The Franklin Regional School District’s curriculum committee called a special meeting earlier this week, at which its members voted to “unpause” the teaching of Marjane Satrapi’s 2004 graphic novel “Persepolis,” set during the Iranian Revolution.

The committee voted 3-0 — school director and committee member Traci Eshelman Ramey was not present — to proceed with teaching the novel as part of the curriculum it approved last year for the freshman honors English class.

“All three read the book, analyzed it, and came to the same conclusion that the book should be ‘unpaused,’ ” Superintendent Gennaro Piraino said. “I support their decision 110%.”

District officials said in early March that the school board’s curriculum committee wanted to make a closer examination of the book, following complaints to the district about its content.

Several parents addressed the school board and committee in support of teaching the book, which also had its detractors at this month’s two committee meetings.

“From our perspective, it’s the responsible thing to look at it more closely,” school director and committee member Mark Kozlosky said. “It had gone through the process, but it was still something new. We thought it was appropriate to take a cover-to-cover look at it.”

Students who do not wish to read the book will be offered an approved alternative, a graphic novel version of Homer’s “The Odyssey.”

“They’re really doing a lesson study providing for student agency and student choice,” Piraino said. “That’s one of our ultimate goals: giving students choices where they engage. So they can come in and do a study on the similar themes in both of those books.”

Kristy Trautmann, parent of a ninth grade honors English student, was pleased with the decision.

“School board members took time to listen and to understand the thoughtful process that led to including ‘Persepolis’ in the curriculum. In the end, they were satisfied,” she said. “The book will remain part of the course, and I think the students will learn a lot. Parents who object will be able to request an alternate assignment.”

School director and committee member Scott Weinman said he was not in favor of pausing the book’s teaching, “but we have a few new members of the curriculum committee and respected their decision to take a closer look.”

Weinman said he felt the book had undergone the appropriate vetting process in the committee, and was interested to hear comments from district residents and parents.

“The public gave varying analyses of the book from ‘It’s a great book about a girl growing up in Iran’ to ‘It’s an anti-American book that glorifies Marxism,’ ” Weinman said. “And I thought those competing views brought out something about the book. And that’s why I think it’s a good book for them to look at and discuss the issues it raises.”

School director and committee member Kevin Kurimsky, who was not on the board or committee when the book was approved, said he and his colleagues wanted three things to come out of the discussion about “Persepolis.”

“We wanted transparency as the book was being taught; the choice if a parent wants to opt their child out; and lastly, that the alternative text would be taught the same way,” Kurimsky said. “I didn’t want the kids reading the alternate text to, say, go to the library while the rest of the class is getting in-depth instruction.”

Kozlosky agreed.

“If you have a group of kids choosing an alternate text, the emphasis has to be on everyone getting quality, engaging instruction,” he said.

Just as important, Kurimsky added, was the reasoned, calm discussion about the topic itself.

“It was civil discourse,” he said. “Everyone was polite in their commentary, everyone got a chance to give their thoughts. It was a diplomatic process and we talked through it.”

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