Letter to the Editor: Drag queen author’s book in Reading Bowl

Letter to the Editor: Drag queen author’s book in Reading Bowl

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The following letter was submitted by a Cobb County School District parent to the Cobb Board of Education and Superintendent and also was sent to East Cobb News. The parent has children attending Dodgen Middle School and Mt. Bethel Elementary School in East Cobb. We have added a photo of the book that is the subject of the letter and related links for the public’s reference:Letter to the Editor: Drag queen author’s book in Reading Bowl

Dear Board Members and Superintendent Ragsdale:

I am a Cobb County resident and parent of four current Cobb County public school students. (We have one more who will start kindergarten at Mt. Bethel ES soon.)

My eldest has participated twice in the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl. She enjoyed it very much, and I think it is so important that we teach our children to love reading.

That being said, I recently learned that one of HRRB’s selected books for middle schoolers for the 2027 competition is “The Queen Bees of Tybee County,” by Kyle Casey Chu. Mr. Chu is a self-avowed “drag queen” and “founding member” of Drag Queen Story Hour [author’s website].

I have read his book, and it is exactly what you would expect: a narrative designed to introduce children to “drag culture.”

Respectfully, I do not believe this type of literature should be promoted through Cobb County’s extracurricular reading programs.

I have written an (admittedly long) analysis of the book, the selection process, and what it means for Cobb County families: https://sites.google.com/view/qbtc-review/home.)

I invited the HRRB president to discuss my concerns, but was unable to connect with her. I hope that each of you will give serious consideration to whether “Drag Queen Story Hour” has a place in Cobb County Schools.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my concerns with each of you further.

Thank you for your time and consideration. More importantly, thank you for the challenging task of maintaining such an excellent school system for our children. I am continually impressed with your work as a Board and our local schools.

Go Panthers and Buccaneers!

Regards,

Wes Jackson

Editor’s Note: Members of the public are welcome to send Letters to the Editor to East Cobb News on topics of interest to the community. Please e-mail [email protected]. We recommend keeping letters to around 500 words maximum. Contributions may be lightly edited for accuracy and style and to include related links.