Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
In Utah, too, social science is under attack because of the topic of global warming! "SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — What was once a routine debate within the committee of the Utah State School Board has transformed into heated discussions surrounding several contentious social issues.
Reporter Chris Jones previously highlighted the growing politicization and cumbersome nature of the social studies standards debate. Now, as the focus shifts to the review of science standards, the contentious atmosphere persists.
The science standards in Utah are mandated to be rewritten every seven years. Previously, the board would dedicate a few hours to hearing proposed changes before approving them. However, the current political climate has disrupted this process, leading to prolonged and intense debates.
Board Member Natalie Cline and her allies presented more than 120 proposed changes, including a controversial proposal to eliminate any discussion of how humans might affect the climate.
During a meeting of the Standards and Assessment Committee of the Utah State Board of Education, Reale and Cline had a heated debate, with Reale saying "And I'm telling you that this is about weather. We know that humans impact weather, we've seen it."
However, Cline dismissed the notion by stating, "Humans don't impact weather."
Neumarker expressed her concern over eliminating discussions about climate change, asserting that it undermines Utah's education of children. She stressed the need to prioritize science and education over political agendas to remain competitive in businesses and industries.
Utah's process for approving education standards is well-established and thorough over a two-year period, up to 20 science teachers participate in drafting the standards. Thousands of comments from parents were considered.
The Standards and Assessment Committee reviewed the proposed standards before they reach the final stage of approval by the school board. However, according to Reale, the board's approach has shifted away from considering recommendations from parents and teachers.
After 16 hours of debate, frustrated board members ultimately voted to discard all previous changes and approve the original parent-teacher proposal. The vote passed with a narrow margin of 8 to 7. Reale described the unexpected outcome as necessary for the board to move forward.
"To me, there are so many things we should be focusing on to support our students, and this is not one of them," said Reale.
Despite the vote, it is anticipated that board member Jennie Earle will introduce new changes soon, indicating that the discussion is far from over."
https://kutv.com/news/crisis-in-the-c...
Finally, Newtown, CT has come to a decision about their controversial books and it's the right one. Flamer and Blankets can stay.
https://www.wfsb.com/2023/06/01/newto...
This one still sounds like a ban. Whose morals matter? "Building moral literacy through reading: One charter school’s answer to “book bans
Liberty Common School, a charter school with a classical curriculum in Fort Collins, Colorado, uses a specific education plan. Liberty, a Core Knowledge school that emphasizes character education, the debate runs in the opposite direction: Which books should kids be reading?
For years, Liberty has maintained lists of recommended books for parents to read aloud with little kids, or for independent reading for older students. The school’s academic advisory committee actively reads and approves every single book on the list, not just for “age appropriateness” and themes, but for text complexity, vocabulary, and syntax (too many incomplete sentences, casual language, or overuse of slang are strikes against a book), and for “domain knowledge,” such as whether a book’s historical and scientific references are accurate. But the most interesting screens are for “moral literacy” and meaning. Liberty’s evaluation rubric asks questions that many educators would likely not even consider or might be uncomfortable weighing if asked: Would we want our students to live the life of the characters in this story? What is the compelling reason we want students to read this book?
We have become almost entirely unaccustomed to thinking about books as a contributing factor in character formation, but at Liberty it’s a central consideration. Not long ago, a parent wanted to add books from the popular “Junie B. Jones” series to the list for K–2. The suggestion was denied. “The main character is brash and obnoxious,” Churchill explains. “We don’t want to teach kids that it’s OK to be a brat.” Ditto the Rick Riordan book The Red Pyramid. At first glance, the book might appear to be a strong contender since it’s based on Egyptian mythology, which reinforces Liberty’s Core Knowledge curriculum. Not only was the book’s language and sentence structure found wanting, but the main character was deemed to have too little respect for his father and siblings. “Overall, this isn’t a book we want to encourage the students to read because it doesn’t inspire, elevate, or add value to the students,” was the verdict. To be clear, Liberty students can still read The Red Pyramid on their own—it wasn’t “banned”—but neither was it added to the select list of “recommended” books.
Liberty’s recommended reading list and its emphasis on moral literacy, themes, literary merit, and character development draws inspiration from William Kilpatrick’s 1993 book Why Johnny Can’t Tell Right from Wrong: And What We Can Do About It. “Good literature,” Kilpatrick insisted, “doesn’t introduce a child to ‘kids like me’ but to others who are better than himself—who are just like he might become if he fulfills his potential for goodness.”
“We just don’t think that ‘kids like me’ books are necessary or important in schools.”
"There are a lot of values-based books that begin to step on the toes of parents. We need to be respectful of values they want to impart to their kids.” Is there a role for schools in signaling inclusivity? Churchill isn’t so sure and likens that query to asking for a sandwich at Jiffy Lube. “They do oil changes. They don’t do sandwiches,” he responded. “Schools should do education and academics. We don’t do sexual preferences or mental health. That’s the job of the family and parents.”
Churchill is quick to add that no one should confuse his school’s refusal to add books to its curriculum or recommended reading lists with a “ban” on books that don’t make the cut. “There are just good books that we want to have in front of our kids,” he said.
https://fordhaminstitute.org/national...
Red, Wine & Blue takes on the history education debate.Hi QNPooh,
It’s hard to believe how controversial teaching U.S. History has become in our schools.
Teachers are having a tough time navigating the extreme laws restricting history education in 28 states.1 Textbook publishers are cutting any mention of race from social studies books to appease Florida and Texas.2
But what is the impact of having a generation of kids simply not allowed to learn their own history? It’s a conversation we need to have – and we’ve recruited the absolute best in the field to talk to us!
On Tuesday at 7:30PM ET, join leaders from the Zinn Education Project as we talk about the right to teach truthfully about U.S. History!
The Zinn Education Project is renowned for its People’s History curriculum, used by more than 140,000 teachers. The curriculum teaches kids that history isn’t made by a few heroic individuals, but instead by people’s choices and actions, thereby also learning that their own choices and actions matter.
Our guests on Tuesday are on the front lines of the war on U.S. History. Jesse Hagopian is a teacher and co-adviser to the Black Student Union at Garfield High School who helped to found the groups Black Lives Matter at School and Social Equity Educators. Jesse is also on the Zinn Education Project leadership team. Deborah Menkart is co-director of the Zinn Education Project and co-editor of Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching.
If you are wondering what is up with the attacks on public education and why extremists are trying to limit what’s taught in history class, this is the event for you!
RSVP now to join us for Teach the Truth with the Zinn Education Project!
See you there!
Rae
Want to know more? We've got you!
1. "How teachers can stay true to history without breaking new laws that restrict what they can teach about racism," The Conversation, accessed June 2, 2023
2. "Florida Scoured Math Textbooks for ‘Prohibited Topics.’ Next Up: Social Studies." The New York Times, March 20, 2023
RSVP
https://secure.everyaction.com/kvHfZF...
The conversation:
https://theconversation.com/how-teach...
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CHERYL wrote: "Also, good news from Yukon, OK, just outside OKC. We have a new Little Free Library which is tagged, on the app, for 'banned books.'"That's awesome! I am going to send some to Broward County, Florida for their little free library (banned books) project. I have one more library sale to hit up before I send them on.
Ridiculous tit for tat going on in Utah.Calling it "one of the most sex-ridden books around," the parent — whose name was redacted from the complaint obtained by Axios — alleged it contained, "incest, onanism, bestiality, prostitution, genital mutilation, fellatio, dildos, rape, and even infanticide."
"It's pornographic by our new definition," the parent wrote in the complaint.
"If the books that have been banned so far are any indication for way lesser offenses, this should be a slam dunk."
The parent included over 60 Bible passages deemed "offensive."
Catch up quick: Following the complaint, a district book review committee in May found the text did "not contain sensitive material," but still pulled it from its elementary and middle schools "based on age appropriateness due to vulgarity or violence," Davis School District spokesperson Christopher Williams told Axios in an email.
Williams estimates seven to eight elementary and junior high schools had the Bible pulled from their shelves.
It will remain available in the district's high schools.
What's next: The committee's decision to pull the text from some schools has been appealed by an individual "who would like it retained at all levels," Williams said.
It will now be considered by an appeals committee made up of three members of the district's board of education.
That committee will make its final recommendation to retain or remove it from school library circulation to the district's Board of Education, he noted. The board will make the final decision.
The other side: State Rep. Ken Ivory rebuked the challenge against the material earlier this year, describing it as a publicity stunt, per The Salt Lake Tribune.
In a statement released Thursday, State Rep. Ken Ivory backtracked on his initial criticism, saying, "the Bible is best taught, and best understood, in the home, and around the hearth, as a family."
Ivory also maintained the law he authored was not a "book-banning bill" as opponents alleged.
Ivory was not immediately available for an interview.
https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
From Time The Heavy Cost of Banning Books
cites statistics and a personal story
https://time.com/6284174/book-bans-bl...
A Tennessee school book ban is robbing students of historyThe “Velshi Banned Book Club” looks at why the graphic novel poses such a threat to the book-banning right.
"Despite the public outcry, a representative from McMinn County School Board, Tenn. confirmed with MSNBC that “Maus” has not been added back to the curriculum.
The “showing” here is part of the power of “Maus.” The reader is not just hearing about the depravity of the Holocaust; they’re seeing it. Spiegelman famously depicts his characters as animals: Jewish mice, Nazi cats, Polish pigs, French frogs, and American dogs, a representation of the common racist Nazi propaganda portraying Jewish people as “rats,” “vermin” or “sub-human.” The black-and-white drawings, especially of the mice, masterfully illustrate anguish, love, fear, and brutality. The illustrations serve to create space between the reader and the painful plot, but they do not lesson the effect of the novel.
The “Velshi Banned Book Club” has explored the reasons why a book may be banned in the past: it could be the topic, the words themselves, or the author. “Maus” is being targeted for all of those reasons plus one more: the illustrations.
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The irony, of course, is that the discomfort is the entire point. “Maus” demands that its readers bear witness to genocide; the feeling in the pit of your stomach when you close this book is intentional.
Students may learn about the Holocaust through facts and figures — the number of deaths, the reasons why Hitler rose to power — but none of that tells the full story. It is easy to move past “6 million” written in a textbook when you do not understand the extent of the unspeakable pain or the names behind the numbers.
Importantly and obviously, reading about historical atrocities is not promoting them, as that school board member wrongly said. It’s creating awareness. It’s how we learn. And the chilling reality is that “Maus” tells a story that not everyone knows, one that we are forgetting as a nation and as a society. As Spiegelman is fond of saying in interviews: “Never again and again and again."
https://www.msnbc.com/ali-velshi/tenn...
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So I guess that if a grade five or grade six student in Florida asks about their period, Ron DeSantis will have them suspended or strapped? What a moron he is and this THING is running for president????
Manybooks wrote: "https://www.salon.com/2023/04/11/dont....So..."
Yes that was news awhile ago. The teachers and experts are confused and unhappy. Girls as young as 9 get their periods, so what are they supposed to do if they get it in school? Just sit there and bleed through their clothes?! Be embarrassed? Confused? Scared? It's for grades K-5 so 6th grade up is OK. By that time their friends have periods and they've looked it up online.
House Bill 1069 targets sex education.
If passed, the law would require that teachers get approval for materials used in sexual health classes, which can only be taught in grades six through 12 under the law. It would also require that schools teach a specific definition of “sex” and “reproductive roles.”
And while it’s nominally about sex education, it would also reinforce those laws’ restrictions on what students learn about gender and relationships, and increase the state’s ability to restrict what students read in the school library by giving parents and community members the power to object to some materials.
During the subcommittee hearing last week, Democrats were aghast that lawmakers didn’t consider whether a topic as innocuous as menstrual cycles would be barred from discussions at school under the legislation. Rep. Ashley Viola Gantt asked Rep. Stan McClain, who proposed the legislation, whether the bill would prohibit young girls from talking about their periods in schools.
“Does this bill prohibit conversations about menstrual cycles ― because we know that typically the age is between 10 and 15 ― so if little girls experience their menstrual cycle in fifth grade or fourth grade, will that prohibit conversations from them since they are in the grade lower than sixth grade?” Gantt asked McClain during the committee hearing. McClain responded that the bill would restrict such conversations, but later said the goal of the bill is not to punish little girls."
https://www.vox.com/policy/2023/3/24/...
Judy Blume retweeted a Twitter post from Carl Hiassen and responded "Sorry, Margaret." (March 17)
https://twitter.com/judyblume/status/...
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And what happens if a grade five or grade six girl actually asks about menstruation? Will she get punished?
Manybooks wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "https://www.salon.com/2023/04/11/dont......"It's Ok in 6th grade. It's not the students who get punished but the teachers. If the teachers teach human sexuality to K-5th graders, they could lose their license. The rate things are going, they'll also be arrested for being "groomers" and pedophiles. It's the parents who are grooming their children by encouraging them to take pictures and report to them when the teacher does something the parents don't approve of. (Read above about the ongoing case of a teacher in Norman, Oklahoma).
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Manybooks wrote: "Students who spy on their teachers are for and to me like East German border guards and the "I was just doing what my parents told me to do" does not and should not fly. We need to out both the par..."If they've been homeschooled up to now, they don't really know any better or any different. Some kids tell their parents everything and other kids don't. It's hard to know how parents are getting this information because they lie about it. Some kids are put up to it by their parents though.
Buried in this Teen Vogue story is the fear that Conservatives are targeting publishers in their efforts to ban ideas they don't agree with."In April, the Tennessee legislature passed SB 1059, a bill that specifically calls out book publishers that distribute materials to K-12 public schools, saying those publishers can be charged with a felony and fined at least $10,000 or up to $100,000 if the materials are found to be legally obscene. Previous bills have already made it illegal to distribute “obscene” materials to minors, but this new law adds specificity, targeting book publishers and the books they provide to schools. Unlike existing laws, it also makes a first offense for publishers a felony instead of a misdemeanor.
“The point [of SB 1059 is] to make publishers think twice about the books they sell to schools,” Jonathan Friedman, director of free expression and education programs at PEN America, says in an email. “Activists are working to chill not just how school libraries acquire books, but how those books are published and sold in the first place."
Many advocates are worried that the bill is a tipping point in Republicans' fight to limit the kind of books publishing houses are legally allowed to produce. In February, a bill was introduced in Congress that would “prohibit a publishing house from knowingly furnishing sexually explicit material to a school or an educational agency.” Per the legislation, if the publishing house knowingly provides a school with “materials containing a sexually explicit visual depiction of any kind,” that publisher could face a fine up to $500,000.
“I think there are pretty high chances that similar legislation spreads to other states,” says Dana Blanchard, the programming coordinator of Haymarket Books, a “radical, independent, nonprofit” book publisher based in Chicago. “This is all part of the right-wing agenda. They call it ‘culture wars’; I call it trying to smash radical ideas and people’s ability to organize. It's not surprising to me that this censorship comes after the uprising around Black lives, increased youth climate activism, and the amazing activism queer folks have been part of in the last few years. The right’s response to that is to try to make people afraid to talk about our history, to organize, to read radical books.”
Though Haymarket is not based in Tennessee, Blanchard feels that it and other publishing houses nationwide could still feel effects from SB 1059. “Our distributor is based in Tennessee,” she says. “We’ve recently tried to get our distributor and other independent publishers to push back on this legislation.”
An unfortunate consequence of legislation like SB 1059, Blanchard adds, is that it forces publishers to make decisions about what books to print based on factors like fear. “The whole purpose of this legislation is to make people afraid,” she says. “I think there are some publishers who are going to be more careful with what they distribute to libraries. We’re not one of them, but we’re also not one of the big five publishers — the main purveyors of books."
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/book-...
108 copies of the titles removed this spring from Spotsylvania school librariesMore Happy Than Not (22 copies) YA
Water for Elephants (1) Adult
Dime (1) YA
The Bluest Eye (2) Adult
Nineteen Minutes (2) YA/Adult
Beloved (5) Adult
removed from school libraries because they contain “sexually explicit” content, five were found at all five high school libraries.
In his March 28 memo ordering the books to be removed, Taylor directed all copies to be delivered to his office by 4 p.m. March 31 and recommended that they be declared “surplus property” and donated to the Central Rappahannock Regional Library.
CRRL director Martha Hutzel said Wednesday that, “As far as we can determine, we have not received any of the titles in question from Spotsylvania County Public Schools.”
The county continues to field book challenges, most of them initiated by one parent.
the challenge process begins with a complainant filing a form with the school principal requesting reconsideration.
The principal then has 15 days to assemble an ad hoc review committee which reads the challenged book and makes a recommendation about whether or not it should stay in school libraries or be removed.
The regulation gives individual high school principals the discretion to keep books on the shelves or remove them during the challenge process.
However, school system Chief of Staff Jon Russell in an April 6 email directed principals to “pull any challenged books from the shelves” before they have been reviewed by the ad hoc committee.
In an April 4 email responding to the parent’s challenge of “Trans+: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You” by Kathryn Gonzales and Karen Rayne, Russell told Courtland High School principal Clifton Conway that “we would like the book turned over to central office.” Trans+: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You (YA)
The School Board earlier in May approved adding Virginia Code definitions of “sexually explicit content” to the regulations governing the selection and review of instructional material.
According to the regulations, the review committee must check all challenged material for this content.
In a message to the school community posted on the division’s website last week, Taylor indicated that more changes will be coming to policies and regulations around library materials.
“The inclusion of sexually explicit content is not the only basis upon which materials may be contested,” Taylor wrote. “We must clarify, modernize and maintain other pathways for challenges in our policy.”
He continued, “SCPS must reconsider how materials come to be included in our school libraries. We must create a process whereby sexually explicit materials will be identified and parental notification and opt-in or opt-out will be provided before new items are added to our collections.
To these good ends, we will be bringing together a working group very soon to develop the next layer of improvements to our policy,” Taylor added.
https://fredericksburg.com/news/local...
Florida reaches new heights in book banning.Vote bars 3 books from Brevard school shelves; more slated for review
The books are barred from shelves for eight years, and the decision cannot be appealed.
milk and honey
the sun and her flowers
Home Body
three poetry books aimed at adults
The poetry books, published in 2014, 2017 and 2020 respectively, were challenged on the grounds of (view spoiler)
Michelle Beavers, appointed by school board members Gene Trent, and Ashley Hall, appointed by Megan Wright, board vice chair, both placed a strong focus on the sexual content of the books, saying it outweighed the non-explicit content in the books. Beavers even added that her favorite poem was from "The Sun and All Her Flowers," but she was still in favor of removing the book.
"Clearly, that's against statutes," she said, holding up copies of drawings from the book, which depicted outlines of naked bodies. "It's against statutes. We're done. That's it."
Paul Roub, board member Jennifer Jenkin's appointee, was the most lenient on the committee, arguing that those opposed to the books were cherry-picking small excerpts and that the books as whole texts were educational and possessed literary value.
"To read a few excerpts and to say, 'Well, this is a book about that,' and to misrepresent some of those excerpts and say, 'Look, this is a book about enjoying childhood rape' — oh, god, please read the book again," he said. "No, it's not. Holy crap. Please read the book again."
The meeting went book by book, beginning with challenger Karen Colby explaining why she wanted "Milk and Honey" pulled from libraries.
Community members were then invited to address the committee, followed by a discussion among committee members and a vote that decided whether or not to remove the book. The process was then repeated for “The Sun and Her Flowers” and “Homebody."
About 20 community members attended, with more than half speaking during the public comment opportunities. Though the majority of the committee was in favor of removing the books, most of the public was vehemently opposed, with many referencing personal experiences and how having books with similar content was helpful or would have been helpful during their school years.
Others encouraged concerned parents to utilize BPS' system to opt their children out of reading certain books within the library system, but to keep the books available for those whose parents don't share similar concerns.
"You have options, but you're taking ours away," said Amy Roub. "That's not liberty at all. It's fascism. Liberty for me and not for thee."
A handful of the public agreed the books should be pulled from shelves, citing concerns about the texts “slipping into the hands” of children who had not been exposed to topics such as rape.
“These hands could slip into the hands of elementary, middle-school or young high school students,” Deborah Crisafulli said, adding there were specific words and phrases in “Milk and Honey” that she wouldn’t want children to read.
Katie Delaney questioned the appropriateness of the books for kids who haven’t experienced things such as sexual trauma.
Though the committee leaned toward "erring on the side of caution" — something the Florida Department of Education advises media specialists to do when considering what books to keep in their libraries — their opinions about the books varied.
Hall said she was not uncomfortable with some topics mentioned in the books, such as suicide, but the sexual content was inappropriate.
"Unfortunately, we are here because somewhere along the line, content got in (libraries) that is arguably and very apparent that it's inappropriate for school-aged children," she said.
"So we can call it fascism, we can call it banning, we can do whatever, but we also as a society put the restrictions on things. And in a school setting, this book is not appropriate for public school, no matter the age, in my opinion."
Sheri-Lynn Diskin, appointed by school board chair Matt Susin, and Michael Howell, appointed by board member Katye Campbell, found educational value in the books. Still, both weighed the options of potentially placing limits on the books, such as allowing only students of a certain grade level to check them out of the library, putting them behind media specialists' desks or removing them from libraries but allowing teachers and counselors to use them in curriculums or to help struggling students.
Howell said some books would have to be removed because of small sections, adding that that was "100% unfair."
"With these in particular, there's a lot of beneficial content," he said, referencing the three Kaur books. "But we are guided by the statutes and laws that have been put in place."
Ultimately the committee decided to remove the book entirely.
The three books will not be allowed in classrooms or libraries for the next eight years, and that decision cannot be appealed, according to policy.
Future committee meetings are scheduled through October, with the committee set to discuss "A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sarah J. Maas, "Tilt" by Ellen Hopkins, "Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins, "Sold" by Patricia McCormick, "The Nowhere Girls" by Amy Reed, "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini, "A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. Other titles on the list of 32 books are do not have scheduled dates.
The current schedule could change as the book review policy is once again redone by the board, Soliven said.
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/ne...
I don't know any elementary or middle schooler who would willingly pick up a book of adult poetry and read it. And if they do, encourage them to ask questions and talk to them about it so they understand what they're reading and talk to them so what happened to the subjects of the poems doesn't happen to them.
GOP Senator Criticizing Kids' Books About Race and Diversity Says 'I Don't Want Reality' During HearingOklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin backtracked after saying he doesn't want "reality" when it comes to teaching children about race. The comment sparked immediate laughter from others in the room.
Senator asks a dumb question about which is better to teach in PUBLIC SCHOOLS
"Jesus Loves Me"
or Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race?
https://people.com/markwayne-mullin-d...
No contest, obviously. Public school students should not be INDOCTRINATED into Christian AGENDA. Also, the song contains offensive terms like red and yellow to describe skin tone. In what world is THAT appropriate for pre-K?
Cheryl wrote: "Even some people raised as the scary kind of Christian are revolting. I've lost where I read it, but look for an article about Christina and Aaron Beall sending their child to public school, in def..."I just read that last night. They're in Louden County, Virginia so it was in the Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/educat...
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and eight of their gubernatorial colleagues are urging publishers not to censor their textbooks.The governors, all Democrats, signed a letter sent to publishers such as Pearson, McGraw Hill and Scholastic last month, raising concerns the companies might “be tempted to water down critical information to appeal to the lowest common denominator.” They urged publishers to “hold the line for our democracy” and not censor any material.
https://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net...
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The governors, all Democrats, signed a lett..."
There is a lot of push back against the banners. This whole issue is part of 'culture wars' so it's not like it should be a surprise to anyone; there is awareness.
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Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin backtracked after saying he doesn't want "reality" when it com..."
Public schools are NOT supposed to be teaching ANY kind of religion, period, but that is likely to change, sigh.
Manybooks wrote: "Public schools are NOT supposed to be teaching ANY kind of religion, period, but that is likely to change, sigh...."They do though. There's always been a fierce debate about the "Pledge of Allegiance" since "under God" was added in the 50s. I was deliberately using the rhetoric of the right-wing censors who claim they don't want their children "indoctrinated" into the liberal "agenda." It's obvious who has the agenda here. Kids aren't as stupid or hateful as adults. They value kindness and inclusion and teaching that in a secular manner in public schools is a GOOD thing. Teach them something like "Jesus loves me" without the horrible, outdated terms, at home or in Sunday school if you must. Teach your children your values and allow them to grow up to be kind and empathetic adults.
I was happy to see the governors ban together to pressure textbook companies not to whitewash history. I was a little surprised to see our governor signed it. He hasn't impressed me much in the last 2 years. He comes across as kind of wishy-washy but I think our governors mostly follow the lead of Massachusetts.
My school system still teaches advanced civics and the 8th graders just got back from Washington, DC!
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"LGBT history is becoming the latest hot-button topic of debate in public education, with states diverging over whether students should be taught lessons pertaining to the past struggles of gay people.
At least six states, and the District of Columbia, have recently passed laws to mandate or recommend the use of LGBT-inclusive curricula or standards, with lawmakers in at least four states, including New York, Washington, Massachusetts and Missouri, considering similar legislation this year.
The bill being debated in the New York legislature, for instance, requires middle schools and high schools to provide “instruction on the political, economic, and social contributions, and lifeways” of people known as LGBT, for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.
Meanwhile, more than a dozen states have enacted laws or are considering laws to prohibit the inclusion of LGBT issues in classroom lessons, including Florida, Texas and Ohio. ... "
(note Missouri... it's not going to pass, but at least they're talking about it)
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Yes, but in some states, governors are trying to give parents the right to complain about, to challenge and get censored what their adult children are reading at college/university. And frankly, anyone above the age of fourteen or fifteen should not have their parents complaining what can be read in the classroom.
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I disagree about teens, though. Yes, in a perfect world parents would discuss concerns with their own children, rather than try to ban materials for all. But the reality is, no matter what you and I think is right for kids, it is up to the parents until the age of majority.
Which is ultimately a good thing, overall. To consider the position I was in 10 years ago, when my son was 17: I certainly don't want Christian parents "indoctrinating" my children. And I do want to be able to find out what, as a parent, what my child is reading for school. Even if it's Advanced Honors Senior Literature or History... it is my business.
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I disagree about t..."
I have to admit that I am glad that my parents let me read whatever I wanted. My mother did tell me when I asked at the age of around thirteen if she thought I was ready for her German language historical romances that she did not think so but she had no issues with me trying them (and discovering on my own that at the age of thirteen I found the stories boring and silly), and I really appreciate being able to discover this on my own.
In today's digital world, parents can go online and view the curriculum, see the library catalog and do their own research on what's in the books their kids are reading. They have the option to opt-out. I just saw that my niece's middle school library website lists the state book award winners for children and teens, the list of high school summer reading books and middle school summer reading. They also state "Books with a YA spine label are recommended for students in 8th grade and up." Recommended is not the same thing as only available to. Is this a fair compromise? I think so, as long as students have the ability to check out those books if they choose even if they're not in the 8th grade. They've been warned there might be more adult content than they're used to and their parents can opt them out if they find out and object.They teach digital literacy and how to tell if news is real or fake.
On the website they also have links to CommonSense media and other places where students can find their next read.
They get their books through Follet which partners with Baker & Taylor, a longtime, respected library supplier.
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Manybooks wrote: "One thing that always got to me is that novels by Judy Blume etc. were banned but no one batted an eyelid when we were reading Romeo and Juliet and other Shakespeare plays (including Titus Andronic..."Yes everyone else is wondering that too, hence the person in Utah who got the Bible banned and now the Book of Mormon is being challenged. That's just being petty but the censors make the excuse for banning Gender Queer: A Memoir and It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health, This Book Is Gay that it is the images they object to. The drawings they label obscene. Yet they also ban Draw Me a Star and In the Night Kitchen and others because of nudity.
The question is: who decides what is obscene? What is the community interest? Experts and readers and teens have stated over and over these books save lives!
My niece attends school in the same district I did. She'll be going to a brand new version of the same high school my sister and I went to.
My sister's daughter is in a more conservative area but they've read New Kid and Starfish, and she read Love & Gelato which has sexual content (off page) and is not a book I would have suggested to a 7th grader but my sister didn't care. There's nothing on her school website for the library at all.
Goodish news from Tenn. : A federal judge overturned the anti-drag law because it was "too broad and vague."The law would have banned adult cabaret performances from public property or anywhere minors might be present. Performers who broke the law risked being charged with a misdemeanor or a felony for a repeat offense.
Judge Thomas Parker used the example of a female performer wearing an Elvis Presley costume and mimicking the iconic musician who could be at risk of punishment under the drag law because they would be considered a "male impersonator."
Parker also cited how the law's sponsor, Republican state Rep. Chris Todd, had previously helped lead an effort to block a drag show in his district before introducing the drag ban proposal. Todd later confirmed that he hadn't seen the performance, but nevertheless pursued legal action to stop the show and the event was held indoors with an age restriction.
This incident was among the several reasons to believe that the anti-drag law was "geared towards placing prospective blocks on drag shows — regardless of their potential harm to minors," Parker wrote.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, a Republican who was one of the law's main sponsors, said he was disappointed with the ruling.
https://www.npr.org/2023/06/03/117999...
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The law would have banned adult cabaret performances from public property or anywhere m..."
I guess Jacky et al have their pointy little heads exploding, lol.
Book Riot is urging public libraries to be prepared for a Kirk Cameron right-wing takeover on Aug. 5. He's twisted his story for the media making himself out to be the bad guy, banned from hosting his Christian right-wing/anti-CRT story time and discussion from public libraries when the libraries say he didn't go through the proper channels. His people could have and should have filled out the paperwork to rent a meeting room to host his hate-filled program.Book Riot suggests :" These are coordinated efforts to prove a point; in the sake of Cameron and Brave Books, it’s to find a “gotcha” with censorship. If you don’t give them what they want, they can cry censorship, even if they themselves are the perpetrators who purposefully subvert the rules and policies.
As we’ve seen throughout the country, truth does not matter to those bent on their messaging and their right-wing values of authoritarianism. But your institution can continue to be a bastion of light by upholding your standards and policies, advocating for First Amendment Rights of all — not just those with the most money and political sway — and you can continue to educate your patrons about why some books get purchased and included in the collection while others, like those published by Brave Books, do not."
"Failing to do these things only bolsters the argument that libraries are a drain on public resources and encourages further book bans, programming under false pretenses, and unmitigated attacks on one of the only institutions in the country which serves as a “third place,” without any consumerist or capitalist expectations, to anyone who would like to use it."
August 5 events are being mass-coordinated by anyone who wishes to set up a story time at their local public library "are a ripe opportunity for all of these elements to clash and for right-wing “activists” to proclaim they’re being discriminated against by a taxpayer institution.
Brave Books has developed a resource kit for anyone wishing to put together one of these story times, and they have set up a map for people to drop pins for confirmed events. Doing this inevitably connects the public libraries with Brave Books, and given how few people know the actual intricacies behind library policy — and indeed, with people of this particular persuasion not wanting to care about them — the flames are about to grow hotter."
https://bookriot.com/kirk-cameron-pub...
Opinion piece from the Austin-American Statesman:On behalf of sanctimony, Texas strikes a blow on books
Points include:
Not every sexually explicit book possesses literary merit. And not every book merits placement in a library. However, some of the greatest works of the past century, including “Ulysses,” “Sister Carrie,” “Women in Love,” and “Lolita” have run afoul of censors, who have judged them “obscene.
Current censors appear most outraged by texts about the sexuality of LGBTQ, African American, and Latino characters. The philosopher Bertrand Russell noted that: “Obscenity is whatever happens to shock some elderly and ignorant magistrate.” Much censorship is driven by a desire to make the censor seem righteous rather than a genuine concern for the effect on a reader.
Fear is driving too much contemporary politics. Education is the antidote to fear. And the foundation of education is the ability to read widely and wisely.
https://www.statesman.com/story/opini...
Readers in South Florida push back against book bans"One of the first things you see stepping into the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale is a “book sanctuary” — a collection of books that have been challenged across the country.
Titles like George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984 are displayed alongside It’s Perfectly Normal, a kid’s sex education book that’s been pulled from Broward public schools.
On a recent evening, there was another stack of controversial books up for grabs too. The library was giving out free copies of A Kid's Book About White Privilege by Ben Sand and A Kid's Book About Systemic Racism by Jordan Thierry.
The book giveaway — and a panel discussion entitled “Freedom to Read” — were being hosted by Allison Grubbs, who oversees Broward County’s 37 public library branches.
“That's my role as the libraries director, to constantly advocate for freedom to read,” Grubbs said. “It's my role to champion the First Amendment.”
In the library’s auditorium, about 50 people settled into their seats for the panel discussion.
The panelists on stage were surrounded by two foot-high posters of the cover art for books like Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer — some of the most banned books in the country, according to a tally by the American Library Association.
A question for the panelists — which was echoed by some audience members — is what readers can do to protect public libraries.
“How do we stand up and fight censorship?” Grubbs asked.
The panel’s advice? Get involved at the local library. And lobby elected officials.
“We must use political power to support intellectual freedom. It’s not just something that is given to us. We must work for it.”
Emily Knox, professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
https://www.wlrn.org/education/2023-0...
Banned book given away for free in MiamiBooks & Books distributes free copies of titles removed from schools in Miami-Dade County. A total of 1,200 books were given away as part of a "celebration" at Coral Gables Congregational Church. According to Books & Books founder Mitch Kaplan, the event was held in response to an incident last week at the K-8 Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, where a committee removed five titles from the school library in response to one parent's objections.
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/fl...
Every Library has partnered with GLADD on a playbook to help communities fight against book bans that are uniquely targeting LGBTQ Americans.https://glaad.org/publications/book-b...
The good, the bad and the crazy for the day!One woman won't allow her child on a playdate at the home of anyone who is not extended family and she seems to be under the impression that two parents of the same gender are going to be explaining the birds and the bees to her child? I'm left wondering if this woman is a survivor herself and it makes her hysterical. My sister worried about leaving her kids with a stranger (sitter) but my mom hosed her down saying you just have to have faith in people and her daughter would tell her if anything unusual happened - or not unusual! Nothing did happen. From what I've read, sadly most abuse comes from within the home from someone close and trusted.
I feel sorry for these children. They're going to end up unsocialized and unable to cope with the real world as they get older if this madness doesn't stop.
The good news of the day isMoms for Liberty listed as ‘anti-government’ group by extremism watchdog
The ‘parents’ rights’ group has backed book bans and the removal of discussions of race and LGBTQ+ issues in schools
Jason Wilson
@jason_a_w
Tue 6 Jun 2023 16.01 EDT
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has listed the Republican-connected “parents’ rights” group Moms for Liberty as an “anti-government extremist” organization in its latest Year in Hate & Extremism report.
In a statement accompanying the report’s release, a spokesperson for the extremism watchdog group wrote that Moms for Liberty was the most prominent of 12 extremist “anti-student inclusion groups” mobilizing to “attack public education, ban books, and remove any curriculum that contains discussions of race, discrimination, and LGBTQ+ identities”
"However, in the statement accompanying the report, the SPLC warned that “hate groups are increasingly engaging in public demonstrations using flyering, marches and banner displays to gain media attention”, with schools in particular emerging as a target not just for radical parents’ groups, but for established hate groups like the Proud Boys.
In a statement, the SPLC president and CEO, Margaret Huang, called such attacks “a concerted effort by hate groups and extremist actors to terrorize communities and gain control of public institutions by any means necessary”.
DeSantis and Trump both appear at Moms for Liberty events and the organization was specifically founded for 20 and 30 something women involved in the Republican party.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...
The bizarre news comes from LA, surprisingly."At least three people were arrested after fights broke out amid a Glendale school district meeting on the inclusion of LGBTQ+ studies on Tuesday.
Glendale school officials tell KTLA the Pride-inclusive curriculum is nothing new and has been in effect since 2019. However, the resolution is presented for reconsideration annually.
The board was expected to vote and pass the resolution on Tuesday night.
In an effort to prevent what school officials say is “harmful disinformation,” a curriculum fact sheet and FAQ statement regarding the LGBTQ+ topics covered in the classroom was released online.
The three people arrested face various charges including willfully obstructing officers and the unlawful use of pepper spray. Their identities have not been released."
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/figh...
The school board voted to approve the resolution to celebrate Pride month
The LAUSD board member who introduced the motion said similar resolutions have been approved in the past, but that this discussion is coming on the heels of a violent exchange between groups of protestors outside Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood on Friday.
That incident occurred over an assembly that took place where the discussion was around a book that had a line in it about LGBTQ families, which some parents believed was inappropriate for young children.
LAUSD School Board President Jackie Goldberg on Tuesday read aloud from Mary Hoffman’s “The Great Big Book of Families,” the book in question.
The resolution, which was co-sponsored by all board members and authored by Board member Nick Melvoin, affirms the board’s “commitment to a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment for all LGTBQ+ students, families, and staff members.”
“Reading books about kids with different types of families is not sexualizing or grooming kids just like reading books about kids with interracial families is not racializing kids or hoisting an ideology,” Melvoin said. “We need to prepare kids for the world that exists. We need to show them what families look like. Some families have two dads, like my brother and his husband.”
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/l-a-...
Column: Why are we still freaking out about families with two mommies or daddies in L.A.?Sandy Banks
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/colum...
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Bad news in Temecula Valley, California
"[At the school board meeting last month] the 3-2 vote opposing the adoption of new social studies curriculum for Temecula Valley Unified School District elementary schools. The decision could leave 11,397 students without a textbook next year.
"We've never experienced this before. I've never heard of a top performing district or any district say you know what we are going to withhold these materials," said Edgar Diaz, the president of the Temecula Valley Educator Association.
School board members, Dr. Joseph Komrosky, Jennifer Wiersma and Danny Gonzalez opposed the inclusion of gay rights activist Harvey Milk in the supplemental material used by teachers, even though Milk is not in the 4th grade textbook himself.
Milk, who was one of the first opening gay elected officials in the country, was assassinated while serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
The three board members were elected last year with the backing of the conservative Inland Empire Family Pac.
"I don't want my 3rd grader studying an LGBTQ issue . I don't want them going into gender ideology," said Board Member Jennifer Wiersma.
The social studies curriculum was vetted by 47 Temecula Valley teachers who taught the material in 18 elementary schools as part of a pilot program this past year. The material, which is also approved by the California Department of Education, will replace outdated textbooks.
"It was piloted, we followed every policy, and procedures. The options were out there for parents. Thirteen-hundred family's kids learned from this curriculum. We did not receive any complaints," said Board Member Allison Barclay, who voted to approve the new curriculum.
The three member majority also cited the lack of parental input for opposing the curriculum. According to officials at the meeting, Temecula Valley Unified School District and all 18 of the school sites did try to solicit input from parents with a survey, but less than a dozen answered it.
"Parents didn't respond. Whose fault is it that parents didn't respond? It's their fault. Not our fault and not the teacher's fault," said School Board Member Steven Schwartz.
Schwartz and Barclay voted to approve the new curriculum noting the current books were no longer in print and did not meet the Fair Act standards. They also warned failing to approve the new social studies curriculum would put the school board in violation of the Williams Act, which requires students to have equal access to school materials.
In the meantime, the Temecula Valley Educator Association and district are doing what they can to address one of the issues.
"The district has now reopened the survey so that way they can capture more input from parents," said Diaz.
On June 6 and June 13, Temecula Valley Educator Association will hold rallies in support of adopting the new social studies curriculum."
https://tveducators.wixsite.com/tveac...
https://abc7.com/temecula-valley-harv...