Washington Township School Superintendent Thomas Flemming said in the February 18 Cherry Hill Courier-Post that he fully supported the decision of the committee, which was composed of the Chestnut Ridge principal, librarian, a teacher, and two community members. Flemming notified the Mellas of the decision in a letter they received February 17 and indicated he would meet with them about their concerns.
The Mellas, who in January formed the group National Concerned Citizens for Youth, have asked the school district to create a policy requiring all occult titles to be kept behind the librarian’s desk. Tahir Mella, a Philadelphia immigration attorney who has himself written a children’s book about a mythical, devil-like monster called Casyrole: Ten Legendary Tales, told the Courier-Post that elementary- and middle-school children should first get their parent’s permission to check out books on devils.
Posted February 27, 2004.