Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Opinion pieceBook banners beware. In the end, either your efforts fail or democracy disappears: Brent Larkin
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In 2022, attempts to ban or restrict library materials in the United States reached an all-time high, according to the American Library Association, which tracks book bans and advocates against censorship.
By Brent Larkin, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND -- Nothing speaks to a society’s decay as loudly as suppression of thought, the silencing of ideas.
One needn’t have a Ph.D. in history to know where government-sponsored censorship can lead, be it of spoken or written words. And that is precisely what makes the right’s growing obsession with book banning such a clear and present danger."
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"Book banners beware. In the end, either your efforts fail or democracy disappears. The zealots should consider the writings of Ellen Hopkins, best-selling author of novels for young adults, who wrote in a poem titled “Manifesto,” after school officials in Oklahoma canceled a planned appearance there in 2009 because parents objected to one of her books:
“A word to the unwise.
Torch every book.
Char every page.
Burn every word to ash.
Ideas are incombustible.
And therein lies your real fear.”
https://tinyurl.com/democracydisappears
Tenn. becomes the "wild west" of book bansThe battle between parental oversight and freedom of expression continues to brew on the shelves of Tennessee public school libraries as another bill has passed to tighten the consequences for books with “obscene content” — spurring further book bans and heated debate.
The bill, SB 1059, will open book publishers and distributors to criminal prosecution if they knowingly send “obscene materials” to public schools, a decision that one free expression expert is calling a “smokescreen.”
“When you look around the country, a lot of ‘parents rights’ concerns are increasingly a smokescreen for censorship of education,” said Jonathan Friedman, director of Free Expression and Education Programs at PEN America. “I see so many of these laws popping up around the country as ways in which parents can get things removed, with not much talk about what actually concerns students today.”
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet, and Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, passed the House in a 71-22 vote and the Senate 24-4. Gov. Bill Lee signed the measure April 28.
After it goes into effect on July 1, the bill will open book publishers and vendors to Class E felony charges, with a minimum of a $10,000 fine and one to six in prison for knowingly selling or distributing “obscene matter to a public school.”
New legislation in recent years and book reviews at school districts across the state are leading to wide discrepancies on what books get banned.
The efforts ramped up after the passage of last year's controversial book bill that requires each public school library to publish the list of materials in their collections and periodically review them to make sure they are “appropriate for the age and maturity levels of the students who may access the materials.”
The bill, passed along partisan lines, drew concern from teachers across the state when officials advised schools the law should be interpreted broadly and apply to individual classrooms, even though that is not explicitly defined in the law.
Meanwhile, Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission chair Linda Cash told a legislative subcommittee in September 2022 that the law has added a lot of work “to people who already have a full load."
A number of books have been pulled from school shelves since the passage of the law.
[Books about LGBTQ families, non-traditional gender roles, racial and ethnic concerns.]
Lucia Vignola, who spoke in favor of removing the books at the meeting, called the books “evil” and stated that no one should have access to them — not just minors — due to sexual content.
“There is a war for the hearts of our children, being waged by Marxist communistic ideology using these demonic books to destroy the innocence of our kids,” she said. “There is no value in anyone reading these sadistic, pornographic, sexual and horrific books—but surely not minors.”
Retired professor and Wilson County resident Sarah Swain also spoke at the meeting, disagreeing with Vignola and calling the issue of book banning a democratic, not demonic, crisis.
“Through access to the variety of books kept inside libraries — including their sometimes controversial and conflicting ideas — students learn to evaluate, analyze, assess appreciate and discuss important educational goals and skills,” she said. “But this is only possible if we uphold the freedom to read and learn. Recent attempts to remove books from school libraries are contrary to the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment that protests us — all of us — from attempts to suppress ideas and information."
“Any attempt to censor information is a threat to our democracy. The guiding principle in this debate of banning books must be the First Amendment.”
School Board member Carrie Pfeiffer appeared to agree with Swain's assertions, later telling fellow board member Jospeh Padilla, "We will be sued very quickly if we state that the Constitution is not an important part of this discussion .... we have a responsibility to use the least restrictive path when it comes to speech."
The new legislation regarding book restrictions is one that Friedman calls “unprecedented.”
“It is unprecedented for these steps to be taken, as far as I know,” Friedman said. “It seems like an effort to intimidate publishers and send a message to them that if they aren’t careful of what they sell to schools in Tennessee, they can be in trouble.”
Friedman said the move is part of a growing national trend of book censorship, with notable targets.
“If you listen to some of the politicians who push such laws and talk about it, it seems that they’re trying to redefine what obscenity is,” he said. “There’s a number of recent laws that have been introduced in numerous states that have been clearly targeting books that talk about race and racism, or ones like the ones in Florida that target teaching sexual orientation or gender identity. It's very clear what kind of topics are being targeted.”
The targeting of specific topics is a classic assault on elements of the First Amendment, Friedman said, pointing out the chilling effect the targeted legislations and local actions could cause.
The laws are vague for a reason. So the publishers, when they're thinking about publishing, and wanting to sell books in multiple states, and then multiple laws like this start happening — it makes them reconsider.”
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While many advocates for the banning of such books argue that it is in an effort to support their parental right to police the content their children read, Friedman said it overshoots the goal.
“You have a situation where you have one individual or group of parents who are interested in banning books or censoring material, but what they're doing is not just impacting their own children, but everybody’s children,” he said. “I think that there are some obligations and rights for parents that have been reflected in law, but students have rights too. So when you're blocking your child from accessing content, you’re taking that right away from somebody else as well.
“These are topics that are real in their lives. And right now, there's an effort to kind of erase these topics entirely, and the bar for that is getting lower and lower.”
As the momentum of opposition to book content shows no sign of slowing across the state, Friedman says that the trend could have long-lasting detrimental effects.
“It’s chilling for sure,” he said. “There's a kind of like the Wild West now, I think when it comes to educational censorship. A lot of bills are being put out targeting different things: librarians, teachers, professors, publishers, and the books themselves. But they're all pieces of a widespread effort to both suppress ideas while imposing ideological control over content. And that’s incredibly problematic.”
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news...
The censors are getting bolder, posting a billboard in Saline, Arkansas"A new billboard in Saline County is drawing attention to the battle over library books.
The sign, which reads ‘stop x-rated library books’ is located near the Walmart parking lot in Benton.
issues of sexuality and race. The site says those titles should not be accessible to minors.
According to the web site, the billboard and link are sponsored by the Saline County Republican Women and Saline County Republican Committee."
https://www.kark.com/news/local-news/...
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"A new billboard in Saline County is drawing attention to the battle over library books.
The sign, which reads ‘stop x-rat..."
Rip the billboards down or deface them!!
Finally, a reminder of who bans books and why!Hong Kong public libraries pull most books related to Tiananmen Square crackdown as 34th anniversary approaches
Keyword check of library archives by Post in Chinese and English finds no works related to the military crackdown in Beijing 34 years ago
Critics warn that book removals may damage city’s reputation for openness; security chief Chris Tang defends ‘well-established’ library procedures.
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/p...
Let's NOT let this happen to us in the West!
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Hong Kong public libraries pull most books related to Tiananmen Square crackdown as 34th anniversary approaches
Keyword check of library archives by..."
But it is already happening ...
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Ooh! Not quite as surprising to learn compared to Arkansas-based Walmart, but great news nonetheless! I'll have to check mine out tomorrow!
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Lots of news today and none of it good.The only positive news is I can not see any indication the Rhode Island General Assembly is going to debate the book banning bill. They're busy with other topics they'll be announcing in about an hour. I am still going to write some e-mails to people denouncing book banning though.
REMOVED in Bucks County, PAThis Book Is Gay
Gender Queer: A Memoir
DOYLESTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A Bucks County school district is removing two books from its library, the first in what could be a slew of bans district-wide.
Central Bucks School District says that it will no longer stock "Gender Queer" and "This Book is Gay" in its school libraries, two of 65 books the board is reviewing for what it calls "sexualized" content.
The board decided to keep three other titles it reviewed along with the two banned books.
"You can go with that lens into any book," Central Bucks East High School junior Lily Freeman said to her mom while holding her copy of "Gender Queer."
She says the book has had a big impact on her as a teen in the LGBTQ community.
"I think it's also helped me see other people's experiences because not every LGBTQ story is like mine. I get to see what other people experience," she said.
The school district explained the ban in a statement:
"Book review committees were convened to reconsider five library books, including Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison, Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, and This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson. Educator-led review committees included teachers, librarians, and administrators. Committees determined that two of these books, Gender Queer and This Book is Gay, should not remain in the library. As outlined by the policy guidelines, our school librarians will now work to select two books on the same subject matter to replace each of these books on shelves for students."
"It's like a domino effect. Now that this happened, what's next? What other books will be taken out? What other things will this board majority do besides book bans," said Lela Casey, a parent in the district.
Five of the nine seats on the school board are up for grabs this election cycle, meaning Tuesday's primary could have a big impact on the future of Central Bucks schools.
While the titles are no longer available in school libraries, Action News found both books at the Doylestown Bookshop.
https://6abc.com/central-bucks-school...
A middle school teacher in Illinois has resigned following a police investigation after she gave her students a look at This Book Is Gay."Sarah Bonner has been an Illinois middle school teacher for 20 years, and she has always tried to offer her students a diverse collection of books.
This year, a parent called the police over her book choice.
It started on Monday, March 13, 2023, when she held what she calls a “book tasting" for students.
“I wanted to give them a smattering of fiction and nonfiction to choose from on a day that we call ‘Reading Monday,” Bonner, 42, tells TODAY.com. “We just read and celebrate books.”
“By Wednesday, I received notice that parents had gotten a hold of pictures from that book that their child had taken in class,” Bonner says. “By Friday, I was told that parents had filed a police report against me for child endangerment.”
“The notion that I was putting children in danger because of books — I didn’t feel safe,” Bonner says. “I knew I couldn’t go back.”
Over the years, Bonner has watched her students graduate and go to college, only to return a year later because, she says, "They had a tough time acclimating to bigger, more diverse spaces."
"I wanted to do something to support them," Bonner, who has a 10-year-old son, says.
After listening to her students' questions and interests, Bonner structured a curriculum that she says included "a diverse library of texts," including books centering Black, Indigenous and LGBTQ characters and themes.
"I've been fortunate up until now to be supported by the communities that I've taught with," Bonner says. "The signs (of a potential issue) started at the beginning of this school year ... and this heightened culture war that's continuing to build nationwide."
"It's not necessarily about what happened to me," Bonner adds. "It's about how things have really changed for students."
According to a 2020 National Literacy Trust research report, most kids aged 9-18 say it's "important to read books from a range of backgrounds."
Nearly half said that they liked to read stories with characters "who are different from them."
Bonner says that she understands parents "know their children best" and believes that both parents and educators have that "love and care" in common.
"The difference is that I have that love and care for all students, not just a singular student," she adds. "In regards to the book that was challenged in my classroom, it was a message to the LGBTQ+ community in my room and in my district that they're 'less than.'"
The day after Bonner learned about the police report, she received a letter from her school district — she had been placed on paid administrative leave.
TODAY.com reviewed a copy of the letter, which said in part that the district "recently became aware of certain allegations" against Bonner and was "currently investigating." Until the investigation was complete, Bonner was told "not to perform any duties for the school district."
TODAY.com reached out to a school district's superintendent for comment but did not hear back at the time of publication.
Bonner says she decided to resign.
"I couldn't be the professional I've worked hard to be," she says.
The following Thursday, the school district held a special board meeting and voted unanimously to accept Bonner’s resignation.
"My first instinct was the kids," Bonner says, adding that many of her current and former students spoke during the board meeting to say that her classroom was "a safe place."
"If I am a safe place and I'm leaving, what does that do for our students?" Bonner asks. "'What about the kids?' has always been a question rooted in everything I do.
"Thinking about what happens to them was definitely hard," she adds.
...
"Our students deserve to be seen as thinkers and as people who can think critically — they need the ability to ask questions," Bonner says, adding that her middle school students are just four years away from being able to vote."
https://www.today.com/parents/teens/p...
FYI parents: Illinois does not support book bans!
Slightly better and surprising news from Kansas and Montana where lawmakers object to pronounced riptide of LGBTQ+ ‘erasure’ legislation(A few lawmakers anyway). Not directly about books but these laws do lead to book banning like in Florida.
https://www.kake.com/story/48910881/k...
North Carolina is also working to regulate LGBTQ+ people and spaces.
The new bills would:
1. Criminalize drag shows if kids are present
My mom asked "Who in their right minds would bring a kid to a drag show?" My response was 1)your oldest granddaughter's grandparents and 2) drag queen story time. She replied "Well story time, that's DIFFERENT!" NO I said it's not.
Technically the bill claims it would
House Bill 673, “Clarify Regulations on Adult Entertainment,” prohibit “adult live entertainment” on private property in the presence of anyone under age 18 and not allow it at all on public property.
“Adult live entertainment” is defined as “a performance featuring topless dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, or male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest.” The first offense would be a misdemeanor and subsequent offenses would be felonies.
Other states that have this type of legislation do intend it to mean drag queen story time and members of the LGBTQ+ community fear they will be attacked and arrested in the streets simply for being themselves.
“Well, I think it’s about age-appropriate entertainment for kids. I mean, there’s a reason why we don’t have adult entertainment in the schools,” bill sponsor Rep. Jeff Zenger told television station CBS-17. “This isn’t targeting anyone individually. All it does is classify drag shows as adult entertainment.”
The LGBTQ community says the bill is a threat to non-provocative.
“They're trying to end a long-established form of art and entertainment by defining it as adult entertainment,” Sandhills Pride Executive Director Lauren Mathers told The Fayetteville Observer. “Prurient interest is not what drag is about. Drag is an art form that uses exaggeration of features to provide entertainment that is basically, and mostly, comedy.”
The bill is pending in a state House committee.
There's also a "don't say gay" style bill.
Don’t tell young kids about sex or sexuality; do tell parents about potentially trans students
Senate Bill 49, entitled “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” is 11 pages of new regulations for schools.
It sets up rules to ensure parents can inspect educational materials and object to ones they disagree with.
It prohibits the schools from teaching children from kindergarten through the fourth grade about “gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality.” However, it does allow teachers and staff to answer questions if a student asks.
https://www.fayobserver.com/story/new...
Lots and lots going on today. Some good, some bad, some encouraging but not there yet. The planned right-wing takeover of school boards is not happening in all districts although books continue to be banned and laws are passed that will ban books and in turn harm more children than keep them from harm.
Articles to come!
The best and biggest news today is Penguin Random House and Florida parents sue school district over book bans
"The publishing house, five of its authors, parents and an advocacy group allege that removing the books discussing race and LGBTQ people violates the First Amendment.
In addition to the publishing house, PEN America, a nonprofit group that advocates for free expression in literature, five authors whose books have been removed from the district, and two parents whose children go to school in the district filed the suit against the Escambia County School District and the Escambia County School Board in Pensacola, Florida.
The plaintiffs alleged that the district and the board violated the First Amendment by “depriving students of access to a wide range of viewpoints, and depriving the authors of the removed and restricted books of the opportunity to engage with readers and disseminate their ideas to their intended audiences.”
They also argued that the removals violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment “because the books being singled out for possible removal are disproportionately books by non-white and/or LGBTQ authors, or which address topics related to race or LGBTQ identity.”
“This is no accident,” the suit alleged. “The clear agenda behind the campaign to remove the books is to categorically remove all discussion of racial discrimination or LGBTQ issues from public school libraries. Government action may not be premised on such discriminatory motivations.”
Bill Slayton, a member of the school board, told NBC News correspondent Antonia Hylton that he was surprised by the lawsuit because the school board and the superintendent have been following state law.
"We have been removing books that have been called inappropriate, pornography," he said. "I guess I'm a little surprised because this is going on all over the state of Florida, not just here. My reaction is our procedures are following what we have been told we have to do."
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Suzanne Nossel, the CEO of PEN America, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in a statement the freedom to read “is guaranteed by the constitution.”
“In Escambia County, state censors are spiriting books off shelves in a deliberate attempt to suppress diverse voices. In a nation built on free speech, this cannot stand,” she said. “The law demands that the Escambia County School District put removed or restricted books back on library shelves where they belong.”
One of the plaintiffs, Lindsay Durtschi, an Escambia County parent, said removing the books ultimately harms children.
“Without diverse representation in literature in school libraries and inclusive dialogue in the classroom, we are doing irreparable harm to the voices and safety of students in Florida,” Durtschi said. “Our children need the adults in their lives to stand up for the promise of inclusion and equity.”
This story is carried by every major news outlet but I found it on NBC news
https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-n...
More encouraging news in Florida:“Book Sanctuary” Opens in All Branches of Broward County Library System Including North Regional/Broward College in Coconut Creek
According to a recent news release, the sanctuary in each library is where “endangered stories will be protected and made accessible for exploration or checkout.”
The county’s libraries join more than 2,000 book sanctuaries across the nation, the news release said.
"As Director of Broward County Library, a vital part of my mission is to ensure that the freedom to read is not compromised," Allison Grubbs said in the news release. "The right to think, speak and learn freely are foundational values in our democracy and in our libraries."
Broward County Library System, a member of the American Library Association and the Urban Libraries Council, “vigorously supports access to library materials,” the news release said."
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/coconut...
Sadly, in Newtown, CT school district, parents want to ban books. Let's not forget the children who were harmed by guns - not books - in 2012. Flamer
Blankets
two stories challenged at Newtown High School
“Our stories deserve to be told. Our stories are beautiful. Queer people are beautiful and magical," said high school graduate Arline Almeter.
Almeter is a Newtown High School class of 2018 graduate. She’s passionate about the books she’s read including those involving LGBTQ characters. She was shocked to hear about a potential book ban.
“I thought we we’re better than this even though honestly I think that might not be true," Almeter said.
The complaints center around the books being too sexually explicit and inappropriate for students.
“Sexually explicit material is not protected under the First Amendment when we’re talking about minors,” Derek Rosani, a Newtown resident who supported removing the books, said.
Sophomore Ashton Almeter disagrees, saying these stories are relevant.
“You can’t talk about queer people without talking about sexual assault, rape or bullying. These are the problems queer kids are facing and we have to talk about them,” Ashton said.
He feels removing the books would reject the experiences of many at the high school.
“We are just people, and we want our stories to be told the same way other people’s stories are told. This is who we are. We’re humans,” Ashton said.
The board, however, was undecided with three Democratic members voting to keep the books without restrictions and three Republican members wanting to set specific age limits on those books as a compromise.
The deadlock means the books remain on the shelves for now. One Republican board member was unable to attend Tuesday’s meeting.
Another school board meeting will have to be set for discussion and to take action. There's no word yet on the date.
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/l...
ChokeThe National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the school board of Sarasota County Schools in Florida to protest a district administrator’s removal of Chuck Palahniuk’s Choke from high school libraries.
This violates a board policy that bars administrators from removing books until the committee has reviewed them.
https://ncac.org/news/sarasota-county...
More bad news in Florida but mainly because of the new state law."Orange County school board reluctantly approves book ban policies, with hands tied by the state
The district’s general counsel confirmed in an Orlando meeting they’ll have to revise their policies, thanks to new law that makes it easier to challenge books in schools.
School board member Karen Castor-Dentel, representing District 6, was the only board member to vote against the new policies, arguing the policies contain gaps that "favor those who wish to ban books."
Orange County is home to Orlando, and both city and county are Democratic strongholds where rainbow LGBTQ flags are hung with, well, actual pride, and drag performers are celebrated members of the local community, despite intimidation tactics from the state.
The district’s general counsel confirmed in an Orlando meeting they’ll have to revise their policies, thanks to new law that makes it easier to challenge books in schools
As Florida school districts continue to crack down on books deemed too controversial for public school libraries and classrooms (mostly the ones with LGBTQ+ characters), members of the Orange County School Board last week reluctantly agreed to revised policies that are meant to help keep the district in compliance with state law on school library materials.
School board member Karen Castor-Dentel, representing District 6, was the only board member to vote against the new policies, arguing the policies contain gaps that "favor those who wish to ban books."
Education laws passed by state legislators last year made it easier for books in schools to be pulled from shelves, but the rollout of local district policies to comply with them has been painstaking and perplexing for district staff, as new rules from the state continue to complicate the process.
“It’s just so confusing,” said board member Melissa Byrd on Tuesday, “not knowing what was gonna happen from the [Florida Department of Education] from day to day.”
The district’s revised policies, developed in the wake of laws branded as enhancements to “parental rights” in education, have been months in the making.
And, following the passage of a bill (HB 1069) that will make book challenges even easier and require the immediate removal of books challenged for containing “sexual content,” district staff confirmed to the board that it doesn’t end here.
“We are going to have to bring back further revisions for you this summer,” said Amy Envall, the district's general counsel, “based on the legislation.”
As it is, four books have been banned district-wide: Gender Queer, This Book Is Gay, Let's Talk About It and Perfectly Normal.
“Initially, this began with an effort to hunt for p___y on our shelves, and no one on this board wants p____y in our schools,” said school board member Karen Castor-Dentel, who taught in public schools for 15 years.
“But it didn't stop there,” she added. “Now books representing topics with LGBTQ characters, African American history, civil rights history, the Holocaust, and others have been challenged and are pulled around the state.”
While the district has answered questions from teachers about what is and isn’t allowed in Ron DeSantis’ Florida, some teachers, including those who identify as LGBTQ themselves, have “self-censored,” said McCracken, fearful of potential blowback.
Teachers have removed rainbow flag buttons from their bags when they go to school, he said, worried that Moms for Liberty members could be filming them to later accuse them of “indoctrination.”
“All of it is unnecessary,” said McCracken. “All of these laws are to fix a problem that didn't exist.”
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“Thirty people have died in 19 school shootings since the beginning of 2023,” said Will Larkins, a nonbinary student activist and senior at Winter Park High. “Anyway,” they added, “let's talk about book banning!”
Multiple school board members also echoed this concern. “I would say we have spent well over 100, maybe even 200 hours on this,” said board member Pam Gould, who recently launched a bid for a seat on the Orange County commission.
“Here's what I wish we had spent 200 hours on,” she added. “Teacher retention, promoting education, careers, skills-based learning, learners-to-earners.”
“I’m trying to work on anti-violence in my community,” added board member Byrd. “There are such bigger things that we should be spending our time on.”
Community members during public comment also noted that, under the revised policies on instructional materials, there’s no real process for appealing books that have been removed from schools.
Under the revised policy, books can be challenged by a parent of a child in Orange County schools, a county resident, and/or a school board member.
As it is, challenged books “shall not be removed immediately” under the revised policy, unless it’s determined by the county superintendent or designee to contain “p____y,” obscenity (per Florida’s legal definition), or if there’s belief it could be “disruptive” to student learning.
A new bill (HB 1069) that’s expected to get DeSantis’ final approval in the coming days or weeks, however, bolsters that complaint process.
It requires that complaints made against books on the basis of them containing “p____y” (whether that’s true or not) be removed within five days of the complaint and “remain unavailable to students of that school until the objection is resolved.”
That’s why board members can expect to discuss further revisions to the district’s policies this summer.
Teresa Jacobs, Orange County school board chair, became tearful on Tuesday in her comments on the policy.
“When I see the books that are pulled, I can’t ignore the fact that there are still too many people right here — right here in Orange County, where I thought we were so much better — that are pulling these books,” said Jacobs, who served as Orange County mayor from 2011 until taking office as school board chair in 2018.
The fact that it’s largely LGBTQ-themed books that are being challenged, or pulled from shelves across the state, is particularly troubling to Jacobs.
“I know how important it is for you to be safe and welcome, and cherished and loved,” Jacobs said.
She added that, while books like Gender Queer have been removed from shelves, she’s also been working with the superintendent to make sure there are books in schools that are age-appropriate and representative of all children.
“We are going to hunt for those books that we can add into the library,” said Jacobs. “We are going to fight with positivity. We're going to fight with love, OK? And we are going to win.”
https://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/or...
Parents of students at a Waldorf style private middle school on Long Island (NY) are complaining about the use of It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health in the classroom. Controversial book 'It's Perfectly Normal' has parents furious
They claim the book was originally made for older children and is not appropriate for fifth graders
The school, however, insists it is an optional, supplementary resource for parents that has never been used in the classroom
The class, called Our Whole Lives (OWL), references the controversial book 'It's Perfectly Normal' by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley.
Parents claim the book's content was originally made for older children and is not appropriate for fifth graders.
One mother spoke to The Post on condition of anonymity because, she claimed, parents have been 'intimidated' and threatened with being labelled as 'against diversity' for raising concerns.
Another said she feared retaliation from the school where parents sign contracts every February for their children’s enrollment for the following year.
'This school is the one place where they have always let children be children and they used to try to keep them away from social media and television,' one said.
'But now this ideology is becoming the forefront of the school’s focus. I’m all for diversity and inclusion but it takes on a whole new tone when your little kids come home lecturing you about pronouns and asking about (view spoiler)
Anxious parents requested a town hall at the school last month.
'My concern is that when ideas are brought up in class repeatedly… it has a certain significance for the child and it's now being inserted into the consciousness of the child,' one mother said during the school’s two-hour meeting.
The mother claimed that being forced to learn about (view spoiler) is changing the way her 10-year-old thinks.
'By bringing it up in class, wow, my teacher is talking about this, I better pay attention,' the mother said.
'(Her) play has changed, (her) thoughts have changed, its changed who (she) was as a person, as a 10 year old. When our children bring us something, it’s the time to introduce it, but if you’re forcing it… I don’t want my 10 year old, her play, her thoughts to be different from who she is right now.'
In a statement shared with DailyMail.com, Kelly O’Halogan, faculty chair of The Waldorf School of Garden City said: 'The book in question is an optional, supplementary resource for parents that has never been used in the classroom.
'All of our curriculum is thoughtfully selected, and we welcome collaboration with parents to continue delivering an inclusive and age-appropriate education for our students.
'We are a school that teaches our students to value the differences in individuals, and we recognize that there is strength and wisdom in our diversity.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...
The Washington Times reports on Muslim parents joining the conservative homophobic book banning backlash in Montgomery County, Maryland, where opt-out is not an option! It's not just ultra-conservative and religious Muslims but also every day more progressive Muslims all over the country.“One of the fathers who had reached out to us said his daughter is a third-grader, and she came home and told him, ‘Daddy, I’m not a she. I want to be a they,’” said Zainab Chaudry, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Maryland office. “He was like, ‘She’s in third grade. What does she know about gender?’”
The fight goes beyond Montgomery County. Last year, Muslim parents were among those who packed board of education meetings in Dearborn, Michigan, over sexually themed LGBTQ books in school libraries. Their objections upended stereotypes about what The New Yorker called “the right-wing mothers fueling the school-board wars.”
Zainab Chaudry, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Maryland office.
Her organization and the Montgomery County Muslim Council raised the religious liberty issue after the district introduced LGBTQ books for pre-K 5 and then said in March that parents could no longer opt their children out of lessons.
“It’s not the school system’s place to create that environment under the guise of inclusion, diversity and equity,” Ms. Chaudry said. “They are essentially faith-washing or brainwashing or imposing these values, according to what parents have told us.”
CAIR is no conservative group. It has fought immigration restrictions; opposed anti-boycott, divestment and sanctions laws; called for President Trump’s impeachment; and defended “anti-racism,” also known as critical race theory.
As books such as “Gender Queer,” drag queens and preferred pronouns make their way into schools, the Muslim advocacy group is aligning with right-tilting organizations such as Moms for Liberty and Parents Defending Education.
of beliefs, Ms. Chaudry said.
“A lot of the families who have reached out and expressed concern, they’re not families you would traditionally consider conservative,” she said. “They’re not necessarily the kinds of families that go to the mosque every Friday or pray five times a day or wear the headscarf.”
In other words, “the opposition to this is not just coming from one specific subset of the population. It’s pretty broad-based. And it’s not going to go away,” she said.
Critics have accused Montgomery County Public Schools of moving the goal posts. After word leaked in November about plans to add LGBTQ books to the pre-K 5 curriculum, district officials said the readings were not mandatory and parents would be notified beforehand.
In a March 24 notice to families, however, the district said parents would no longer be given advance notice or the option to excuse their children from instructional materials, except for the sex education curriculum, which has a state-mandated opt-out.
Critics have accused Montgomery County Public Schools of moving the goal posts. After word leaked in November about plans to add LGBTQ books to the pre-K 5 curriculum, district officials said the readings were not mandatory and parents would be notified beforehand.
In a March 24 notice to families, however, the district said parents would no longer be given advance notice or the option to excuse their children from instructional materials, except for the sex education curriculum, which has a state-mandated opt-out.
The district also approved six LGBTQ books for elementary schools, starting with “Pride Puppy” for pre-K and Head Start. The books for kindergarten through grade five include “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” “Intersection Allies: We Make Room for All” and “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope.”
Schools don’t have the option to ignore the list. The district emphasized that “as with all curriculum resources, there is an expectation that teachers utilize these inclusive lessons and texts with all students.”
At a meeting this month, advocates for Muslim parents urged Montgomery County Public Schools to reinstate the opt-out. A petition calling for bringing back the option for “sexually themed reading material” has garnered nearly 1,500 signatures.
So far, the district isn’t budging.
“We are listening to the concerns,” Montgomery County Public Schools said in an email to The Washington Times. “However, the District stands by its goal to create an environment where all students are welcomed and feel like they belong. Incorporating inclusive texts into our curriculum supports that goal.”
What worries some parents is that the books will be included in the classroom as part of the English language arts curriculum.
“It’s not just about the readings itself; it’s the fact that there are also associated conversations and discussions that are happening within classrooms,” Ms. Chaudry said. “Teachers are influencing how children are learning about and developing values and beliefs related to these issues, which has created a lot of panic and alarm and anxiety because parents want to be able to have a say on when and how their children learn about these topics.”
...
Ms. Chaudry acknowledged the political disconnect. “It’s definitely created a lot of conversations where groups like Moms for Liberty are reaching out to imams with long beards,” she said.
“Not the typical people you’d see in a room together,” she said, “but when it comes to their children, people are putting politics aside.”
https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/20...
During an Asheville (North Carolina) City Schools Board of Education meeting this week the book banning debate was front and center in the public comments.“The board needs to take action," one speaker said during the meeting on Monday, May 15, "by rehousing or removing books that are sexually or developmentally inappropriate for minors.”
In WAYNESVILLE, N.C. A book that addresses racial profiling is no longer required for an English class at a Haywood County high school. School leaders made the change after the father of a student complained.
Dear Martin (contains language teens have heard and used before)
“The board and the superintendent made the best choice by discontinuing -- allowing the book to be pulled as an assigned text,” Reeves said.
Superintendent Bill Nolte emphasized that the book is no longer an assigned read for a class, but it has not been banned altogether.
“They shared with us that if a student chose to read it, as a voluntary read, then they would permit that,” Reeves said.
https://wlos.com/news/local/dear-mart...
https://wlos.com/news/local/book-batt...
Sadly, Saline, Kansas has yet another book banning billboard. I won't sanction it by copying the text but here's some text from the article:"Bailey Morgan of the Saline County Library Alliance said the Alliance is in opposition to that billboard.
"When you have folks that are trying to delegitimize or harm a public institution like that it can really hurt the community," said Morgan.
Morgan is now collecting monetary donations from GoFundMe in order to purchase a billboard that says just the opposite. As of this publication, the alliance had raised over $500 more than their $3,500 goal.
"Our reasoning for wanting to put up our own billboard is to refute the claims being made on that website because in a lot of ways they are completely inaccurate or otherwise misleading," said Morgan.
Morgan was talking about the claims made on the website that is linked to the billboard.
https://katv.com/news/local/controver...
https://www.gofundme.com/f/billboard-...
In Ottowa County, Michigan, Monday, May 15, during a meeting of the Zeeland Public Schools Board of Education, the majority of 16 public speakers focused on the content of library books.Four speakers shared concerns about "obscene" content and language. They said they didn’t want to ban books, but suggested implementing a rating system similar to movies and making parental consent necessary to access certain titles.
Eight speakers lobbied against limits, highlighting current district policy.
“As a parent at ZPS, I know that if I have a personal objection to specific content or themes, I can work with the administration to ensure my children will not have access to that,” said Derek Muilenburg. “Asking for items to be removed from the entire school due to my personal objection is censorship and would infringe on the rights of other parents to make their own choices.”
Zeeland already considers items like content, appropriateness, accuracy, purpose and representation when selecting books.
But parent Christi Meppelink wants an opt-in system, rather than an opt-out.
“We want this type of content to not be readily available to students,” she said. “We are not advocating for any representations to be silenced, only protection for our children.”
Meppelink added “the devil wants to destroy the identity of our children” and said “parental rights are under attack and being extinguished.”
Ottawa County Deputy Health Officer Marcia Mansaray, who attended the meeting, disagreed.
“Going further than that insults the wishes of other families and exhibits little regard for the expertise of you and other professional educators at ZPS who have consistently demonstrated your deep care of the students you are helping to prepare for the next level of school and the next level of life.”
Ottawa Impact-backed board members for Allendale Public Schools have also expressed concern about a website from the Lakeland Library Cooperative, available through the district's website.
Anna Hendricks and Liz Ramey said the library website allows for previews of books containing material they feel is inappropriate for children.
The dispute has traveled down to Holland, too, where Councilman Quincy Byrd recently read excerpts from “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, and argued the book is inappropriate for young children.
Byrd began his comments by asking fellow councilmembers if they have children in their family ages 8-14, then asked the council at what age they lost their virginity.
He went on to say he considers the book “p___c."
fter reading, he acknowledged council doesn’t have “direct control” over book titles.
“I know as a council this isn’t something that we have direct control over, but as leaders of this community, as leaders of this great city, we have to do something for our kids,” he said. “I can’t tell you what to do, but I can bring it to your attention.”
Byrd said he doesn't take issue with LGBTQ characters and themes, but rather the sexual nature of the material.
R. Aimee Chipman, owner of Holland Township's Bluestocking Bookshop, said she was "horrified" by the comments.
“I am horrified, however, about the message that’s being sent to our community,” Chipman said in a video posted to social media. “One private citizen gets up and challenges a book? Fine. It’s their opinion, they’re entitled to express it. But when our elected officials, who are supposed to represent everyone in their district, get involved in these calls for censorship and restriction? That’s when we should all be standing up to fight back.”
In a conversation with The Sentinel, Chipman said an elected official making those kinds of comments during a public meeting make her feel that official “is not out to protect my interest. That person is not in the seat for me, only those who want to restrict my freedoms.”
Bluestocking hosts a monthly book club called “This Book Club is Banned,” which reads exclusively banned and challenged books.
“For us, it’s important that all books are available to read for all people, because that’s how we learn about the world around us,” Chipman told The Sentinel.
“It’s how we learn things we’re not learning in school, things we’re not learning from families. All books are worth reading and anybody who says they don’t want to read a certain book doesn’t have to read it. It’s not just about the freedom to read, but the freedom to choose not to read.”
Chipman said that most of the top banned and challenged books this year, according to the American Library Association, deal with LGBTQ themes and issues of identity. She said these books are important because they teach empathy and encourage critical thinking.
https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story...
Texas is copying Florida. Families in the Mansfield Independent School District, southeast of Fort Worth, weighed in on a plan to limit access to books that mention sexuality or gender fluidity.
The policy would put more scrutiny on the material in school libraries.
Mansfield residents would be able to challenge books they think might be inappropriate, even if they are not a parent in the district.
"Removing these books from libraries is removing someone’s story. It’s removing the ability of a student to go in there and read the story of someone who looks, someone who knows how they feel," a speaker said during the public comment portion of the meeting."
"In a letter to Mansfield ISD trustees, the American Civil Liberties Union said the measure violates the first amendment and federal anti-discrimination law.
The proposed guidelines also include restrictions on books that address drug use and bullying."
https://www.fox4news.com/news/mansfie...
And some confusion over Guess What?. Is it approved or banned in Florida? Nudity is present but the witch is bathing and all her private parts are covered. Bathing is not sexual and therefore, the illustration doesn't meet the criteria for being banned. https://theconversation.com/guess-wha...
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These "parents" insult the entire concept of Waldorf schools.
message 878:
by
Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs
(last edited May 18, 2023 07:47AM)
(new)
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Btw, at least some of the items in the collection as Walgreens are branded by Disney. The rainbow colored mouse ears headband is particularly cute and if I were 40 years younger I'd wear it.
Again, please let them know with your Dollars that you Support their efforts to be more Inclusive. It is all about love, after all. Not about hating the bigots, but about loving & being compassionate.
Cheryl wrote: "Well, here's a good-news related report from on the ground. In very conservative OK, my Walgreens did indeed have Gay Pride gear and so I bought a white ball cap with the word Love in rainbow stitc..."That's great news Cheryl! I decided to walk home today instead of bus so I didn't go up the hill to Walgreens yet. I'll stop in next time.
Lots of not good news today.
Bad news Northern Idaho! Newly elected Community Library trustees will shift the board to the far right, campaigned on removing books
The challengers for the two Community Library Network trustee seats, who campaigned on the idea that members of the North Idaho board need to do more to keep sexually explicit books out of the hands of kids, beat the incumbents by a significant margin in Tuesday’s election, shifting the balance to the board to the right.
Tom Hanley and Tim Plass will replace incumbent trustees Judy Meyer and Regina McCrea.
“I knew the conservative part of the county would be in favor of us, and they sure came through,” Plass said. “We talked to a lot of people, and I think they understood the problems. It’s pretty clear.”
The Community Library Network provides library services to all of Kootenai County, with the exception of Coeur d’Alene, as well as parts of Shoshone County. Trustees serve six-year terms.
“I’m not surprised at the outcome,” McCrea said, “given the tone in the community and the tactics used during the campaign.”
The election completes a shift that began two years ago when newcomers Rachelle Ottosen and Vanessa Robinson replaced incumbents Bob Fish and Michele Veale.
Ottosen and Robinson, like Hanley and Plass, advocated for removing library materials and were endorsed by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee.
The committee released a dramatized video ad over the weekend that falsely implied that North Idaho libraries are showing sexually explicit materials to young children.
Meyer and McCrae were backed by a moderate group called the North Idaho Republicans.
Ottosen has been especially vocal against LGBTQ-related programs and books. She also testified to the Idaho Legislature in support of recent obscenity bills targeting libraries and librarians.
Meyer and McCrae had argued that board members shouldn’t be in the business of restricting access to books and that parents should decide what their children are allowed to check out.
“I’m hopeful that they will take some time to understand the library’s structure and existing policies before immediately going in and affecting changes,” McCrea said.
“I feel a genuine obligation to follow through with what I have campaigned upon,” Hanley said in an email, “primarily, to make the minor’s areas of our libraries safe places again. Please keep all of the trustees in your prayers as Kootenai County works diligently to deliver, and attempts to set an example for other library systems to follow.”
Hanley told The Spokesman-Review last month that he was motivated to run for the library board in part by a quote he recently read attributed to Pope Leo XIII: “Christians are born for combat.”
On the other hand, in Boundary County, the two incumbent library trustees held on to their seats.
Aaron Bohachek won his seat for a full six-year term on the Boundary County Library Board with 61% of the votes, while his challenger, Lewis Clark, had 39%.
And William “Lee” Colson beat his opponent Mary-Esther Wilson 55% to 45% for a two-year term.
Colson and Wilson also had been critical of the library potentially giving children access to explicit materials.
A committee chaired by Colson recently updated a policy that gives community members a process to challenge library materials they find concerning. The board plans to discuss three young adult novels by Ellen Hopkins on Thursday.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/202...
The five-member library board already had one member—Rachelle Ottosen—who has voiced views similar to Plass’ stance. They now have a controlling majority.
Plass, a recently retired Stanford-educated electrical engineer, figures he and his comrades will waste no time moving any books they deem inappropriate to where they cannot be accessed by children and teens.
“That’s a definite,” he said.
Hanley said in an email to The Daily Beast that he “was motivated to run for the Community Library Network after learning about the hundreds of obscene books located in the minor’s areas of the libraries.”
He added, “Someone had to do something about it, so I thought, why not me?”
McCrea said she and her family had been through so much during the election that she would prefer to avoid the spotlight. She sounded still jarred from being accused in board meetings and in mailings and online of sexualizing children.
“I’ve been called a groomer,” she said. “I’ve been accused of harming minors, distributing books that are obscene.”
“I’m a mother, I want to protect children’s innocence,” she said. “Just the idea that I am trying to pervert children is offensive. I believe children’s innocence should be protected just as much as anyone.”
She was able to note one bright spot: Denise Neujahr, a librarian who runs teen youth services in the network is the recipient of the American Library Association’s 2023 Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity in recognition of her efforts to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth.
“Denise was targeted by the ‘Panhandle Patriots,’ a militia-oriented motorcycle club based in northern Idaho,” the ALA announcement noted. “They received her personal information through a public records request and commenced a personal attack on Denise that included printed posters and a social media campaign that labeled her as a ‘groomer’ and claimed that she was indoctrinating youth with an LGBTQ+ agenda.”
Neujahr will be presented with the award at an ALA gathering in Chicago in June. That is the same month the new majority will be taking over the library network back in Northern Idaho after a campaign of lies and fear.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/book-ba...
Wisconsin lawmaker from the city where a teacher was suspended for playing Miley Cyrus' 'Rainbowland' now wants to make it so that teachers can be sued for 'obscene' booksWisconsin lawmakers introduced a bill that would allow parents to sue teachers over "obscene" books.
Republican state Rep. Scott Allen, who co-sponsored the bill, is from Waukesha, Wisconsin.
In April, the district suspended a teacher who played the song "Rainbowland," which is about acceptance.
On May 9, state Rep. Scott Allen and state Senator André Jacque proposed two bills that "address the matter of obscene materials in schools," according to a news release from Allen's office.
The first bill recommends that the state strip school employees and teachers of their protections against prosecution for "displaying obscene material," the release says. The other bill would prohibit the use of public funds to purchase "obscene material."
According to Allen's news release, his proposed bills would cover obscene material, which Wisconsin law defines as a work that "lacks serious literary, artistic, political, educational or scientific value, if taken as a whole."
Allen said he'd received a complaint in his district about a book where (view spoiler) which "could" be considered obscene.
"Some might panic that there will be multiple lawsuits brought against schools, but current Wisconsin State Statute 944.21 (7) requires both a district attorney and the attorney general to sign off before a civil or criminal proceeding could commence," the news release says.
The bills in Wisconsin would have to pass in the state legislature and get the governor's signature in order to become law. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers would likely veto them if they reached his desk.
https://www.businessinsider.com/wisco...
Also in Michigan, Gender Queer: A Memoir is being removed from the Galesburg-Augusta High School library following a vote by the Kalamazoo County school district's board on Monday, May 15, 2023.Tracy Hall, executive director for OutFront Kalamazoo, the region’s leading LGBTQIA+ resource center, applauded both women for their decisions.
“It is disappointing to me that (the district) came up with this conclusion, but I’m not surprised,” Hall said. “I don’t know why some people are so afraid. People have taken to learning about someone different, or something different, as some form of indoctrination. I don’t know if people even really hear themselves.”
Hall called the book and books like it, which can be affirming of one’s identity, “lifesaving.”
“I know to some people it might seem hyperbolic, but it’s not,” she said. “Something my partner speaks a lot about, is that books that spoke to her and her identity as a young, queer human, those books did save her life.”
Superintendent Wendy Somers echoed the latter sentiment, saying “we want to assure the public that we are not a board that is interested in banning books. In fact, if there is a high school around where LGBTQ students come because of how inclusive it is ... it is this school.”
After the book eventually wound up being banned, Hall said she wished to take Somers to task on that statement.
“When she said at the last meeting that the district was among the most accepting in the community ... we hear otherwise from the younger people who go to Galesburg-Augusta,” Hall said. “We hear from some of the teachers too.
“And to take this book, which is an amazing book, to me speaks to the opposite of being a welcoming and accepting district.”
OutFront has purchased extra copies of the book, and those interested in it can check it out at the resource center’s library at 340 S. Rose Street in Kalamazoo.
OutFront staff is also happy to give copies of the book away to those who would like to read it, she said.
https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/...
Even more from Michigan, they're on a roll with censorship today.Book bans move from sex to war, as west Michigan school removes Jarhead : A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
In a 4-3 vote, the Hudsonville Public Schools board voted to remove the book ‘Jarhead’ from the high school library
In a tense meeting Monday, some speakers said the book is derogatory to the military and too explicit
Others say this is a slippery slope where one group of parents is able to decide for other parents what is acceptable
In what the author of the memoir calls an unprecedented action, the Board of Education for Hudsonville Public Schools in Ottawa County this week voted 4-3 to remove the book that chronicles a Marine’s experience in the Gulf War.
Some parents told the board the book is too violent and disrespects the military. The book also includes references to drugs, profanity and graphic descriptions of sex.
“It's a book about war,” author Anthony Swofford told Bridge Michigan this week. “And war is not pretty, war is not neat. War is a morally dubious landscape for any young person sent out with a weapon in his or her country's name.”
A parent first complained about the book in November, District Public Relations Manager Stephanie Fast told Bridge in an email. The board overruled an academic committee that reviewed the book and unanimously recommended it remain on the shelves.
... Parent Genna Brong told Bridge Wednesday.
She said her ex-husband previously served in the Army and her brother is a current member of the Michigan National Guard. Students deserve to read about their experiences, Brong said.
“We are allowing recruiters into schools where kids can sign on the dotted line, but they can’t read about actual service members’ and soldiers’ experiences?,” she said at the meeting.
At the meeting, Board President Barb Hooper read a passage where the author describes his lack of “courage” to kill himself.
“This is troubling. A student who is struggling mentally and maybe considering suicide, in my opinion, probably should not be reading that comment that suicide is a courageous act.”
She also objected to its use of vulgarities. Another speaker called the book “extremely violent, vulgar, p____ic diatribe.”
Hudsonville is the first district nationwide to target his book, which was adapted into a movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal. The book received high praise, winning the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for memoirs in 2004.
“Jarhead” does not appear on a list of banned books from the 2021-2022 school year compiled by PEN America, a nonprofit that tracks book bans, or a separate list compiled by The EveryLibrary Institute and EveryLibrary.
The Hudsonville board overruled a unanimous recommendation by a seven-person committee composed of two teachers, three parents, one building administrator and one curriculum department member. The superintendent of curriculum and instruction was a facilitator who didn’t vote and the librarian was a consultant who didn’t vote, Fast said.
The book is not a part of any school curriculum, Fast said, and she is unaware of any classroom libraries that include the book.
Brong said giving board members more say on these books rather than relying on expertise from teachers and administrators with what is age-appropriate is “very scary.”
https://www.bridgemi.com/talent-educa...
In North Carolina, 'This is immoral': Pastor slams NC school board over p____c' library book
John K. Amanchukwu Sr., a preacher and contributor to TPUSA Faith, confronted the Asheville City School (ACS) school board over the book '"It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health" Monday.
"It's Perfectly Normal" is described as a children's book centered around puberty and sexual health, and Amanchukwu claims it is available in ACS libraries. ACS's online library catalog suggests that at least one copy of the book can be found in its middle school.
"This is immoral and asinine to allow children to be able to see this," Amanchukwu told the school board. "Is it you, or do parents decide what should be placed at the fingertips and allowed to be taught to their children in this school system?"
When reached for comment, an ACS spokesperson directed Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) to the district's policy and procedures for requesting the removal of a school library book.
ACS's policy states that library books, as well as any other "instructional materials," may only be removed for "legitimate educational reasons."
https://newschannel9.com/news/local/t...
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Newly elected Community Library trustees will shift the board to the far right, campaigned on removing books."
Fortunately, most of Idaho did not support censorship. Hooray! I'm especially glad to see it for our local districts (especially in Meridian where so recently there was the "Concerned Citizens" trying to disband the libraries)
https://news.yahoo.com/idaho-library-...
"Tuesday was a good day for freedom in Idaho.
"In almost all cases, the forces of censorship — far-right candidates who’ve attempted to take over local library boards — took a thumping. Candidates who pledged that public libraries would remain places of free intellectual inquiry triumphed.
"Perhaps the most hotly contested races were in Meridian, where there have been efforts to simply disband the district because the library has sex education books and books that make reference to the lives of gay people. Incumbent Destinie Hart, who has pledged to protect free expression, beat challenger Xavier Torres, who had signed the petition to disband the district, by more than a two-to-one margin. The results were essentially identical in the race between incumbent Josh Cummings and challenger David J. Tizekker.
"The pattern repeated at the Ada Community Library board, where anti-censorship candidates Mary Anne Saunders and Sandra Taylor prevailed over candidates who had pledged to govern the library according to conservative ideology.
"And the trend of anti-censorship voting held up not just in the Treasure Valley but across much of the state. From North Idaho to eastern Idaho, library trustees committed to freedom generally prevailed."
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Well-said, Cheryl! It makes me smile to hear the good in the world. Thank you! I know Target also has a lot of Pride merchandise (our cats especially love the rainbow cat scratcher we got them) and I just saw the cutest rainbow and purple spatulas that say "Spread the Love" that I want to get for my junior bakers ;-) My Zumba instructors host a Pride class every June so I'll see if I can find something new to add to my wardrobe before then -- those rainbow Mickey Mouse ears sound so cute, nevermind my age ;-)
Great news about Ada and Meridian! That seems to be the trend in most places outside of pockets of extreme right-wing extremists, many of whom sound like cult members and have to resort to lies in order to get votes. They've involved their children, whom they proclaim to be oh so innocent and in need of protecting! It proves the censors are pulling a political stunt rather than being motivated to actually shield children from so-called obscene content.
In Brevard County, Florida, certain editions of the Bible have been challenged in schools. "Various translations of the text were included on a list of 296 books submitted by an anonymous person on May 12. The list was sent to Stephanie Soliven, assistant superintendent for Secondary Leading and Learning at BPS, with a message saying every book on the list violated state statutes.In Brevard, the list of 296 challenged books was comprised mostly of various translations of the Bible, stories about the Bible and other religious-themed texts within BPS libraries, though it also included historical titles such as “Laura Ingalls Wilder Country: The People and Places in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Life and books,” “Johann Gutenberg and the Amazing Printing Press” and even the joke book, “.All-Time Awesome Collection of Good Clean Jokes for Kids”
The anonymous person who submitted the list of books said the Bible and other books all broke state statutes, which require Florida school districts to purchase age-appropriate books free of p____y and say that governmental entities cannot infringe on a parent's right to direct the religious beliefs of a child.
Despite the accusation, school board member Katye Campbell said no one she's spoken to sees the Bible as an issue.
"The truth is, conservative people need to stop saying extreme things about liberal people, and liberal people need to stop saying extreme things about conservative people," she said.
...
She sees the list of the Bible and other religious-themed books as an attempt at getting even with those who have challenged books in the past for passages they felt were obscene.
Campbell questioned whether the person submitting the list had read the titles they submitted or if they'd simply pulled them from Google. She noted that some of the book titles contain the word "bible" but have nothing to do with religion, such as a recipe book called "The Cupcake Bible" or "The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible: The A-to-Z Guide To Feeders, Seed Mixes, Projects, And Treats."
Michelle Beavers is the former chair of Brevard's Moms for Liberty library committee and a member of BPS' book review committee. She said she thinks the person who submitted the list doesn't understand the review process, noting it requires documentation of objectionable material in each title.
"They're going to have to come up with what's wrong with the story of Noah's Ark and document how that's either harmful, sexually explicit or inappropriate for minors," she said. "If they want to spend the time trying to figure out how they can defame Noah's Ark into being something that's not appropriate for children, let them knock themselves out."
Beavers, who describes herself as "not religious," said she's been criticized for submitting a list challenging 42 books in 2022. A list of nearly 300 books will cost the district far more time and money, she said.
"You just cost our school (district) lots of money," she said. "I did mine over a series of months as we found books slowly and put them out as we found them, like 10 at a time ... so to sit there and tell me how horrible I am because I have overburdened our school system and cost man hours and then to do (about seven) times what I did, it's just hypocritical."
"Paul Roub is another book review committee member whose personal philosophy is books are "innocent until proven guilty" — in other words, he generally assumes they shouldn't be removed from the shelves until proven otherwise. He wasn't sure what the thought process was behind submitting so many books. It might be to make a point, he said.
"I get the point that (I assume) they're trying to make, and I do appreciate that this points out the importance of reviewing the whole book, not just excerpts," he said in a text to FLORIDA TODAY."
The list of 296 books was submitted as an informal challenge. When that's the case, schools impacted — or schools that have copies of these books — will be notified by Soliven to commence the informal review of the materials, according to board policy.
The results of the review will be shared with the petitioner within 30 days excluding summer, winter break or spring break, and the results will be posted on the district library/media website.
If the requestor isn't satisfied with the results, he or she will be provided with the Request for Reconsideration of Materials Form to file a written request for reconsideration, with Soliven or a designee also providing an explanation of the process that will be followed, according to policy. The request for reconsideration will be filed with Soliven or the designee."
Though Beavers feels the new, extensive list is a waste of time and resources, she added that if reviewing the Bible and religious-themed texts is what it takes to remove sexually explicit materials from schools, she's for it.
"My personal opinion is, if the cost of getting these (sexually explicit or inappropriate) books off the shelves is we remove the Bible, Jesus, God and any references to those, if that's the cost, I'm for it," she said. "Pay it. We're done. I'd be happy to."
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/ne...
A 'book ban' law is set to go into effect in Indiana July 1 for schools"One local school district is preparing for the law to go into effect.
But there won't be very many changes.
Some Indiana librarians are concerned about a book ban law that could result in books being pulled off of school library shelves.
But Bloomfield school officials say right now, there's already an option for parents to request reconsideration of library books.
Superintendent Dr. Scott Van Der Aa says it's been in place for nearly 25-years.
"I see it as very little impact because I feel like Bloomfield historically has always done a great job at giving parents and students a voice," Van Der Aa said.
The school will have to add the ability for parents and community members to appeal a book to the school board.
The school will also have to post its library inventory online.
Van Der Aa says to make sure those requirements are met, the Indiana school board association is educating the school on the new law.
"They help us ensure that all of our board policies are legally up-to-date. So, they will actually work with us in updating our board policy in this and ensuring that it is part of what we have," Van Der Aa said.
https://www.wthitv.com/news/i-see-ver...
This Book Is GayCEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - “This Book is Gay” is one of the most banned books of 2022, according to the American Library Association. But an Iowa City School District committee concluded the book should remain at its junior high. That’s in contrast to a looming book ban from Governor Kim Reynolds that librarians worry will send kids into dangerous online settings seeking information.
In the coming weeks Gov. Reynolds is expected to sign SF 496, a bill she proposed as a parental bill of rights, after it passed the Iowa legislature with no Democrat support. It includes a conservative wish list of school reforms including a ban on teaching gender and sexual identity - known by critics as ‘don’t say gay’ - in K-6th grades, requiring schools to alert parents if their child wants to use a pronoun different than their birth sex, and requires schools remove any literature that includes (view spoiler)
“This Book is Gay” is certain to fall under than book ban and be removed from school libraries and classrooms across the state.
The Sioux City Community School District opted to remove the book in March after a conservative Twitter page called “Libs of TikTok” highlighted it saying the content compromised student safety.
The Iowa City Community School District received two bomb threats after the same Twitter group highlighted that the district had the book in its junior high, too. That prompted the Iowa City School District to initiate its review process, a rarely used procedure that all Iowa school districts have in some form to respond to complaints about classroom or library material.
Iowa City’s review process requires a Reconsideration Committee that includes teachers, students, and community members. Susan Craig, a retired Iowa City librarian, served as the chair of that committee and said the members were unanimous in wanting to keep the book available in schools.
...
Craig said the committee was unanimous in feeling the book should remain available to Iowa City students but the question was at what age is it appropriate. Different expert assessments came to varying conclusions about which age is too young for the book’s graphic sexual content.
For Craig, the two students on the committee played a crucial role in deciding the answer to the question. Craig said the high school students detailed that by middle school, some of their classmates had engaged in sexual activity and that sex was a common topic of discussion. That’s backed up by a 2017 CDC study showing more than half of high school students have engaged in sexual intercourse, and 1 in 4 had engaged in sex by age 16.
For Craig, that makes ‘This Book is Gay’ age appropriate in junior high.
“I think it’s age appropriate if a child is interested in it and can ask the hard questions,” Craig said.
The Iowa City Reconsideration Committee ultimately recommended “This Book is Gay” stay in libraries in junior high, which includes 7th and 8th grades.
Craig said she doesn’t understand why Gov. Reynolds Parental Bill of Rights would ban students from taking part in a material review committee after seeing the role students played in Iowa City’s committee.
The undertone to Iowa City’s decision is that it will likely be moot in mere months. Gov. Reynolds’ parental bill of rights includes a ban on any book with descriptions or depictions of sex that takes effect on January 1, 2024.
“This Book is Gay” would surely be included in that ban, removing it from libraries in Iowa City schools and across the state. Some lawmakers worry the ban would also remove many literary classics like “The Catcher in the Rye”, “Romeo and Juliet” or “The Great Gatsby”.
For Craig and High, removing “This Book is Gay” amounts to taking away parental choice, something Gov. Reynolds has championed in her push to pass this ban in the first place.
“Banning a book takes it away from everybody,” Craig said. “If a parent doesn’t want a child to have access to a book, you don’t ban it for everybody.”
“If it makes you uncomfortable, that’s your decision, you don’t have to have your kids read that book if you don’t want to,” said High.
In a statement, Governor Reynolds’ Office did not directly respond to questions about the decision to ban students from serving on material review committees, like in Iowa City, or why the decision to remove a book should be made at the state level instead of by an individual school district.
“Parents can choose to provide their children with any book they believe is appropriate for them,” said the Governor’s spokesperson Kollin Kropton. “But not all books are appropriate for school libraries.”
Craig acknowledged schools could place some restrictions on content like “This Book is Gay”, like including it as curriculum or making it only available under a counselor’s supervision. High agreed supervision is not a bad idea but added that having it openly available in a library can be valuable for some teenagers.
“If you’re a parent, regardless of if it’s straight or gay, you don’t want your kids to be reading anything sexual at all,” High said. “But also if you’re in the closet and you don’t know how this works and you don’t want to ask your parents because you don’t know how they feel, you’re not going to have that resource.”
https://www.kcrg.com/2023/05/19/this-...
NOW Florida has become Nazi Germany banning books about the Holocaust." The Florida Department of Education (DOE) released a list of new textbooks it has approved, and those it hasn’t.
There were 101 books proposed in total: 66 were approved, and 35 were not. Those rejected made up 36% of all submissions. Of those tossed out, two aimed to teach students about the Holocaust.
Raegan Miller with the Florida Freedom to Read Project said this is effectively a form of book banning.
"To me, it just feels like overreach by the state government in not allowing each district to review and vet their own curriculum."
Florida State Representative Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, said the explanation is much simpler.
"There’s lists of standards. The books have to fit those standards."
Among the books on the DOE's "Not Recommended List" are History of the Holocaust, 2nd Edition , and Modern Genocide. A third book intended for a middle schooler history course was allowed into schools after it took out what the DOE called "politically charged language."
The textbook changed the prompt "What social justice issues are included in the Hebrew Bible?" to "What are some of the key principles included in the Hebrew Bible?"
Rep. Fine’s bill, which was passed in 2020, created an entire school course focused on the Holocaust. He said Modern Genocide wasn’t approved for use because it was submitted for that class, and it isn’t a good fit.
"This is a class about Holocaust studies. It has requirements, it has standards. The book was only 10% in line with the standards because the book is for a class on genocides, not for a class on the Holocaust."
The Florida Department of Education says the book History of the Holocaust is about 73% in line with "subject-specific standards." It has to be at 90% to get approved.
The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida told me it’s "aware of the State of Florida’s decisions regarding book banning" and said it works closely to support Central Florida school districts with "quality resources about accurate Holocaust history and its implications for us as citizens today." Any decision not to adopt a book can be appealed.
The DOE said it will keep working with publishers to get their books to the point where they are approved."
https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/two...
Teachers, librarians targeted by angry parents over LGBTQ books speak outThe librarian in Illinois who shared This Book Is Gay speaks out.
Also, Jamie Gregory, a librarian in South Carolina, has been facing similar backlash for tweeting about her teen child's defense of a highly-banned book called "Gender Queer," and his opposition of its removal from local schools.
The book has been criticized for its depiction of nudity and sexual references.
"You certainly have the right as a parent to tell your child what they can and cannot read, but explain to them how that doesn't mean, though, that you actually remove the materials so that no one else can access it," Gregory added.
Once Gregory's tweet was spread online by conservative extremists, she told ABC News she began receiving threatening messages and had her personal information shared online.
"It's not just political rhetoric. I'm a real person. And this has really happened to me. In my life," Gregory said she told a representative from a conservative group backing book bans. "You're saying things that are not true, and making people paranoid and making people angry. You're accusing people like me of felonies."
Gregory and Bonner say their experiences represent a growing hostility towards public education and its inclusion of marginalized identities. The increased scrutiny has come amid growing fears of teacher shortages, and empty positions plaguing school districts nationwide.
Shelly Fitzgerald, who was fired from her teaching job at a Christian school in 2018 for being a lesbian, believes her firing was a sign of what was to come, and what people are experiencing now.
She believes laws that restrict content in classrooms in Florida, Texas, Oklahoma and elsewhere are designed to "stop teaching empathy," "support" and "history." She fears how laws restricting discussion on gender identity and sexual orientation in the classroom will impact her daughter, who has two mothers and could be restricted from talking about her home and family life.
Bonner, who now teaches pre-service middle school teachers, urges her students to prepare for a fight ahead.
"The more we ban, the more we erase," Bonner said. "My heart just aches for the LGBTQ students in my classroom that have questions."
https://abcnews.go.com/US/teachers-li...
More on the lawsuit in Florida:"Lindsay Durtschi, a member of the P.T.A. in bright-red Escambia County, Fla., knows that coming out as a public face in the fight against book banning could make her life difficult, but she’s made peace with it. “I don’t want my business to suffer,” the optometrist and mother of elementary school-age girls told me. “I don’t want my kids to be bullied.” She worries her family could be threatened. “But if that’s what ends up happening, then I’ll tell everybody about it. I’m not one to keep my mouth shut.”
“The person that is to blame for this is Ron DeSantis,” she told me. It’s DeSantis, after all, who has made the war on wokeness, particularly in schools, central to his political agenda.
“I was probably five feet from Governor DeSantis today, who made it very clear to me how he felt about some of this stuff,” Adams said at the school board meeting where “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” was banned. “I wondered why so many students had mental health issues and disciplinary problems, bad disciplinary problems. I believe they’re being poisoned by what they hear and what they read.”
DeSantis has taken legitimate anxiety over student well-being in the wake of the pandemic and channeled it into a spiraling moral panic. “Now these voices — you know, Daughters of the Confederacy, Moms for Liberty”— a right-wing women’s group that has spearheaded book bans nationwide — “they’ve been given license now to bring their hatred to the mainstream,” said Durtschi.
Durtschi, who grew up in an evangelical household and attended a Christian college, said she doesn’t want to “devalue” the feelings of people who might be anxious about what children are encountering in school. But she’s also livid about what her own kids are now learning. “We’re going to teach you how to tie a tourniquet in case of an active shooter, but they can’t know that men and women may not be the only option for a marriage license?” she said incredulously. “I’m OK with some hating me for bucking against it,” she added.
the Escambia County School Board voted to abruptly fire the district’s superintendent, Tim Smith, in part because, acting on the advice of the school board general counsel, he’d balked at removing books. Before Smith left, he offered some parting words to the board. “There’s something bad that exists here,” he said. “There’s something toxic that exists here.” And it doesn’t exist only in Escambia, which is why this lawsuit matters.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/19/op...
Confusing news from Florida.African-American history is back on. I'm not sure what KIND of Black history will be taught though and I worry about how the Stop WOKE act will prevent real history from being told.
"Legislation that will require school districts across the Sunshine State to provide evidence they are teaching African American history to state standards just received final approval from the Governor.
The measure (HB 551) by Miami Gardens Democratic Rep. Christopher Benjamin and Palm Bay Republican Rep. Randy Fine mandates that districts must report yearly to the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) with proof the lessons are being taught and how. They’ll also be asked to suggest ways for the curriculum to be improved.
Each school district will have to submit an implementation plan to Education Commissioner Manny Díaz Jr., complete with details about its instruction methods and the qualifications of teachers. The district must also post those details to its website.
Noncompliant districts will have 45 days to course-correct and submit their revisions for approval. Violations beyond that timeframe will face punitive measures, including defunding.
Further, the bill expands the list of entities the DOE can contract for advisement, teacher training and resource development to include “any state or nationally recognized African American education organizations.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday quietly signed the measure, to which Tallahassee Republican Sen. Corey Simon carried a Senate companion.
“It was my goal this Session that we had proper accountability with regards to the required instruction in African American history,” he told Florida Politics after the bill passed unanimously on May 4. “I sought to answer the questions, ‘How do we know it’s being taught?’ and ‘What happens if it isn’t taught?’ This bill will require a detailed report from every school district, allows for schools to obtain additional resources as needed to comply with the requirements and identifies that enforcement is provided in statute and such statute includes such things as a loss of funding and mandatory monthly reporting until deficiency is cured.”
“I’m proud of the work that we’ve done and I thank my co-prime (sponsor), Randy Fine, and my Senate partner, Corey Simon,” he continued. “We’ve made it clear that while we may disagree on what theories are important, there can be no disagreement that the history of Blacks in the United States remains important and of great value.”
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/...
Sadly the culture war has come to a community near me. Book Look is a Moms for Liberty website. No sensible parent should be looking there. Read the book and find out for yourself if it's appropriate for your kid.In this instance, the book is an adult book considered a classic, The Kite Runner, banned in Moms for Liberty controlled school districts.
Parents of students in Attleboro Public Schools are urging school committee members to remove some books from the middle and high school libraries.
Parent Jessica Pion says her son is a student at Coehlo Middle School and was able to check out "The Kite Runner," which is a novel about the experience of an Afghan refugee set in the 1970s and '80s.
Pion said the book has explicit, sexual language.
"Luckily, a teacher told him this was an inappropriate book," Pion said. "I was shocked to learn what was in there. I trusted the material that was in the schools for my kids."
Pion said she reviewed the book on the website Book Look, which is a site where parents share information about books containing information they find objectionable. The site says the novel contains the (view spoiler)
Reviewers on Common Sense Media call it powerful and complex, but do recommend that it's more appropriate for older students.
Attleboro School Committee Vice Chairperson Rob Geddes says they unanimously approved language for the school handbooks that brought light to an already existing policy where families can limit students' access to books with certain content.
The policy reads: "Parents/Guardians who wish to restrict the access of their student to specific titles through the school library should contact the School Librarian."
The school committee says they are not banning any books and no books have been removed from the school libraries.
In a statement, Superintendent David Sawyer said: "My recommendation to our School Committee was to continue to handle this conundrum the same way we always have. First, we need to be transparent on what we use and what students can access. Second, we need to protect the interests of a wide range of perspectives, especially when they meet opposition. And third, we need to respect the wishes of parents when they do not want their minor children exposed to something that they find objectionable. This builds trust, protects liberty, and respects individual choice."
Parents said they still want more to be done, like putting a policy in place to screen books.
"I hope they'll put a policy in place for screening the books, whether that means a committee," said Pion.
Relative of an Attleboro student, Julie Rigby, said, "Movies are rated, music is rated, but there is no rating for books. There has to be a way we have our own rating system."
https://turnto10.com/news/crisis-in-t...
Mod
Too bad that the Manitoba premier is such a COWARD for honestly, Ms. Stefanson, if you do not believe in books being banned you should prevent Manitoba school boards from implementing book bans and you should publicly tell "parents" who are challenging books that they have no right to collectively force their their issues with books and sexuality on others. SHAME ON YOU (but I guess I am not surprised that Stefanson has caved in, since the Manitoba Conservatives are pretty much into Trump like Social Conservatism).
The fight over LGBTQ+ books continues in Columbia County, Georgia public librariesCOLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF) – People are raising concerns at Columbia County Board of Commissioners’ meetings about some children’s books at the county library.
At a recent county commission meeting, one woman asked that children’s picture books with LGBTQ+ images be moved to the adult section in the library.
She described the images in the books as propaganda.
Library patrons we spoke to disagree.
“My six-year-old son holds hands with his best friend all the time, it’s purely innocent,” said Greta Vega. “They’re just friends, they wanna play and have fun. They have no idea there’s a stigma.”
Vega thinks the books should stay where they are.
“I think kids need to know that there’s people different from them out there,” she said. “Not everybody’s the same, and that’s a good thing. We don’t need to be an authoritarian government that decides, ‘okay, I’m not going to let your children read this book because I don’t like it.’”
“We have had ongoing discussions, and our goal is to make sure that all taxpayers and all readers are represented at the library,” said Marlena Bergeron, a Columbia County Library Board Member.
At the Columbia County Library, parents can get their children a library card at any age, but children under 12-years-old must be supervised at all times.
“We have things that might not be for everybody, but we hopefully have something for anybody who walks in,” Bergeron said. “And we want parents to make choices that they think are appropriate for their kids.”
Bergeron wants the library to be an inclusive place for people of all backgrounds.
“Our board is very diverse,” she said. “We all have different backgrounds, experiences. Some of us have lived in different areas, but we know that our library serves everybody. And so we want to make sure that every percentage of the community has a place and feels welcome.”
https://www.wjbf.com/news/reaction-to...
Manybooks wrote: "https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manito...Too bad that the Manitoba premier is such a COWARD for honestly, Ms. Stefanson, if you do not believe in books b..."
"Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson doesn't support banning LGBTQ content from school libraries, but it doesn't mean her government will meddle in the affairs of a school board considering such a proposal.
"I don't like bans of things of this nature. I don't think we do. We're past that. I hope we don't go back to trying to control those things," Stefanson said Thursday.
Despite her personal stance, the premier said her government will respect the autonomy of school divisions. Her Progressive Conservative government abandoned plans in 2021 that would have eliminated English-language school divisions, after an outcry from members of the public who said school divisions provided a local voice."
That's completely stupid. You either support book bans or you don't. On the other hand, governments shouldn't intrude on personal liberties and it would behoove the Republicans and Conservatives to remember that. They didn't want the governments mandating masks and vaccines and yet they DO want the government mandating which books their children can read.
"Lorraine Hackenschmidt, a grandmother and former school trustee, called for the removal of children's sexual education books and LGBTQ-related content. Hackenschmidt also asked for any books that "caused our kids to question whether they are in the wrong body" be removed. "They are certainly not in the wrong body," she said. "They are fearfully and wonderfully made."
Grandma needs to butt out and keep her religious views out of the library and the government.
While Mom Dixon and Mom West should be applauded for you know actually talking to their kids about things.
"In Brandon, the talk of a delegation asking for a book ban is being heard among students.
Amber Dixon said her youngest son, who's in Grade 5 in the school division, brought it up.
"I said, 'But you still love your cousins who are gay and your friends and family who are lesbians?' And he's like, 'I don't care if they like boys or girls.' We should all think like the 11 year olds in the world," she said.
Brandon resident Isioma West said for her it's not about what books are on the shelves but that parents play a role in their children's education. And when her son is old enough to go to school, she plans to do just that.
"He can read what he wants as long as he's reading." she said. "If he has questions about what he's reading, I'll answer them."
What Makes a Baby
Sex Is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU
It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health
All perfectly normal books!
Mod
Too bad that the Manitoba premier is such a COWARD for honestly, Ms. Stefanson, if you do not ..."
It is a very typical response by Canadian right wing politicians and especially in Western provinces where Social Conservatism is powerful.
And yes, like in the USA, Canadian Social Conservatives (or at least many of them) are huge huge hypocrites, wanting no government regulations at ALL regarding vaccine mandates etc. but expecting the government to ban books and to control public morality.
That Lorraine Hackenschmidt is likely a prime example of said hypocrisy, wanting lawmakers, school boards etc. to mandate what is allowed to be read and on library bookshelves (for everyone, collectively) but probably chafing at masking and anti vaccination rhetoric.
Book bans have only come before the Supreme Court once before.ne previous case of a library book ban has ended up before the Supreme Court: Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico. And, outside law school classrooms, it has largely been forgotten.
The country was engulfed then, as now, in a debate over which books should be allowed in schools and libraries. The American Library Association recorded a rise in censorship activity, from 100 book removals or challenges annually in the early 1970s to 1,000 annually by the end of the decade. In Virginia, a pastor fought a public library for offering books such as Philip Roth’s “Goodbye, Columbus” and Sidney Sheldon’s “Bloodline,” calling them “pornography.” In Indiana, a group of senior citizens publicly burned 40 copies of a book called “Values Clarification” for its discussions of moral relativism, situational ethics and secular humanism. (It also mentioned marijuana and divorce.)"
The same thing happened back then. Vigilante parents combed the library for books they found objectionable and wanted to ban. Even the books were similar: "Most of the banished books, similar to ongoing book-banning efforts today, dealt with race and with racial and ethnic minorities."
"The students asked a New York federal court to declare the board’s actions unconstitutional and order the board to return the nine books, which they claimed had been banned not because they lacked educational value but because “particular passages in the books offended [the board members’] social, political and moral tastes.”
“Most people believed the board was right and we were radicals,” Rieger said, a perspective that didn’t bother him. “It was a badge of honor,” he said."
"In 1979, the district court ruled in favor of the school board. It reasoned that while “removal of such books from a school library may, indeed in this court’s view does, reflect a misguided educational philosophy, it does not constitute a sharp and direct infringement of any first amendment right.” An appellate court reversed that decision in 1980 and remanded the case back to district court, prompting the Supreme Court to step in."
"In June 1982, the court ruled 5-4 in the students’ favor. In his opinion, Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote that while “local school boards have a substantial legitimate role to play in the determination of school library content,” those boards’ authority “must be exercised in a manner that comports with the transcendent imperatives of the First Amendment.” In other words, school officials can’t ditch books just because they don’t like them.
Yet the case wasn’t the constitutional slam dunk its supporters had hoped. Only two justices fully joined Brennan’s opinion, while two others agreed with parts of it. One, Justice Harry A. Blackmun, concurred that the Island Trees board should not have removed the books but rejected Brennan’s argument that the students had a First Amendment right to receive information."
"Indeed, in a case decided just three months later, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit remarked that Pico was “of no precedential value as to the application of the First Amendment.”
Over the summer of 1982, 1,200 Island Trees parents petitioned to return the banned books to the library shelves. The board wanted to slap the books with a “Parental Notification Required” warning, but New York Attorney General Robert Abrams said that move would violate a state law on the confidentiality of library records. Finally, in early 1983, the board restored the books with no restrictions, though it did so reluctantly. "
https://www.washingtonpost.com/histor...
Children's Books
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"The Florida Education Association's lawsuit says the Florida Department of Education went beyond the scope of HB 1467 in its training, which led some districts to cover shelves.
A lawsuit brought by Florida's largest teacher's union and two parent-led groups was heard in Tallahassee earlier this month, with the plaintiffs alleging that the state Department of Education went too far in implementing a law meant to keep pornographic material out of school libraries.
It got off to a rocky start for the plaintiffs. Within the first hour, the Florida Freedom to Read Project and Families for Strong Public Schools were removed from the case, for lack of standing.
"I don't see the impact on the parents," said administrative law judge Darren Schwartz, shooting down arguments that parents couldn't donate books anymore, or were harmed because their children had access to fewer books at school.
"These organizations cannot establish that a substantial number of their members have suffered a real or immediate injury in fact, as a result of the rules. Therefore, the FFTRP and FSPS are not substantially affected by the rules," he said.
That meant the Florida Education Association was now the sole petitioner in a case that plaintiffs said overburdened school staff, restricted kids' access to books and cost districts money.
,,,
The narrative being pushed is that a majority of parents want this censorship. However, we've actually asked the districts that allow for parental opt-outs, we asked for that data, how many parents are opting to restrict their students, and in most districts it's less than 1% of students that are being restricted by their parents," she said.
The plaintiffs allege that the rules the state issued — to comply with a 2022 curriculum transparency law known as HB 1467 —went beyond the language in the statute "by adopting an unprecedented and illogical definition of 'library media center' that must be struck down," according to legal documents.
But the FEA said when the Department of Education unveiled its training for school librarians months later, the scope of the law had expanded.
The training said any collection of books in a school had to be vetted by a media specialist, even those inside teachers' classrooms.
To comply, some districts closed down classroom libraries altogether, said FEA president Andrew Spar.
"What we've seen across the state, based on this rule, is teachers being told to box up books, to cover up books, to take books home that haven't been vetted by the school," said Spar.
At the hearing, the Florida Department of Education argued that the rules simply direct schools to make sure "inappropriate or pornographic books" aren't accessible to students.
"They don't require teachers close their classroom libraries while they may be cataloging the books that are in there to determine if there are any that should not be," said one of the DOE lawyers at the hearing.
"There's no deadline in the rules for them to comply. So there's absolutely nothing in the rules that would prevent a teacher from continuing to make books available to children in the classrooms."
But the plaintiffs argued that whether a deadline was listed or not, the rules being challenged are now in effect. So districts are rushing to make sure they comply — with violators risking third degree felony charges — and spending heavily to do so.
"We put forth facts as to why there are costs associated with this rule, and they very likely exceed $200,000, which is the amount that triggers a requirement for the department to do what's called a statement of estimated regulatory costs, which they didn't do here and they concluded they didn't have to," said lawyer JoAnn Kintz, representing the FEA.
Patricia Barber, president of the Manatee Education Association, testified that Manatee County took books out of circulation from classroom libraries , while they checked each one.
"As we all know, time is money," Barber said, noting that principals, teachers, librarians and union representatives all faced extra work as a result.
"The district provided funding for 10 hours for each media specialist to work outside their contract hours to try to comply with this with this rule," she told the hearing.
Tania Galinanes, a library media specialist from Osceola County, also testified that teachers removed books from their classroom libraries.
There is no quick way to scan all the books, she said, and so her district is paying media specialists to work throughout the month of June, after school gets out, to catch up.
"I am sure that is additional money that they were not expecting to spend," said Galinanes.
A spokeswoman for the district confirmed the plan, but said a final cost hasn't been established yet. The FEA's legal team estimated it could cost Osceola County school district around $78,000. That's just one of 69 districts in the state."
https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/educati...