Parents Scorn Book, Pupil Transferred

The popular child wizard Harry Potter, the fictional character capturing imaginations and bestseller lists worldwide, has angered two parents concerned that the books are being read aloud in Moorpark classes.

Teresa and Dominic Schmidt, parents of fourth-grader Brandon Schmidt, withdrew their son from Walnut Creek Elementary School last week after learning the Potter books were being featured in his class. The couple say the books encourage rebellion.

At their request, district officials placed Brandon in a class at Flory Elementary School this week, with a teacher who is not reading the books aloud.

“This book is wicked, dark and evil,” Dominic Schmidt said of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” “It has no business being in a public school, and hearing it from a teacher reinforces it.”

The three books in the Harry Potter series top the New York Times bestseller list, a first for children’s books. The stories are being read aloud in many Moorpark elementary school classrooms.

The principals of both Walnut Creek and Flory elementary schools reviewed the books in response to the Schmidts’ concerns. Both say the tales are appropriate for young children, but district officials have also promised to review the books, according to the Schmidts.

Dominic Schmidt said the stories demonstrate what he describes as “totally rebellious behavior.”

“On page 12, the word ‘kill’ appears five times,” he said. “On page 13, [Harry’s cousin] Dudley kicks his mother all the way up the street. On page 38, Dudley screams, hits his father and threw his pet tortoise through the roof.”

Michael Gerson, a child psychologist and adjunct professor at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, said such fantasy stories can be beneficial to children if there is a moral at the end of the tale.

“The books sound consistent with the types of fantasies that children have anyhow,” Gerson said.

The books’ Scotland-based author, J.K. Rowling, will sign copies of her books at Adventures for Kids bookstore in Ventura on Oct. 25 and at Barnes & Noble in Thousand Oaks on Oct. 27.