appalled that she has to bring additional books to the attention of the school board to remove from the schools.
“You were talking about taking care of the teachers, that they haven’t been appreciated,” she said. “Well, now you have books, it’s called ‘Assassination Classroom,’ and it’s a series where they talk about different ways to kill a teacher. Why in the hell is that in your schools?”
Clark said students and teachers should be protected, and said books from the series have been checked out at Fordson High School.
“Why are you guys sitting there like it is not a big deal?” she said. “And now more books are coming in that are violent.”
Clark said children should be protected, and questioned how violence is educational.
“Now, if you want to have books on how to get along, and how to get along with other cultures, let’s do that,” she said. “We might as well bring the Quran back and the Bible back because that at least doesn’t talk about murder.”
The Bible contains multiple incidents of murder mentioned, beginning when Cain slew Abel, to the crucifixion of Christ.
Clark said that children are “malleable,” and will be unduly influenced by the “Assassination Classroom” series.
“If they see somebody kicking a dog, well, ‘Maybe I’ll do that,’” she said. “They don’t know the difference. But if they are not shown that, they’re not going to necessarily do that.”
Clark mentioned the 6-year-old who recently shot a teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News,Va.
“If that’s not bringing home to you that something’s wrong with bringing violent books into our children’s libraries – you want to put it in the public libraries, go ahead – but you are responsible for our children, and you are failing again.”
Clark alluded to the possibility of recalling school board members.
“I guess that is what your future is, because if you are not going to get off your ass and do something, we will,” she said.