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[QNPoohBear]

This is INSANE!

North Texas School Librarians Don’t Have 23,000 New Books They Want
The average school district in Dallas and Collin Counties are waiting on 2,900 books.

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/n...

...

This year, due to a new change in law, librarians are no longer in complete control of what goes on their shelves, as power has been vested in the school board, or, if a district elects, an appointed advisory council formed from community members, including parents.

Every single book requested by a district’s librarians must be individually approved by the school board or by a SLAC, and they’re only required to meet twice a school year, slowing the new book procurement process considerably. The new law was protested by librarians and child literacy advocates, but it still passed, leaving school districts across the state to question exactly how they should abide.

“This is so ridiculous,” Laney Hawes, co-founder of Texas Freedom To Read Project, said. “You don’t need these steps to hinder the process of getting books into your libraries. There are still guidelines and regulations. A SLAC adds what we feel is an insurmountable list of guidelines and timelines that are just going to make book buying nearly impossible.”

The new bill, which took effect on September 1, has resulted in a lengthy list of books, many thousands long, pending approval in each school district. Most of the titles are informative books, making topics like Ancient Egypt palatable for elementary schoolers; some of them are tried-and-true classics, such as Charlotte’s Web. However, regardless of the pending titles, it’s seemingly impossible to discuss and approve each book.

“We cannot be clear enough, this will be utterly disastrous,” said Hawes. “It’s impractical. It’s burdensome.”

The Observer, keen on the written word, decided to count the number of books added to the library request lists in each district since the new system was introduced. Spoiler alert: none of them are under 1,000. According to the law that requires a review process, districts must publish the entire list pending approval 30 days prior to when the SLAC or school board votes on the novels; however, not all have theirs easily discoverable.

Of the districts with published lists in both Collin and Dallas County, here is the number of books that librarians have requested since Sept. 1. Most are still waiting for final approval or have just ordered their books and will continue to wait for new titles to be added to their shelves.

[QNPoohBear]

Some good news from the same part of Florida as above. PPinellas schools to keep book challenged as promoting ‘gay ideology’ (- a picture book BTW)

https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...

Out of the Blue

A committee of parents and educators unanimously rejected a parent’s request to remove the children’s book “Out of the Blue” by Robert Tregoning from all schools, saying the book offered messages of individuality and trust in parents.

Complainant Ciro Goncalves, who did not attend the district’s committee review of the title, wrote in his initial objection that the book promotes “gay ideology of ‘coming out of the closet.’”

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Seven members of the public, and all members of the district review committee, found important lessons in the book for children learning to express their likes and dislikes, and wanting to confide in their parents.

“When people look at the world through a filter that says there is a gay agenda, they will find one,” parent Nicole St. Leger told the committee. “This book isn’t pushing an agenda.”

Sometimes a book about colors is just that, added resident Shari Godfrey. “Please don’t fall into the trap of looking for hidden agendas in everything.”

Committee members needed little time to dispatch the objection. They said after reading the book, and asking several children and adults to do the same, they found it appropriate for all ages — just as the Sarasota County school district did a year ago.

Member Johnson Benjamin said he mentors students regularly, and “I would love to open this book for them just because it opens their minds.” The district has 80 copies in circulation.

[QNPoohBear]

Wisconsin

Debate over controversial books continues at Hales Corners Village Board meeting

https://www.jsonline.com/story/commun...

Intense debates over books with controversial s--ual content resurfaced Nov. 3 as residents voiced divided opinions during the Hales Corners Village Board of Trustees meeting.

Supporters of both the books and of Hales Corners Library Director Stephanie Lewin-Lane defended the collection and the library’s mission, while others — including Hales Corners resident Karen Schram — renewed calls for the removal of several titles they described as [you know what]

Schram urged the board to remove both the Library Board of Trustees and Lewin-Lane if the books were not taken off shelves.

[has a bizarre idea about what's in books for 9 year olds and what LGBTQ+ actually means. Not worth quoting her horrible comments.]
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Nine years old is the youngest age a person can go to the library without an adult, according to the Hales Corners Library's Unattended Children Policy. There are no age limits to check out books as the library only requires a person to have a library card.

Schram said the books could negatively affect children because of their graphic content and cited Wisconsin statute 948.02, which defines first-degree sexual assault of a child.

Andrew Czachowski, of Greenfield, called the protests and calls to remove Lewin-Lane “theater.”

“A public library serves everyone, not just those who share one religious viewpoint,” Czachowski said. “If these people truly cared about kids, they’d be here to celebrate someone who dedicates themselves to enriching their lives. Instead, they’re pursuing a misguided moral crusade at the expense of a real person who serves the community every day.”

Attorney Jim Donohoo, who participated in an Oct. 23 protest with Wisconsin MassResistance, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel before the meeting that his group has cut ties with the activist group after its national organizational director sent a critical email to a reporter following coverage of the protests.

At the meeting, Donohoo said he supports removing the books but not firing Lewin-Lane.

“I’m here to say the books should be removed. I’m not here to say that any librarian should be fired,” Donohoo said. “If you look at the illustrations and a lot of these books, they’re p---graphic. These books are in the teen section and can be seen by a 9-year-old.”

Donohoo said the graphic detail of the books could negatively impact the development of children regardless of sexuality.

... Anne Franczek of West Allis agreed.

“Get rid of the books. I’m not talking about firing anybody, but get rid of harmful materials,” Franczek said. “If people want to buy these books for their children, they can go on Amazon. But they shouldn’t be in a public library being paid for by taxpayers.”

Marnie Schmidt, an adult reference librarian from Brookfield, defended Lewin-Lane, citing the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read principles. “If you don’t agree with books that are in the library, don’t read them. Don’t check them out,” Schmidt said.

Helen Hawke, a Hales Corners resident who is nearly 80, said she supports keeping the books available and wished such materials had existed when she was young.

“We weren’t taught about sex, so we had to figure it out on the street,” Hawke said. “I can’t tell you how many girls in my high school got pregnant just because we were trying to figure things out. Knowledge is power.”

Efforts to remove the books from the library began in February 2023, after Schram came into the library on Feb. 4, 2023, to speak with an assistant library manager with questions about removing books. In August 2024, the Hales Corners Library Board voted unanimously to keep the books in the library's circulation and concluded Lewis-Lane and library staff did not violate library policies.

In a media inquiry sent to the Hales Corners Library, Lewis-Lane said three general sex-education titles — not LGBTQ-specific, though some include related content ― are shelved in the young adult section of the library: "Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human" by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan; "It Doesn’t Have to Be Awkward: Dealing with Relationships, Consent, and Other Hard-to-Talk-About Stuff" by Dr. Drew Pinsky and Paulina Pinsky; and "You Do You: Figuring Out Your Body, Dating, and Sexuality" by Sarah Mirk.

The library also has an adult title for parents, "Talk to Me First: Everything You Need to Know to Become Your Kids’ Go-To Person About Sex" by Deborah Roffman.

“Books for younger children are geared toward learning body parts, changing bodies and how babies are made,” Lewis-Lane said in the email, noting those materials are in the Young Adults Section (teens aged 12+).

Lewis-Lane added that Hales Corners is the smallest library in Milwaukee County and that people can find more resources on this topic, or others by searching the Milwaukee County Federated Library System catalog.

...

[QNPoohBear]

No No New Hampshire! We don't ban books in the rest of the region! WE are not Texas, Tennessee or wherever...

Committee Revives ‘Obscene Materials’ Bill Vetoed by Gov. Ayotte

https://indepthnh.org/2025/11/05/comm...

The House Education Policy and Administration Committee on Wednesday revived parts of a bill banning “obscene” materials in schools that Gov. Kelly Ayotte had vetoed in July, by inserting some of its language into a Senate bill.

In her veto message for House Bill 324, which was sponsored by committee chair Rep. Glenn Cordelli, Ayotte said the bill was not needed because state laws already allow parents to opt their children out of certain lessons and materials they object to.

HB 324 would have allowed parents to appeal any adverse decision by their child’s school, superintendent and board to the state Board of Education, which opponents said would lead to statewide book bans. The bill also would have allowed for lawsuits against districts and educators.

On Wednesday, the committee took up Senate Bill 33, a similar bill sponsored by Sen. Kevin Avard, R-Nashua. Avard’s bill leaves decisions on whether to remove or restrict materials to local school districts, and it does not spell out standards for what materials would be considered “obscene,” “harmful” to minors or “age-inappropriate.”

Republican legislators introduced an amendment that would insert those definitions from Cordelli’s bill into SB 33, including a broad definition of “obscenity” that includes depictions of nudity and (view spoiler)[sexual arousal, not just certain sexual acts. (hide spoiler)] The amendment also specifies that K-12 schools would no longer be exempt from the state obscenity law, potentially opening educators up to criminal prosecution.

Those definitions were too vague, broad and subjective for the Democrats on the committee – and apparently for the governor. Rep. Hope Damon, D-Croydon, read Ayotte’s veto message aloud in explaining why she couldn’t support the amendment – and why SB 33, if passed, might also draw a veto.

“Current state law appears to provide a mechanism for parents through their local school district to exercise their rights to ensure their children are not exposed to inappropriate materials,” Damon said, quoting the governor. “Therefore, I do not believe the State of New Hampshire needs to, nor should it, engage in the role of addressing questions of literary value and appropriateness, particularly where the system created by House Bill 324 calls for monetary penalties based on subjective standards.”

Rep. Loren Selig, D-Durham, said she opposed “banning books in any form.”

“I cannot possibly support anything that suppresses free speech,” she said.

But Rep. Kristin Noble, R-Bedford, referring to several books with graphic depictions of sex that are available in schools, said that she and her Republican colleagues would continue their push to let parents seek to remove them.

“It’s unbelievable to me that anyone could think that material is good for minors, so that is why it is coming back, again and again,” she said.

The amendment passed along party lines, and the committee approved the bill 10-8.

A bill that would allow voters in a school district to require the district to provide “local Education Freedom Accounts,” or school vouchers, was amended to set up a legislative committee to study the feasibility of such a program and how it would work financially, especially for students needing special education services.

House Bill 748, as introduced, would have required school districts to provide parents with double the amount of the state’s per pupil aid, which the parents could then use for tuition at a private school, for home-schooling or at a charter school.

Rep. Patricia Cornell, D-Manchester, reminded her colleagues that when they held a hearing on the bill, more than 2,600 people registered in opposition, while only 25 people supported it.

“I was against this when it first came up, and I don’t think a study committee would make it any better,” Cornell said.

But Republican committee members said that similar local voucher laws had passed in Texas, Tennessee and Montana, and that the idea was worth pursuing. The amendment passed and the committee approved the bill along party lines, 10-8.

Meanwhile, another bill that would allow parents to send their children to school in any district where they pay property taxes was amended by the committee to exclude owners of commercial properties and parents who live out of state.

Democrats suggested that it might be a good idea to pause House Bill 709, as another legislative committee is already studying the concept of open enrollment.

Rep. Valerie McDonnell, R-Salem, the amendment’s sponsor, said HB 709 was not an open enrollment bill, but acknowledged that “It’s moving in that direction.”

The amendment passed 10-8 and the bill was approved 11-7.

In moving through the final education bills of the year, the committee approved a bill that would require districts to put the budget for School Administrative Units, or SAUs, on the ballot separately from the rest of the district’s budget.

House Bill 564 is based on Republican efforts to rein in school budgets, as well as claims that districts are bloated with unneeded administrative jobs. The committee approved it 11-7.

Two bills dealt with medical services for students. House Bill 360 was amended so that it would bar school nurses and doctors from performing surgeries or prescribing pharmaceutical drugs in schools; the original bill also banned diagnostic procedures.

Rep. Megan Murray, D-Concord, objected that no one was performing surgery or prescribing drugs in schools now. Noble, the bill’s chief sponsor, agreed – but said it was an issue elsewhere.

That bill was approved along party lines, as was Senate Bill 34, which requires a parent’s signature for every service provided to students under Medicaid.

Two other bills were voted inexpedient to legislate.

One, regarding educator qualifications, died quietly because a similar bill had already passed into law.

The other, Senate Bill 211, aimed at the issue of whether transgender athletes can play on school sports teams matching their gender identity, was killed because the Senate is bringing forward a similar bill.