Walled Lake Northern teacher, Steven Piziks (pen name Steven Harper), has been caught sharing inappropriate content with students. As a guest reader in another teacher's classroom, Piziks decided to read aloud to students from his book "The Importance of Being Kevin". According to Google Books, "Kevin Devereaux’s life can't get worse. He’s on probation. He’s stuck with an unemployed ex-convict dad. And he lives in a run-down trailer on the crappy east side of town. To keep his probation officer happy, Kevin joins a theater program for teenagers and falls hard for Peter Finn, the lead actor in the show—and the son of the town's leading family. Despite their differences, Peter returns Kevin’s feelings, and for the first time, Kevin learns what it means to be in love. But Peter’s family won’t accept a gay son—let alone a boyfriend from the wrong side of the tracks—and in their conservative town, they must keep the romance secret. "
There are so many things wrong with this entire situation, it is hard to capture them all in one post. First, what does this book have to do with academics? Why is this book being read at all, let alone in an English class? Have teachers run out of books to read, and now they are searching for more content? The Walled Lake Schools Board of Education approves the curriculum that is used in the district. This book is most certainly not part of the curriculum.
Further, why is a teacher reading something to students about minors having relationships with adults? Piziks will tell you that 16 is the age of consent, but that seems like a very convenient fact to be aware of, considering the content. It is not the age of consent that is a problem, it is the fact that this book promoted children keeping secrets from their parents. That is never ok!
On top of all of that, the language in this book is foul, and for no reason other than the other seems to simply enjoy using terrible language.
If Piziks writes about these children, and sexual relationships, and keeping secrets from parents, it is clear he is also thinking about these things. Is this the type of person you want teaching or even being around your children? Of course, if you have kids in this teacher's class, or in the ELA class that Piziks visited, you likely don't even hear about these things happening. Why? Because the kids are tired of having this stuff pushed on them all the time, and they simply tune it out.
When you ask about their day at school, they report on things like tests and quizzes, and not on the things that make them uncomfortable. But if you ask your children about this, you will be surprised to hear what they say. Ask them how often this teacher, or any teacher, acts inappropriately in class. Ask your children if there is ever a time they are uncomfortable in school. Because they are, they're just not telling you.
Just because something isn't actively brought up by our kids does not mean it is ok. What we, as parents and community members, allow to continue will not stop. We must do better! We must act to keep our children safe.
IF YOUR STUDENT HAS BEEN SEXUALLY HARASSED by a teacher reading, discussing, or exposing your student to sexual materials without your knowledge or consent, let us know, we may be able to help.
WLCPR is committed to keeping our community informed about things happening in our schools, and to working together with our community to fix what is broken. We will be following this story and will report back when more is known.