Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
And an opinion piece from Rhode Island. This person said exactly almost everything I was about to say in a letter to the editor and letters to my representatives, as soon as I calmed down enough to be succinct. Fearmongering is endangering our right to read | Opinion
Paula M. KrebsGuest columnist
Paula M. Krebs, of Providence, is the executive director of the Modern Language Association, a professional association for 20,000 language and literature faculty members and researchers.
https://www.providencejournal.com/sto...
Write to your local representatives to support the Right to Read ActRight to Read Act
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Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-03) reintroduced the Right to Read act on April 26, 2023. This legislation has the potential to impact millions of students across the country, providing a much-needed infusion of funding for school libraries, and a huge step forward in the fight against censorship. AASL and ALA is urging members of Congress to stand with school librarians, students, and other educators nationwide by cosponsoring this legislation - take action and urge your members of Congress to sign on!
Press Release from ALA
Press Release from Senator Reed
Press Release from Representative Grijalva
Opinion Piece from Representative Grijalva
On October 6, 2022, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-03) introduced the Right to Read Act (S. 5064 and H.R. 9056).
The Right to Read Act is designed to ensure all students, including low-income and minority students, children with disabilities, and English language learners, have access to an effective school library staffed by a certified school librarian. The act would increase student access to fully staffed and appropriately resourced school libraries and authorizes funding to meet these urgent needs. The legislation also supports recruitment, retention and professional development for state-certified school librarians.
Senator Reed and Rep. Grijalva's legislation also reaffirms that First Amendment rights apply to school libraries, in response to the growing trend of book bans, which limit appropriate educational options for students. In addition, the Right to Read Act would extend liability protections to teachers and school librarians.
Press Release from ALA
Press Release from Senator Reed
One-pager from Representative Grijalva
https://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/rig...
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This is sad, but necessary, and ANY losses for Florida regarding tourism should be considered totally and utterly that Adolf Hitler clone Ron DeSantis' fault.
Maybe US states not in agreement with Ron DeSantis' shenanigans and dictatorial, racist agendas should consider issuing an official travel ban for him, his family and his inner political circle (and I sure would love love love to see Ron DeSantis and his denied entry to EU member states and Canada).
Manybooks wrote: "https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/florida...This is sad, but necessary, and ANY losses for Florida regarding tourism should be considered totally and utterly that A..."
Absolutely necessary! Thanks for sharing the story. I was about to add the news. I have a few more opinion pieces but not much more news news. The school year and legislative sessions are coming to ends so I'm sure we'll see some draconian legislation pushed through very soon.
This is a massive pain for librarians not to mention expense! And unnecessary too since parents have always had the option to opt-out! No books on the shelf = BAN no matter what DeSantis tries to call it. A ban is when a book or books are not available!"Central Florida school libraries to make policy changes for challenged books with new law
Orange County, the region’s largest school district, allows books to stay in school libraries after someone challenges it.
However, the new state law means districts must have taken those books off the shelf within five days.
So far, Orange, Brevard, Seminole and Volusia counties will have to make changes to their policies to accommodate the new law, all of which will need to happen ahead of the bill officially becoming law July 1.
Orange County parent and Freedom to Read project co-founder Jen Cousins said she believes the new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis could lead to a lot less books in school libraries.
“It’s going to clog the systems in all of the schools,” she said. “Now, instead of districts being able to leave books on the shelves while reviews are happening, everyone has to take them away.”
"But the bill, signed by DeSantis last week and cosponsored by Randy Fine, changes that.
“It’s got to be done quickly,” Fine said. “We don’t want these processes to become interminable.”
Fine says any books subject to an objection needs to be removed from shelves within five days and until a review is complete."
"“We’re concerned about some of the books,” Fine said. “You see some of the absolutely disgusting books that these woke bureaucrats think should be pushed in our children.”
Under the bill, anyone can object to a book if it depicts p____c material or s__l conduct.
“It is very vague as well,” Cousins said. “So that can be something as much as a kiss on the cheeks. What were foreseeing happening with this is this is going to lead to a mass filing of challenges of books with LGBTQ characters and themes.”
https://www.wftv.com/news/local/centr...
While stymied on a budget, Illinois legislators addressed issues including book bans.Some of the bills passed by the Democratic legislature dealt with issues that have been fronts in culture wars nationwide.
A bill that would allow the Illinois secretary of state’s office to deny grant funding to public and school libraries if they ban books is also on Pritzker’s desk. The measure came amid nationwide polarization over censorship, school curricula and how much say parents should have over what content is appropriate for children.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politi...
Great news! Good job Illinois!
In New Jersey same thing up for debateDem lawmakers target book bans in public libraries as censorship rises
"
Libraries and public schools in New Jersey would be prohibited from banning books — and would lose state funding if they did so — under new legislation introduced Monday.
Public libraries would be required to adopt the American Library Association’s “library bill of rights” or a similar policy under the bill sponsored by Sens. Andrew Zwicker (D-Somerset) and Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-Essex).
That document tasks libraries with challenging censorship, bars book removal for “partisan or doctrinal disapproval,” directs libraries to offer books and other materials that present “all points of view on current and historical issues,” and forbids removal or restriction of materials because of objections about the “origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.”
The bill would authorize state education and treasury officials to withhold funding from any public school or library that fails to comply.
Last year, several GOP legislators in New Jersey introduced a bill that would require public schools to post a comprehensive list online of all books and materials available in their libraries and another bill that would require public schools to make textbooks and other materials used to implement curriculum plans available for inspection by parents and guardians.
Those bills have not moved in either chamber.
https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/05/...
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on Friday announced that a Georgia school district may have violated students’ civil rights by removing books that contained characters who were people of color or LGBTQ. The office said it concluded its investigation into Forsyth County School District after the school put restrictions on more than a dozen books in 2022 due to parents’ complaints. The department interviewed staff from the school, reviewed meetings regarding the book removals and looked through documents from the district and parents.
The OCR said the issue started at the beginning of last year, after a parent group alleged explicit books were on the library shelves and offered solutions such as removing books, shelving LGBTQ books in a separate part of the school library or making students have signed permission slips before checking out certain books in the library.
Forsyth County Schools rejected all those proposals because they would target specific groups of people, releasing a statement saying parents had to discuss with their own children books that conflict with their personal values.
However, the school said it would review books that were said to be sexually explicit.
It found “nine books to be removed from all school libraries indefinitely, two books to be removed temporarily or restricted to high schools, and four books to be restricted to high schools,” according to the Education Department’s investigation. The actions were taken without communication with students.
Meetings continued about removing more books, with some parents mentioning explicit books while others focused on gender identity or sexual orientation.
At one of the meetings, “[o]ne student stated that the book ban immediately made the environment more harsh for students; people like him who are not in the closet are watching their safe spaces disappear, and he is sick of being fearful at school,” the department’s review said.
The school made a summer review committee and ended up returning seven of the books back to the shelves.
While the department says it recognizes the steps the district took to assure the removals were not targeting a certain group and limited its bans to [obscene] content, the communications the school had with students who were affected by the bans was inadequate and the meetings still gave the appearance the actions were targeting certain individuals.
The department and the school district came to an agreement on the matter.
The school now must post a statement explaining the removal process that occurred, say the books were not removed based on sex, gender, race or sexual orientation of the characters and recognize the impact the issue could have had on some students. The district also has to give information on how to file discrimination complaints.
Additionally, the school is expected to survey students on the district’s environment and put together a group to assess the results and recommend changes.
After the results of the investigation were released, Forsyth schools spokeswoman Jennifer Caracciolo said the district “is committed to providing a safe, connected, and thriving community for all students and their families.”
“With the implementation of the OCR’s recommendations, we will further our mission to provide an unparalleled education for all to succeed,” she added.
https://thehill.com/homenews/educatio...
Librarians are suffering because of book bans. I know because I’ve received death threats. | Opinionhttps://www.nj.com/opinion/2023/05/li...
Oregon Readers respond: Book bans lead to polarizationletter from a high school student
https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/20...
Holy crow! There's a lot going on behind-the-scenes that isn't reported in the mainstream media or is behind a paywall. I found LOADS of concerning news and encouragement on the Central York Banned Book Club Twitter which led to the Florida Freedom to Read project. In summary:
Central York is up to their old tricks. Back in March they quietly removed two books from the shelves of the high school library
Push
A Court of Mist and Fury
Now Superintendent Peter Aiken, in announcing a set of new policies aimed at creating a rating system for all books in the school library system, insists on saying that the books were “challenged” and “removed.”
Students are LIVID and the Panther Anti-Racist Union student activist group will not stand for this nonsense. They are protesting again, with some former protesters who have graduated but returned and the support of a few teachers. They said most teachers are indifferent to the protests. They plan to protest through the rest of the school year and into the new one if the books being banned at Central York are not overturned.
Read what they have to say!
https://bookriot.com/central-york-hig...
The leader, Mr. Hodge, has a lot to say too:
“Teachers are not indoctrinators. We are on the same team as most parents. We want kids to be successful both in academics and their personal lives. We want them to inquire, learn and study hard to create a more perfect Union. Book bans cause harm to schools because the essentially erase stories and experiences from existence. Everyone needs to learn how to critically examine texts that are on appropriate grade level so they are prepared to be active participants in society or their post-secondary plans. I would definitely add that I am NOT a groomer. I am not a brainwasher. I am not a weaponizer. I am an educator. I believe deeply in the power of education to create a more empathetic and just society,” emphasized PARU co-leader Hodge.
In Florida, you can see the long list of all of the challenges, their status, and the forms that instigated them on the district’s database and how the Dep. of Ed. is choosing to ignore the book banners discriminately applying HB1557 to limit library access across the state.https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Draw Me a Star
Stella Brings the Family
When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball
Black Brother, Black Brother
get to stay
The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives
get to stay in MS and HS
"Retained
The Florida Legislature has already determined that the Bible is an appropriate instructional resource in public schools. See section 1003.45(1), Florida Statutes. Therefore, the Escambia County Public Schools will not move forward with the reconsideration of the Bible as a library or instructional resource.
"
Numerous YA books removed and
When Aidan Became A Brother was removed from all schools.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
That book banning Nazi, Vikci Blodgett, wants to ban That's Betty!: The Story of Betty White
Challenged for being “content and age inappropriate” as outlined in HB1557!
She challenges it because of two pages where a character references his two dads.
For her, this book has an “agenda” and it is a “violation of parental rights, introduction of alternate lifestyles and characters.
https://twitter.com/FLFreedomRead/sta...
Republicans in Ohio have introduced a bill that would require state colleges and universities to guarantee that they will refrain from endorsing, opposing, or commenting on "any controversial belief or policy" including the idea that climate change exists https://legislature.ohio.gov/legislat...https://twitter.com/SE_Shpakova/statu...
Central York PA may follow with their own version of this bill.
https://twitter.com/deonteleologist/s...
Hold on to your hats, there's more...In TN anyone within a county challenge a book. No need to even have students in the schools.
In Hamilton County, Tennessee, a teacher planned a Mother’s Day lesson designed to include students who didn't have what is considered a 'traditional' mother.
According to a Washington Post editorial, Caroline Mickey of Alpine Crest Elementary sent a notice out to parents in advance of the Mother's Day lesson, which she said would be "sensitive to the fact that not all students live with a mother" by celebrating those who aren't mothers but "fill the motherly roles in our lives."
Stella Brings the Family
Mother Bruce
She wanted to use her lesson plan to highlight that every family has different roles.
"While not everyone has a mother, everyone has someone who loves them in a motherly way. And that was what the intention was with that," says Mickey.
Mickey planned the lesson and then she sent a notice to parents to let them know what it would be about and also give them the option to opt their student(s) out.
But the lesson plan did not sit well with Hamilton County Moms for Liberty, who protested on social media. They said the books promoted what they call the 'homosexual agenda.' Hamilton County schools later pulled the lesson.
The chair of the Hamilton County Moms for Liberty, Tonya Dodd, reached out to Hamilton County Schools superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson and District 26 State Representative Greg Martin.
Rep. Martin told Dodd that he thought the books were 'unacceptable in my opinion.'
In a copy of an email Dodd posted to social media, Dr. Robertson replied, "I agree that there are better book choices that could be used.
This is an issue of local control, plain and simple. Moms for Liberty encourages parents to speak up and ask questions about what their children are being taught. In this case, parents were concerned with curriculum being taught to young children about homosexual families and they brought it up to the principal and Superintendent of a school. The principal and Superintendent agreed to remove the lesson - and that was their choice. It is interesting that there is so much anger over the debate on this lesson, which has nothing to do with reading, writing and arithmetic - even while our literacy rates fall to some of their lowest rates ever. Where is the outrage over failing schools? Concerned parents demand to know that as well.
The parents fight back.
Chattanooga-area Parents rip
@hamcoschools
& superintendent Justin Robertson for caving to Moms (Against) Liberty-led bullying and canceling a librarian’s Mother’s Day lesson inclusive to kids without moms.
o Taylor Lyons of the group Moms for Social Justice, who told us in reaction to this story,
From what we were hearing, the parents were thankful that that the librarian had thought to include a lesson for kids who might have non traditional family structures for for which, you know, Mother's Day might be a little difficult for them a lot of times. So they were thankful for that lesson. And they were just quite frankly baffled and very upset to hear that it had been canceled for no reason.
Moms for Social Justice has started a petition to bring back the Mother's Day course.
https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/statu...
https://newschannel9.com/news/local/a...
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The universities need to fight this and very publicly call ANY lawmaker of politician trying to get books banned card carrying NAZIS. They need to shame them and theirs and to be absolutely and utterly vicious regarding this.
In Central Bucks, Penn. The district has created a new online directory identifying books that are facing reconsideration and potential removal from school libraries. As decisions are finalized, the reports and their outcomes will be posted on the library website.
A fifth challenge of "The Living Bible" was withdrawn.
The titles are the first new books under review since February, when two unidentified individuals filed 61 challenges over alleged inappropriate content under the district's controversial Library Materials Policy 109.2, which was adopted last year.
In a letter Tuesday to Library Coordinator Melissa Burger, the person who challenged "The Living Bible" withdrew it, claiming it was filed months ago and the person didn't realize it had been accepted.
The challenge, the letter stated, was filed to point out the "hypocrisy of the far-right extremist movement to ban books that contain topics they deem 'inappropriate.'"
"The reasons given by the initial challenges of the first five books were that those books included topics such as sexual content, violence and incest, all of which you will find in the Bible in abundance," said the challenger, who asked to remain anonymous.
"The Living Bible" is described as a personal paraphrase, not a translation, of the Bible in English by Kenneth N. Taylor first published in 1971. Taylor used the American Standard Version of 1901 as his base text. The district's only copy of the book is located in the Central Buck West High School library.
The letter stated that while the challenge was filed to "highlight the hypocrisy" of the Library Materials Policy 109, challenges also place a "substantial burden" on librarians, teachers and staff.
"Every challenge is labor intensive. It is also extremely costly at about $1,000 per challenge," the person wrote. "I hope those who put in all the other challenges realize how burdensome this is for our teachers and staff and how costly this is for our community. I hope others join me on the right side of history and withdraw their book challenges."
https://www.phillyburbs.com/story/new...
The most baffling news I read this evening isAmanda Gorman is banned in Miami!
"The Hill We Climb," a now-famous poem written and recited by Gorman at Biden's 2020 inauguration, is among four works that were singled out by a parent who complained that they sent "indirect hate messages"
A Florida school has banned four books for elementary students after one parent objected to the titles and argued they were inappropriate. One of them was a collection of poems by Amanda Gorman that includes her noteworthy The Hill We Climb piece, which she wrote for the last presidential inauguration.
The Miami Herald, citing records obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project, reports that a parent at Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes objected to five titles at the K-8 school. The books included The ABCs of Black History, Cuban Kids, Countries in the News: Cuba, Love to Langston, and the poem The Hill We Climb, which was read aloud by Gorman at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in 2020 and is included in a larger book of poems released by Gorman.
ONE PARENT! ONE PARENT! complained
A school materials review committee, comprised of staff members at the school, ultimately concluded that one of those books — Countries in the News: Cuba — was “balanced and age appropriate" and would therefore remain on the library shelves. The others, however, were deemed "more appropriate” for middle school-aged children, and will now be in the middle school section of the school's library, the Herald reports.
According to the Herald, the bans only affect the one school and took effect after a parent of two students, identified by the outlet as Daily Salinas, challenged the books for containing what she called “indirect hate messages” and indoctrination. Speaking to the Herald, Salinas said she "is not for eliminating or censoring any books."
https://people.com/amanda-gorman-inau...
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The board of Hudsonville High School in Michigan just voted to banJarhead : A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
In a split vote, the Hudsonville Public Schools Board of Education voted to ban the book, “Jarhead: A Marine’s Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles.”
Again, ONE PARENT
A district parent, concerned about the content, initiated the view of “Jarhead,” a 2003 memoir by former U.S. Marine Anthony Swofford detailing his experiences in the military during the Gulf War.
There was one copy of the book in the high school library, and it was checked out 22 times since 2010, district officials say.
The book was not required for students to read, district spokesperson Stephanie Fast said. In December 2022, she said Hudsonville parent Lisa Bosch initiated a book review. The district’s Concerned Parent Book Review Process” is available on its website.
The seven-member district committee that reviewed the book voted 7-0 in favor of keeping it in the high school library. The committee consisted of two teachers, three parents, one building administrator, and one curriculum department member.
The district parent appealed the committee’s decision to the school board for a final decision at the May 15 special meeting. President Barb Hooper and trustees Nick Bolhuis, Greg Chanski and Mark Davis voted against the committee’s recommendation, while trustees Dawn Sneden, Ken Hall and Andrew DeWitt voted in favor of it.
Hooper said she objected to the book because of its “lack of educational suitability and pervasive vulgarity.”
The district uses a system called Alexandria Library Software that allows parents to restrict their children from checking out certain books. However, Hooper said it’s difficult for parents to know which books are too mature for students because not enough substantive information is provided.
Hooper said she conducted her own review of the Alexandria system and found that she wouldn’t have known to restrict her children from reading “Jarhead” because the system doesn’t say the book is mature.
“How would they know to restrict this book?” she said. “They wouldn’t.”
Hall, who voted in favor of keeping the book, said he believes parents should have the right to determine whether their children read the book.
The father of five kids, Hall said he would want to be able to decide which of his children have enough maturity and emotional intelligence to read the book, and which aren’t ready.
“While I do find passages of the book to be disturbing, I am very concerned about parental rights and not allowing other parents to make the same decision that you made regarding the book,” he told Bosch.
“I don’t believe a school board, be it this one or any school board, should be in the business of banning books. Our job is to inform parents, our job is to give information to parents to make rationale, informed decisions for their kids.”
Hall also said rejecting the 7-0 decision of the book review committee defeats the purpose of having such a committee.
“It’s important to me that we’re listening to the committee we put in place and recognize the decision making process they went through,” he said. “Otherwise, why have a committee?”
Those who wanted the book removed said the memoir was vulgar, offensive and derogatory to those who have served in the military.
https://www.mlive.com/community/2023/...
The Washington Post has compiled statistics from PEN America's research on book bans and discovered that the majority of challenges have come from just ELEVEN (11) people!https://www.washingtonpost.com/educat...
The Punxsutawney(Penn.) Area School Board continued discussions about the upcoming projects and concerns regarding the engineers, as well as discussing other topics of concerns such as “contested” books in the curriculum.During the superintendent’s report, board member Deneen Evans spoke up to bring attention to some books she has concerns with being in the school library.
“There are several books, I’m going to email you with these books, and I’d like to see if they are in our library. They’re actually banned books, and I just want to make sure – I know that we have a course, the contested literature course in the curriculum that has three of the books that are banned,” Evans said.
Board member Cindy Depp-Hutchinson asked who the books are banned by, to which Evans could only say that they are banned from libraries. Kengersky asked Evans to look at the form that is available for objections to course content, and asked her to fill out the form for each book she is concerned about.
The books in question that are part of the contested literature course are “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Hate U Give,” and “The Kite Runner.” The forms were worked on by the administration in the last year, and revised because there was a challenge last year, according to Superintendent’s Assistant Curt Vasas.
London questioned Evans if she read any of the books, which Evans said she did not but had “detailed descriptions of what’s in the books.” Kengersky asked this be talked about at Tuesday’s meeting because it seemed like it would be a “larger discussion.”
https://www.thecourierexpress.com/new...
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Folks want this Canyon Independent School District (TX) board member to resign after inflammatory language referencing the LGBTQIA+ community during an April 23 candidate forum held at Trinity Fellowship Church in Amarillo. Jimmy Witcher, senior pastor for Trinity Fellowship in Amarillo, asked church member candidates how they plan to use their voice and influence to combat the transgender LGBTQIA+ agenda using schools as a vehicle for its purposes.
Jenkins referred to these comments as not consistent with the mission of the school board. He said that after hearing Blake’s comments making derogatory remarks toward a group of people who live their life differently from him.
“I find it highly offensive. I am appalled by it. I am embarrassed by it, and I find it unethical,” Jenkins said during the meeting before reading the resolution.
Jenkins then proceeded to read from Mark Chapter 12, verses 28-34 of the Bible.
“I read that many times today, and it does not say anywhere to love your neighbor only if they worship like you, only if they sexually identify like you, only if their skin is the same color as yours. None of it this says,” Jenkins added.
Jenkins then proceeded to read the resolution aloud and then moved to public comment, with multiple residents speaking out about Blake’s comments.
Randall County teacher Rachel Huddleston spoke to students' reactions to Blake's anti-LGBTQIA+ comments. She said that his comments violated the code of ethics of the school board.
Following public comment, the board passed the resolution 5-1, with Blake voting against the resolution. Jenkins then spoke about Blake's performance as a board member, which included not fulfilling his obligations to do his due diligence as a board member in evaluating the district’s superintendent and other duties.
“For those reasons and for the reasons stated tonight, I find you unethical, unfit and ineffective as a board member; I personally ask for your immediate resignation,” Jenkins said to a stunned crowd that drew substantial applause.
Blake gave no answer to the request for his resignation at the meeting, followed by regular public comment.
During these comments, multiple supporters of Blake defended his anti-LGBTQIA+ remarks and accused the board of not doing their job removing books that they find objectionable, many of which have LGBTQIA+ and sexual themes.
Other speakers referenced their opposition to books and attacked the faith of board members for their inaction in removing what they deem inappropriate books.
https://www.amarillo.com/story/news/2...
I won't copy down what he said. It's extremely hurtful.
Hempfield School District (PA) has now defined what sexually explicit means, which I am sure is going to go well. The new policy defines it as (view spoiler)"There's a potential for risk of violating our students first amendment rights here," Maurer said of the revisions to policy 109. "It has not been rewritten appropriately."
A first reading and second reading of new policies and revisions to policies must be approved by a majority vote from the nine-member board before it is implemented. With Tuesday's approval, the policies would get a second reading at the board’s next meeting on June 13.
Citing the Supreme Court case, Island Trees School District v. Pico, board President Dylan Bard said the court has acknowledged that the First Amendment rights of children are not equal to the First Amendment rights of an adult. The Pico case, however, is often referenced as for its ruling limiting the power of junior high and high school officials to remove books from school libraries because of their content.
https://lancasteronline.com/news/loca...
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Someone who is against books in and of themselves should have absolutely NO SAY regarding book bans.
BookRiot refutes claims of pr0N in the El Centro Public Library (CA). None of these books are in the library!
Things Ellie Likes: A book about sexuality and masturbation for girls and young women with autism and related conditions
What's Happening to Tom?: A book about puberty for boys and young men with autism and related conditions
The Growing Up Book for Boys
After Camarena’s allocated public presentation, Interim City Manager Cedric Ceseña and El Centro Library Director Carla Mason met outside of the Council Chambers where they discussed the issue.
After the council meeting adjourned, Ceseña said, “We’re going to schedule a meeting with the citizen that brought this information to the council. Our primary concern is how did this happen, that it doesn’t happen again, and to go through our catalogue of books to ensure that we don’t have any books of concern. We would like to protect our younger generations in our community.”
https://www.thedesertreview.com/news/...
BookRiot also reportsIt's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health is being challenged at Cambridge Public Library (MN).
Books for minors will be majorly restricted in Hillsborough County Public Library (FL). Remember: kids cannot get the books from the public library if they’re pulled from schools,
Gender Queer was removed from Galesburg, Michigan, schools, in violation of their own review policy.
Thompson Public Library (GA) has moved 23 books from their “original placement” into the adult section. They are almost all YA books, written for teens, and they are almost all LGBTQ+ in theme.
The new policy removes an entire section titled ‘Freedom to Read, View and Listen’ that emphasized an anti-censorship stance. The new policy is more neutral, but still endorses the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, which champions First Amendment rights.” Neutrality in the public library is giving into a small number of vocal extremists, and in a community like Bonners Ferry, Idaho, this is still not a solution.
The East Bonner County Library (ID) had to call the police over a threat they received about stocking “ped....ia material.”
A parent is mad about a program at the Gardner Public Library (KS) where tweens and teens can read free advanced copies of books. This parent is all in on this being a leftist agenda.
Brandon School Division in Manitoba, Canada, is now getting calls to remove sexual education books from shelves.
It did not pass, but on the table for the Alfred Dickey Public Library (ND) was closing the library for a week to review materials in the collection to determine whether or not they were inappropriate.
https://bookriot.com/how-to-prepare-l...
But wait... there is some better newsU.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, in a May 19 letter and resolution agreement, concluded that the Forsyth County (Georgia) School district’s removal of books largely featuring Black and LGBTQ characters created a potentially “hostile environment” for students, in violation of their civil rights. And in a potentially landmark resolution agreement, the district agreed to work with the DOE to address student discrimination issues arising from the book bans.
To resolve the OCR’s concerns, the district agreed to a resolution in which school official have committed to:
Issue a statement to students in the district explaining the library book removal process and offering supportive measures to students who may have been impacted by the process.
Carrying out a student “climate survey” to assess whether additional steps need to be taken.
And, ongoing monitoring “until OCR is satisfied that the federal laws at issue are satisfied.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...
Thumb's up!
New Jersey may follow Illinois in placing penalties on libraries that ban bookshttps://www.nj.com/politics/2023/05/n...
The Oklahoma State Department of Education is jerking around the teacher who shared the QR code for the Brooklyn Public Library's books unbanned shelf. They have rescheduled her hearing to have her license revoked twice at the last minute without notice. https://kfor.com/news/local/osde-canc...
Amanda Gorman responds to the removal/moving of her poem from a Miami grade school. The parent who complained the poem contained "hate messages" erroneously stated the author was ... Oprah Winfrey! If you're going to object to a work of literature, at least get the author right!The parent's complaint : "It is not educational and have (sic) indirectly hate messages,” the complaint said, adding that the poem would “cause confusion and indoctrinate students.”
Amanda Gorman Gorman, the nation’s first-ever Youth Poet Laureate, was 22 when she performed “The Hill We Climb” at Biden’s inauguration in 2021. Inspired by the Capitol insurrection two weeks earlier, the 700-word poem criticized the “force that would shatter our nation rather than share it” and spoke about the need for justice and social change.
“The new dawn blooms as we free it,” she concluded the poem. “For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.”
The poem and performance launched her to national stardom, including appearances at the Super Bowl, on the cover of Time and Vogue and atop bestseller’s lists.
Gorman was “gutted” by the district’s decision, she said in a statement on Tuesday.
“I wrote ‘The Hill We Climb’ so that all young people could see themselves in a historical moment. Ever since, I’ve received countless letters and videos from children inspired by ‘The Hill We Climb’ to write their own poems,” she wrote. “Robbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.”
Miami-Dade County’s mayor on Wednesday invited Gorman to visit for a reading.
“Your poem inspired our youth to become active participants in their government and to help shape the future. We want you to come to Miami-Dade to do a reading of your poem. If you’re in, we will coordinate,” Daniella Levine Cava wrote on Twitter.
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/05/23/us...
Lots of news from New Jersey today. NJ has become very conservative.A marathon Roxbury school board meeting drew hundreds of supporters on both sides of a dispute over LGBTQ-themed library books and explicit discussions of sexuality Tuesday night, in a town where a high school librarian's lawsuit against four local residents has turned the debate personal.
They included Roxana Russo Caivano, the librarian whose lawsuit has drawn widespread media attention and advocacy groups on both sides of the debate.
"Many books at the high school cover topics like sex, drugs, cutting, violence, and unfortunately, many high school students go through these traumas," said Caivano, a Roxbury High School graduate. "You're kidding yourself if you think they're not. These books are a way for them to deal with what they are suffering with."
Caivano's lawsuit names four Roxbury residents who she says have labeled her a "child predator" and accused her of "luring children with p____y" in public and online. The suit, filed in state Superior Court in Morristown, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, a jury trial and legal expenses.
"Once you start making outrageous false comments about a public employee [who has] no interest in any political position, that is defamatory and it's got to be addressed in the courts," said her husband and attorney, Anthony Caivano.
(opponents spoke out in favor of banning 11 out of 173 books)
Other opponents read passages from Scripture, in some cases raising the Bible over their heads as they spoke. Some offered prayers.
Many in the audience, however, backed Caivano and the inclusion of books they say can provide comfort, guidance and education for LGBTQ students who often feel marginalized at school.
"You can't learn in school if you are harassed, intimidated and bullied at school," said Radwa Ali, director of the Roxbury Public Library, "I will not censor myself to be polite. The precision targeting and removal of books from school libraries based on ideology is nothing short of school-sanctioned bullying."
Caivano said she seeks to have an inclusive library where students can find the information they need and want.
"In my library, I have books about Donald Trump and Barack Obama, about Hitler and Gandhi, about abstinence and STDs and yes, I have books about queer love and straight love," Caivano said. "If there is something that you want on any topic, on any side of that topic, I probably have it, because that is what a school library is for. Free access.
"The books are there so students can find complete information, not just one side of the story. I can tell you this, no one is sneaking around the library looking for books with pictures in them for fun. They have phones for that."
"My books are not part of the curriculum, so no one is compelled to read any of them," Caivano added as she spoke over jeers from the crowd. "These are choice books. So why would you even think of suppressing that?"
the board voted 6-4 against a motion to "temporarily" pull several of the books in question off the shelves. Many board members who voted "no" stated their vote was mainly made on procedural grounds because a special library committee formed to study the 11 books in question has not completed its report.
Board member Christopher Milde, also a member of the special committee, said one book had already been taken off the shelf, with access limited to students who had their parent's permission to check it out. Nine more books are still under review. "Gender Queer" was returned to the bookshelf after it was reviewed.
https://www.dailyrecord.com/story/new...
A children's author fights fake review on AmazonAfter trying unsuccessfully to get Amazon to remove a false and defamatory review (with faked images), My Pet Peeve Renee Rodgers Barstack, a teacher of children's literature at Glendale Community College., Let Joe Know.
Ellen, Let Joe Know/Better Business Bureau volunteer, contacted Amazon and got quick action. In just a day, Amazon removed the fake review.
https://www.abc15.com/news/let-joe-kn...
Hanover County (Virginia) School Board receives list of proposed book bans weeks after announcing proposed new review policy.The list proposed the banning of around 100 books, but it also included a note saying it is “just a beginning.” This rhetoric has some parents questioning how far the list will expand.
One of the Hanover County School Board’s recent proposed book review policy changes would have any books accused of being “vulgar” or “obscene” immediately removed from schools while under review. Community members like Shoshanah Spiggle worry this guidance will be taken advantage of.
“We have seen this before,” Spiggle said. “The Nazis have tried to burn books and erased the contents of those books.”
The group who submitted the proposed ban-list highlighted reasons ranging from content like “alternate gender ideologies” and “controversial social and racial commentaries,” to “alternate sexualities” and “self-harm.”
Parents like Spiggle aren’t convinced shielding children from such literature would have any protective element. She explained how the list disproportionately targets authors of color, women, and religious groups.
Additionally, Spiggle emphasized the importance of teaching children the holistic, true history of our country. She fears the consequences of isolating children from literature written by members of historically marginalized groups.
“I don’t think that it protects children from the real world,” Spiggle explained. “You can’t shelter them from our history. We have to face it.”
Spiggle is angry to see so many books — like works from Judy Blume, Rupi Kaur and historical novels — in jeopardy. Some local Hanover County parents fear this list will serve as a catalyst to a messy censorship battle.
“We need to get ahead of this. It is happening nationwide,” Spiggle said. “I think it will be abused. I think it will affect impacted marginalized communities.”
The Hanover County School Board reiterated that those recently proposed book review policy changes are still in the early stages and have not been approved yet. In the meantime, the county’s Board of Supervisor’s next meeting is Wednesday, May 24.
https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/...
In Upper Michigan, Marquette’s Peter White Public Library votes to keep LGBTQ+ book This Book Is GayA formal request had been filed by a Marquette resident to remove “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson. The board held a vote to decide whether to take the book off the shelves or keep it available for readers to check out. Prior to voting, the board received public comment. The resident who filed the request did not publicly comment and there were no other public commenters in favor of removing the book present at the meeting.
https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/...
In North Dakota, Minot Public Library Board elects to keep pair of challenged books on shelvesTwo Boys Kissing
Calvin
“We talked about how it wasn’t sexually explicit, and my main point was that it was an age-appropriate way to explain transgendered people to children,” said Cherry.
Cherry said 11 books have been challenged this year, with most of them being LGBTQ-related.
She said this meeting was the first time in about 10 years since book challenges have made it to the board for an appeal, after the library director’s initial decision.
List of MPL books challenged this year, so far:
“Milk and Honey”
“Two Boys Kissing”
“The Gender Quest Workbook”
“Flamer”
“When Aidan Became a Brother”
“Calvin”
“Julian is a Mermaid”
“It Feels Good to be Yourself”
“She He They Them”
“The Queer and Transgender Resilience Workbook”
“Gender Queer”
https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/05/24/min...
Score two for the Saline County (Kansas) freedom to read supporters. "A fundraising effort by feisty young progressives netted enough to fight back with two billboards for their cause.
https://twitter.com/deanlmacjr/status...
The Saline County Library Board on Monday delayed a vote on a resolution that would give the county judge power to relocate or remove controversial books from youth sections in the county’s two libraries.
The meeting became heated at times, with members of the public and County Judge Matt Brumley weighing in on the debate over whether minors should have access in public libraries to materials that some consider harmful to children.
Library Director Patty Hector told the Saline County Quorum Court last week that “there is nothing wrong with those books” that some citizens want out of children’s reach.
“It’s not illegal to be gay or trans,” she added.
In front of the board and an audience that spilled out of the meeting room, Brumley said Hector’s statement was an example of library leadership causing him a “high degree of concern.”
“I’m not trying to form up messaging, but what I am trying to do is hope that you do what is necessary and helpful,” Brumley said. “Saying that there’s nothing wrong with those books after being asked if you’ve read those books — it’s tough for me to put together, and I hope it wouldn’t be the message from this board.”
Brumley said Hector’s words to the quorum court last week could undermine public confidence in the library’s material reconsideration process. Hector took issue with this and asked if he shared her opinion that “to censor books should be hard to do.”
“Relocating is the same as banning,” Hector said.
Brumley also took the board to task for not submitting quarterly reports to him as required by state law, and he reminded the board that it is the county judge’s responsibility to appoint board members with the quorum court’s confirmation. He took office in January and did not appoint any current board members.
Three of the five board members voted to table the resolution that would have given Brumley power
Ten people spoke during the meeting’s public comment period, and six of them expressed support for relocating certain books. The four who supported keeping those books said they had all worked or volunteered at Saline County libraries.
Children who belong to minority groups or do not have support systems at home need access to library resources that validate their identities and experiences, former library marketing coordinator Jordan Reynolds said.
“The resolution is saying that [for] these kids — though they’re different from us, different from our straight, white community — if they don’t find themselves in books, it’s because they’re immoral, perverse and disgusting,” she said.
Jerry Davidson said the moral problem lies with librarians and board members, who are “at best apathetic and at worst proud and deceitful” for allowing “p____c” content on library shelves.to relocate or remove library books. No members voted against the motion from board member Marian Douglas, who said parts of the resolution “needed to be reviewed.”
Librarian Jordan Sandlin said she is tired of being “screamed at and being called a p____phile or a groomer.” She added that different books have different target audiences.
“Libraries are for everyone, but not every single book in the library is written with everyone in mind,” Sandlin said.
Ann Garner objected to the library putting a sex education book aimed at middle schoolers on display. The book, “Sex Is a Funny Word” by Cory Silverberg, asserts that gender is not determined by anatomy.
“This is a lie, and it’s saying God has not made a child in his perfect image,” Garner said.
She claimed that the books she and others find inappropriate have only appeared in libraries in the past three years, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is not true, said Rebecca Kidder, the manager of the Bryant library. She said people with concerns about library content should complete material reconsideration forms and utilize the library’s “simple” review policy.
Bob Vidt said he agreed that the library’s reconsideration policy is simple and straightforward. He also said he initially understood why library leadership did not want to follow the resolution, citing the First Amendment right to free expression, but he questioned this reasoning after learning the library’s social media code of conduct allows staff to remove social media comments they consider “inappropriate.”
Vidt said the “lack of action by this board has brought us to where we are today” and urged the board to work with elected officials to “come up with a solution.”
Several Saline County citizens who spoke against the resolution in April warned of a “slippery slope” to defunding the county’s libraries if the resolution passed. One of those citizens was Bailey Morgan, an organizer with the Saline County Library Alliance, a nonpartisan group opposing conservative efforts to challenge library content.
Brumley, the county judge, said the person who turned in a reconsideration request to the library on Friday had not read the entire book in question, so the request was not considered. The person read the book before turning in another form Monday.
Brumley did not name the book but said he was familiar with it and took issue with its graphic descriptions of sexual behavior. He asked the board for reassurance that the library would follow its reconsideration process, and Douglas said the process began as soon as the library received the form.
“If it happened today, we have to give the staff time to go through those steps,” she said. “We can’t, I can’t [and] no one on the library staff can go, ‘Pull a book from somewhere in the library and put it in another place.’”
Brumley said he thought reconsideration forms should ideally not be necessary and a concerned parent should simply be able to talk to library staff.
The board voted unanimously to update its material reconsideration policy to explicitly require people to “read, view, or listen to the entirety of the work” before filing a reconsideration request.
Act 372 states that a book challenged under the law “shall be reviewed in its entirety and shall not have selected portions taken out of context.”
A committee of five to seven people selected by school principals or head librarians will be charged with reviewing the “appropriateness” of content challenged under Act 372. The committee would vote on whether to remove the material after hearing the complainant’s case in a public meeting.
A complainant may appeal the committee’s decision if the majority votes no, and appeals at public libraries would go to the county judge or the county quorum court for a final decision.
https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/20...
In Washington State, A group opposed to banning books in schools is vocalizing its concerns.Tuesday night's Wenatchee School Board meeting was packed with residents supporting more than 20 speakers who spoke out during a public comment period that lasted more than an hour.
Brooke Page says she's a parent and teacher. "You know, public schools are for everybody and should represent everybody, and if you don't like it there are options," said Page. "You can home school. You can send your child to private school, and you can have them on the internet. And those are all options in this valley."
Mike Ensley is a local parent who said he was at the meeting in response to a recent social media document titled "Stop the Indoctrination of Our Children."
"A child walks to a library and sees a book about a kid with two dads, or about a transgender girl navigating what it means to truly live her authentic self, this is not about indoctrination," said Ensley. "This is about existence. This is about education. This is about seeing someone."
The Passing Playbook
All Boys Aren't Blue
Gender Queer: A Memoir (probably? Mislabeled as "queer")
One speaker at the Wenatchee school board meeting said there were three people behind the "Stop the Indoctrination" document who were home schooling their children. The speaker said those people had tried to enter the Wenatchee High School library earlier in May to object to the three books, of which only one is available at the library.
Wenatchee School District spokesperson Diana Haglund confirmed to KPQ that two adults visited the Wenatchee School Superintendent and High School Principal on May 12, and were told they could schedule an appointment at a later time to visit the library with the building principal.
https://kpq.com/group-against-book-ba...
Mod
You know, parents who cannot spell, cannot get the authors of books etc. right should have NO RIGHTS at all regarding books challenges. But book banning happy politicians would likely prefer these types of ...
LeVar Burton ("Roots", "Star Trek: The Next Generation", "Reading Rainbow") talked to the LA Times book club about book banning, literacy and reading. LeVar Burton is also an author. His children's book, The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm, is an attempt to give a Mr. Rogers style explanation of the crazy things happening in the world.
You may or may not be able to view a recording of the conversation online
YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/Xwi5GL_BhH8?...
His company has a new film coming out called "The Right to Read". You can learn about it and view the trailer online
https://www.therighttoreadfilm.org/
In Caro, Michigan the debate over books heats upParents and community members are fighting to get sexually explicit books removed from the children and teen sections in a mid-Michigan library.
Some have formed a group to keep watch over what’s on the shelves of the Caro Area District Library.
“They have approved and allowed three books that are very explicit and it’s horrible,” said Senior Pastor James Brandt from Living Waters Chapel.
It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health
Sex Is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU
Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human
are three books that can be found at Caro Area District Library in the children and teen sections.
Some parents and community leaders said they are completely inappropriate for children.
ALL appropriate sex ed books for tweens and teens.
Also
Gender Queer: A Memoir
Stephanie Spencer, a local mom, started a Facebook group called Watchdogs: Eyes on Caro Library and a petition to have the books moved to the adult section.
(view spoiler) said Mark Obendorfer, a concerned parent.
Erin Schmandt, the director of Caro Area District Library, said it comes down to individual opinions.
“We support parents’ right to decide what their children read, but we don’t support parents trying to control what other parents, what decisions they make for their children,” Schmandt said.
The next library board meeting is June 12.
https://www.wnem.com/2023/05/23/sexua...
Back to New Jersey where they are complaining about vulgar language. Um kids hear and say that stuff all the time, every day, especially in NEW JERSEY! The Hate U Give
Vulgar Language In Hillsborough Summer Reading Book Prompts Discussion
"While the book addresses a police shooting, board members said it really is a coming-of-age story and provides opportunities for discussion.
"This is an acclaimed book, a popular book that addresses some pretty tough topics. I have no objection for the need to address these topics. It talks about police brutality, murder and there is some rough stuff going on here," said Board Member Joel Davis on May 22. "I am just not comfortable recommending this book because of the profanity and the vulgar language and that kind of stuff which I don’t think is appropriate to be recommended to school students."
Board member Jane Staats disagreed with Davis and noted that the students voted for and selected this book to be added to the summer reading list.
"I understand where you are coming from but literature, art in any form... can get pretty, maybe even vulgar, but it's still art. I just worry about us engaging in something that could approach censorship," said Staats.
Board member Elaine Jackson questioned whether the voting process is the best way to select books and stated multiple times her objections to Staat's comment about censorship.
"This is not censorship. The book is available to anyone that wants to read it," said Jackson.
Staats agreed that students could still read the book if they chose but by removing it from the summer reading list it would remove follow-up discussion in the classroom in September.
"We would be removing the opportunity for that to be part of the discussion among students in the classroom," said Staats.
Board member Danny Lee saw the movie based on the book and began reading the book as well.
"It's actually a very nuanced story.... There's a lot of perspectives here."
Board member Allison Laning-Beder noted that the important thing to remember is that "The Hate U Give" is only one of several options for students to choose from.
Board President Paul Marini addressed Jackson's comments and said the Board would review how books are selected in the future. He also noted his support for the book.
"We have very varying positions on the book itself, which is great. The discussion we are having here now is the discussion you want them to have in class. The validity of the content," said Marini.
The Board ultimately voted to include the book in its summer reading list with a vote of 7 to 2. Davis and Jackson voted no."
https://patch.com/new-jersey/hillsbor...
Florida education rule on book objections list approvedNew rule to go into effect in July 2023
"The state Board of Education on Wednesday approved a new rule that will lead to Florida officials publishing an annual list of library books and instructional materials that have drawn public objections, in a move that the board’s chairman said will “provide transparency for our families.”
The rule will carry out part of a controversial 2022 law (HB 1467) that increased scrutiny of school library books and instructional materials, amid a broader push by state officials to weed out inappropriate content. Last year’s law, in part, was designed to give parents and the public increased access to the process of selecting and removing books and other materials.
“A lot of these books that have been removed by districts have been for p___c or graphic materials that don’t belong in schools, but it is done at a local level,” state Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said during Wednesday’s meeting.
The new rule adopted Wednesday provides reporting guidelines for districts to give information to the state about materials that have been objected to.
For example, districts will be required to report the bases for objections, including whether books and materials were challenged under claims that they contained p___ic content or were inappropriate for a grade level or age group.
Districts also would have to report the “rationale for removing, discontinuing, or limiting access to the material or not taking any of these actions.”
The state Department of Education ultimately will compile a list of all books that are removed or discontinued as a result of objections and, as a requirement of the law, “disseminate the list to school districts for consideration in their selection procedures.”
Under the rule, districts by June 30 of each year will be required to report their objection lists to the state Department of Education. The department subsequently would publish the statewide objections list by August 30.
But the larger push to ramp up scrutiny of school-library books and other materials has drawn strong objections from groups that advocate for First Amendment rights.
Meanwhile, new requirements related to the process of restricting or removing books soon will be coming online in Florida.
A new law (HB 1069) signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last week includes a requirement that any books objected to on the bases that they contain pornographic material or describe “sexual conduct” be removed within five days of an objection and remain unavailable to students until the objection is resolved.
The measure is slated to take effect in July.
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/202...
Mod
Manybooks wrote: "You know, parents who cannot spell, cannot get the authors of books etc. right should have NO RIGHTS at all regarding books challenges. But book banning happy politicians would likely prefer these types of ..."
Mostly yes but in this case, the spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes are from a mom whose first language is not English. She and her family fled Cuba when she was a girl so she had a strong reaction to books celebrating Cuba.
Oprah Winfrey wrote the forward to the book, proving this mom didn't actually read the poetry.
ALSO more on her from unsubstantiated news services. The non-mainstream media did a deep dive on a social media account for someone they believe to be this mom. They discovered that this woman has ties to right-wing extremist groups.
She made a stink with Moms for Liberty about a sex-ed book at a school board meeting and got kicked out.
She has ties to the Proud Boys as well and supports that Fascist who just officially announced he's running for President and reportedly posted something that repeated anti-Semitic tropes about an alleged Jewish conspiracy to control the world.
"Salinas, a registered Republican, appeared to become more politically active during the COVID pandemic, according to a review of her social media. In October 2020, Salinas was interviewed briefly on a segment by PBS Newshour about Florida voters.
“My biggest fear is, they talk about the Democratic Party. They talk about socialism, socialism and communism going in the same way,” Salinas said. She told PBS she had fled Cuba for the United States when she was 21 years old.
“The reason why we came here, I remember, I was little, and I say I need to live. It’s too much oppression and the dictator. So I don’t want this for my kids. I want my kids [to] keep their freedom,” she told the program."
(etc. etc. etc. not worth reporting on the hate)
This is all rumors and not facts. Salinas did not return requests for comment. The Miami-Dade Moms for Liberty chapter did not immediately return a request for comment.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/florida...
Target HAD a Pride collection and has caved into the haters and is removing it. I almost stopped in but I was at Kohls and found THEIR Pride collection on Clearance! I bought a Disney Pride shirt to show my support. Sign a petition telling Target not to let hate win!
https://share.redwine.blue/s/g2-0XfXv...
More news from FloridaWhen 19 books were informally challenged in Volusia County due to sexual content, the district created a "book reconsideration committee" to review each book’s content and make a recommendation.
The committee was comprised of nine members: a chairperson of a school advisory committee or designee; a media specialist; a principal; a curriculum supervisor; two instructional staff members; and three parents/citizens.
The books reviewed were:
"All Boys Aren't Blue" by George Johnson.
"The Black Flamingo" by Dean Atta.
"Burned" by Ellen Hopkins.
Crank" by Ellen Hopkins.
"Darius the Great Deserves Better" by Adib Khorram.
"Fade" by Lisa McMann.
"Flamer" by Mike Curato.
"Glass" by Ellen Hopkins.
"I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika Sanchez.
"I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson.
"The Infinite Moment of Us" by Lauren Myracle.
"Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me" by Mariko Tamaki.
"Looking for Alaska" by John Green.
"Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Perez.
"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky.
"Sold" by Patricia McCormick.
"TTFN" by Lauren Myracle.
"TTYL" by Lauren Myracle.
"YOLO" by Lauren Myracle.
The superintendent accepted 18 of the 19 titles, allowing them to stay in the district’s high school libraries; just two titles (“Sold” and “Crank”) were allowed in middle school libraries.
Only one title, “Flamer,” was removed from all school libraries. The district also adopted an opt-in program for these books, allowing parents to decide whether their children can access them. Students who do not have restrictions can continue to check the books out of the library.
Flagler County Schools found a similar solution and adopted an opt-in program for parents.
That move, which was made in early 2022, gives parents the option to choose which books their child can check out through an online portal. Parents must first meet with the school’s media specialists, literary coaches and administrators before making the decision.
Prior to the program's creation, Flagler Schools parents were already able to permit their high-schoolers to read books labeled as “adult content” and their elementary school students to read books labeled "young adult."
More than a year later, public records showed that four students out of nearly 12,700 in the district have restricted access to books in school libraries.
https://www.news-journalonline.com/st...
(Opt-IN is still censorship!)
More ridiculousness from Florida politicians.Florida library threatened by GOP lawmaker over its 'I read banned books' cards
In Broward:
“Book Sanctuaries” are located in each of the counties’ 37 branch libraries. They’re described as “designated areas where endangered stories will be protected and made accessible for exploration or check out.”
A panel, “Freedom to Read: Intellectual Freedom in a Healthy Democracy,” is scheduled for Wednesday evening at the African American Research Library & Cultural Center. Free copies of two books that are being banned nationwide will be distributed.
Library cards proclaiming “I Read Banned Books” and including the county library logo and picture of flames are available to residents. People aren’t forced to take the “banned books” cards; other options are offered.
State Rep. Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point, objected to the “I Read Banned Books” cards.
“I don’t want to see Broward County (penalized) for a political stunt, which is what it is,” he said Tuesday in a phone interview.
LaMarca suggested that the county agency’s actions could jeopardize state funding for Broward.
My concern is for Broward County. I’m always in support of the libraries and cultural arts,” LaMarca said, adding he would argue against any attempt to reduce funding for any program in Broward County because of the cards or the county library’s promotion of them on Twitter. “It wasn’t a threat. I don’t have a veto pen,” adding he was “not saying” the governor would retaliate.
But, he said, it was ill advised. “Just give them a regular library card,” LaMarca said.
LaMarca said he normally wouldn’t weigh in on county library issues in his current position as a legislator, but “I was amazed that that was out there.”
County Commissioner Nan Rich, currently the county’s vice mayor, praised library director Allison Grubbs for the “banned books” library cards and the book sanctuaries.
Rich rejected LaMarca’s concern that the county’s action might inflame the governor. “It doesn’t matter whether you poke the bear or don’t poke the bear. He’s going to continue to move forward with his authoritarian ideas and erode our democracy.” She said the cost of the library cards was miniscule since the county has to have library cards regardless of the imagery.
“This is our public library. I think we have to really kind of throw down the gauntlet as a public library,” said County Commissioner Beam Furr, a former high school librarian. “We’re not going to be bullied on what we’re going to put on our shelves.”
Furr said librarians are professionals who create collections that appeal to a variety of tastes and viewpoints, and people can make up their own minds. “There’s going to be some books that might not be someone’s cup of tea. Then don’t read it.”
“We are going down a very dangerous path when our elected officials imply it’s too ‘political’ for a public library to celebrate their role in fighting censorship and protecting our First Amendment right to read what we wish,” wrote Cynthia Busch, former chair of the Broward Democratic Party.
Former state Rep. Matt Willhite, a Palm Beach County Democrat, posed this question: “So people should shut up and hope the state will help them? I thought this was the free state of Florida?” The “free state of Florida” is a slogan championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
And Mac Stipanovich, a longtime high-level Florida Republican strategist, who’s left the party and is now a no-party-affiliation voter, tweeted “Kudos to the Broward County library system. There are times when principle and courage are much more valuable than money, of only because they are in such short supply. This is such a time.”
LaMarca said he hadn’t seen any of the book sanctuaries, so he said he couldn’t assess whether they’re appropriate or not.
On Wednesday evening, Grubbs will moderate “Freedom to Read: Intellectual Freedom in a Healthy Democracy” at the African American Research Library & Cultural Center. The library is on Sistrunk Boulevard, the unofficial main street historically Black community in northwest Fort Lauderdale.
Panelists will explore the history of book banning, the cultural pressures that have created today’s climate and the community’s role in “protecting and preserving fundamental rights in our society,” according to a library system news release.
A Kids Company About, which describes itself on its website as a media company “built on the belief that kids are ready to have challenging, important and empowering conversations with the grownups in their lives” is providing copies of two books that have been banned in some places, “A Kids Book About Systemic Racism” by Jordan Thierry and “A Kids Book About White Privilege” by Ben Sand.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2023/05/...
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Out of the Blue (other topics)The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink (other topics)
My Rainbow (other topics)
Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts (other topics)
The Day the Books Disappeared (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
Ellen Hopkins (other topics)
Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Scott Stuart (other topics)
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They would ban LGBTQ+ books in elementary schools and drag queen story hours.
Senate Bill 1601 would have barred libraries from receiving any public money the year following any events in which drag performers read to kids. The legislation, authored by Hughes, aimed to stop libraries from hosting drag queen story hour, which are events in which drag performers read to children.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/educa...
Texas House advances bill aimed at keeping kids from seeing sexually explicit performances
The bill no longer targets drag performers, but LGBTQ advocates say the legislation’s vague language could still be used to criminalize such shows.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/...
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/...
Book bans are on the rise in the Houston area school districts
Overall, 67 books were banned from Greater Houston school libraries in the 2022-2023 school year, as of April. That is nearly three times the 26 books banned last year. Conroe ISD banned 59 books, more than any other district. Last school year, that district did not ban any books.
Classics, memoirs, and graphic novels have become titles of contention at several area school board meetings. The most recent, in Conroe ISD, was on May 16. Citizens took turns voicing their concerns over book bans.
“I don’t know why these books are in the schools. Makes no sense to me,” Tina Orbble said.
Conroe ISD librarian Amber Sullivan asked board members to consider all students.
“I am infuriated and appalled that I have to remind members of the board that not all of our 71,000 students are white, straight and Christian,” Sullivan said.
And speaker Jackie Ruggeri said she’d asked the board before to “remove inappropriate books.”
”I find myself here once again but this time demanding that you stand up, quit worrying about what’s politically correct or woke, and for the very sake of the children you are supposed to be responsible for educating and protecting, do what is right,” Ruggeri said before reading an excerpt from “Tricks” by Ellen Hopkins.
That book was among 15 bans prompted, in part, by an unsigned informal complaint, which listed 35 books. A group of parents who call themselves “Mama Bears” claimed responsibility for the list at several board meetings.
One of them is Misty Odenweller who submitted five formal requests herself, all for the popular “A Court of Thorns and Roses” fantasy series.
The entire series -- five books -- was banned in September. And Odenweller and two other “Mama Bears” were then elected as a school board member in November.
When KHOU 11 Investigative Reporter Cheryl Mercedes attempted to talk to Odenweller about the complaints at a school board meeting, she dodged the questions.
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The increasing book bans are a problem that has charged retired Conroe ISD librarian, Marjie Podzielinski.
“I’m about to go up there and challenge them (Mama Bears). I find it sad that 59 books are gone out this year. What if it’s 59 next year, and 59 the next year, soon your library’s just dwindled down,” Podzielinski said.
Podzielinski said the books go through a thorough screening process before they reach school libraries, removing them for “selection criteria” defeats the purpose.
“These librarians are trained in how to select materials for the library. It’s not like they just go and say, ‘Oh, I think I want this book or that book.’ They, first of all, have to know the state standards for the State of Texas,” Podzielinski said.
She says that some of the materials that have been banned from school library shelves are legitimate teaching tools.
“Not every student who comes to the library will read that book. But if you have one or two students, you want to have something that you can hand to them and say, ‘Hey, I really understand. I really care about your situation,’” Podzielinski said.
Podzielinski said removing books from school library circulation puts students at a disadvantage.
“The minute you pull one of those books, there are 71,000 students in Conroe ISD, that means they’re shutting down 71,000 students. Pretty soon it defeats your purpose because you do not have a wide variety of books. You’re getting a very narrow selection, and kids are only going to be brought up with one view,” she said. “We’re really hurting our students when we say no, we don’t want these books on the shelf.”
Overall, book bans across the largest Houston-area school districts soared this year, but only in one district, Conroe. Although other districts saw bans drop, the number of challenges more than doubled. And like Conroe ISD, many of the complaints came from a handful of people, part of organized efforts.
Districts saw 240 book challenges this school year to 148 titles, compared to 91 challenges last school year. Half of all districts saw upticks in challenges, with Conroe, Cy-Fair and Humble ISDs seeing the biggest upticks.
In Humble ISD, 23 of its 25 complaints all came from the same person – a member of Mass Resistance Texas, a group that the Southern Poverty Law Center considers an anti-LGBT hate group. In two of the complaints – both against LGBT books –the member wrote, “burn it” when asked what should be done with the book.
Cy-Fair ISD saw an uptick partially because it now requires requests for reconsideration to be filed for each individual school that has the book. It received 57 campus complaints for 13 books. The majority of those complaints, 46, came from members of the conservative Texas Civic Alliance, including 28 from the wife of a newly-elected CFISD board member.
Four of the ten districts we surveyed said they did not get any complaints or review or ban books this year -- Fort Bend, Klein, Aldine and Pasadena ISDs. In addition, Humble and Houston ISD received complaints but didn’t remove any of those books as of April.
https://www.khou.com/article/news/inv...