Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Escambia County Florida School Libraries Are Open As Books Are Under ReviewEscambia County Public Schools interim Superintendent Keith Leonard tells NorthEscambia.com that school libraries across the district are open as media specialists work review books to comply with a Florida House bill.
“The libraries are not closed,” Leonard told us, standing in the Northview High School library Thursday morning. “There is going to be limited access because the media specialists are reviewing all of the books to be in compliance with the house bill. It’s just going to take us a little time to get there.”
Once the media specialists have completed reviews of library materials to ensure they comply with HB 1069, they will begin reviewing teachers’ classroom libraries. In the meantime, approved titles from the media centers will be made available to teachers in their classrooms for student self-selection or leisure reading.
At Northview, the library was open Thursday, but officials said there is no scheduled time for students to visit the library on the first day of school to check out books. The library was open for students to receive their school-provided Chromebook computers.
http://www.northescambia.com/2023/08/...
Kirk Cameron's Brave Books storytime is set to become an annual event, but was it successful? Hard to tell. I also looked and didn't see much hype about it. I think it was mostly preaching to the choir in places like Texas and not much interest in more enlightened places. Book Riot has the full report
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
Commentary: The truth about Iowa's book banshttps://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/...
Canadian libraries are also dealing with the rise of book banners. Over the last year and a half, Vancouver Public Library (BC) has fielded 17 book challenges and one challenge to a CD.
https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/bc...
This nonsense has spread to Australia as well
Australian Christian Lobby launch competition to find books to ban
"The Australian Christian Lobby has launched a new initiative encouraging their followers to scour their local libraries for books that they think might be suitable for complaints to authorities. Those who are quick to submit suggestions on books to be banned can win prizes.
“Your mission, if you choose to accept it! Is to check the children’s section in your public and school library for any explicit material, photograph the cover and send it to ACL.” the Christian organisation says on its website.
In a video address ACL spokesperson Wendy Francis said there was a g growing concern that libraries across Australia were including books unsuitable for children.
https://www.outinperth.com/australian...
In Wood County, West Virginia, Wood County residents pressure library to restrict titles with LGBTQ, sexual themesLet's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human
This Book Is Gay
On a nearby shelf, two sex education books — Let’s Talk About It by Erica Moen and This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson — are sandwiched between other titles.
Both books have recently been at the center of controversy for the library, as concerned parents and residents urge library administrators to remove these titles from public collections that children have access to.
As some have tried to get books removed from West Virginia libraries, a group of people in Wood County is eying a more forceful approach. They’ve taken aim at library funding, urged elected officials to restrict books and are seeking to seat a supporter on the boards that oversee public schools and libraries.
They have even worked with a local state senator to propose a sweeping bill to regulate books — and tried to have library leaders thrown in jail.
To librarians working with the Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library, the most valuable aspect of the library is free access to information. They say the library exists to educate — even when the conversation gets tough.
On a weekday afternoon in April, Wood County residents Jessica Rowley and John Davis walked into the Parkersburg Police Department carrying a stack of library books and documents.
They sat in the police chief’s office and complained that they had evidence of a crime: The Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library and its director Brian Raitz were violating state law by showing obscene material to minors.
This wasn’t the first attempt by Rowley, Davis and other Wood County residents to restrict access to certain books in the library’s collection. In fall of last year, a display for “Banned Books Week” that included the adult graphic memoir Gender Queer almost caused the library’s censure by the Parkersburg City Council.
In the following months, members of the small but vocal Mid-Ohio Valley Citizens Action Coalition spoke about Gender Queer and other books at public meeting after meeting, unsuccessfully campaigning against levy votes that provide crucial funding to the library and pushing public officials to restrict the books to adults only. Rowley and Davis are both members of the citizen action group.
In January, Sen. Mike Azinger, R-Wood, introduced a bill that the group helped craft to expand the definition of obscene material and ban it in public schools and nearby facilities – such as libraries. It would also criminalize “any transvestite and/or transgender exposure, performances or display to any minor.”
He said the bill, which did not get out of committee during this year’s session, was intended to prohibit three specific books from Wood County libraries and schools.
In March, Rowley lodged a challenge, the library’s formal process for objecting to material, against Let’s Talk About It, saying the book taught teenagers how to engage in sexual activities. She asked that the book be replaced with a children’s Bible; however, her request was denied. There are several children’s Bibles already at the library.
In the chief’s office, Rowley and Davis told the police chief and another officer that they did not want to remove books entirely from the library's collection, but instead place them in a separate location where children could not access them.
[cue the usual "groomer" argument]
But documents show that the Wood County Prosecutor advised that the current definition of obscene material — which would have been expanded by Azinger’s proposed law — would prevent prosecution. The case was closed.
But while those opposing the inclusion of these books at the Wood County library are pushing to restrict access, the only books the library keeps locked up are ones that are archival or potentially fragile. Raitz said that access is the guiding principle for selecting a diverse range of books for the collection, and that restricting these titles — as the library’s critics have suggested — is not the library’s role.
“We leave it to the parents and guardians and the individual to make that decision for themselves,” he said. The library’s policy states that any parent or guardian is responsible for the content checked out on a child’s library card.
But Sean Keefe, a member of the citizen action group pushing for the removal of the books, doesn’t agree.
“It should not be available only to that child,” said Keefe, who said he does not own a library card. “It should be available to the parent.”
Putting some books into a separate collection will have the same effect as censoring the books from the library completely, said Courtney Young, former president of the American Library Association.
“It is perceived as a compromise, but is still not a good thing,” she said.
Young said separating the books and making patrons specifically request access would both create a fear and stigma surrounding the book and also make it more likely that children will search for the material.
While community members have repeatedly spoken against the books at public meetings, political events, and on social media, only a handful of challenges — the formal process for a book to be removed from the library collection — have been brought to the library director.
Raitz, the library director, said local residents have filed a total of three challenges in the last year. All have been denied.
That’s been frustrating for Rowley and other members of the community action group.
“The ones that are even supposedly on our side won’t even speak out against it,” Rowley said in May. “They won’t say anything.”
Earlier this year, the group changed tactics and is now pushing to get one of their members on the library board that has the final say about what books are and are not at the library.
The group has backed Chad Conley, a substitute teacher who has criticized the books in the library and the selection process for its board, to be appointed to the library board. He is also running for a board of education seat in 2024 under the tagline of “Protecting Our Children” after an unsuccessful run last year.
Applications closed (late last month) and the Board of Education expects to announce their selection in August. The newest member of the board will serve alongside four other board members.
...
No matter what material or resource people are looking for, Raitz said that the library will be a place that protects the freedom to read — not censors.
“Once you start opening that door, where does the line get drawn?” he said.
https://www.fayettetribune.com/news/b...
Scary news from Fort Worth TexasDebates over which books should be available in Fort Worth school libraries have intensified within the past month, with the latest complaint to the district alleging there are more than 100 “age-inappropriate” books on middle and high school shelves. The Tarrant County chapter of Citizens Defending Freedom, a nonprofit organization endorsed by conservative figures such as Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA and Mike Lindell of MyPillow, on Wednesday announced its independent audit of the Fort Worth Independent School District’s library catalogs, which contained some books with sexual and violent content, members said.
The extensive list of books was released a week after parents and community members spoke out against library books that they considered inappropriate at the district’s Board of Education meeting. About 20 people spoke and demanded certain titles be removed from shelves, 13 of whom were “rallied to come and speak” by Citizens Defending Freedom, said Kris Kittle, education division lead of the Tarrant County chapter. The organization has “a mission to empower and equip American citizens to defend their liberty at the local level” with focuses such as “protecting our children at any cost.” This noted focus on the organization’s website is accompanied by a photo of someone who appears to be a drag queen reading to children. Although the list is only a starting point of what books the group is flagging, Kittle said its purpose is for “the district to know, clearly this is a problem and they need to do a better job with… how they secure library materials.” “The root of the problem is they need to have a stronger book policy, so those books are not procured,” Kittle added. “If the policy is not different, we’re just going to continue to be playing whack-a-mole.”
In mid-July, the school district announced it was removing three books from elementary and middle school libraries: “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe; “Flamer” by Mike Curato; and “Wait What? A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up” by Heather Corinna. District officials determined in a review that the titles that touch on growing up and exploring sexuality and gender identity were inappropriate. John Cope, the district’s director of communications, said in a statement Wednesday that the district is reviewing book guidelines and policies for the upcoming school year. Moreover, the district offers a request for reconsideration form for instructional resources that will become digitally available.
“All librarians will receive training prior to the first day of school and each library catalog will be inventoried,” Cope said. The first day of school for Fort Worth ISD is Aug. 14. “We also want to mention that a parent or guardian can request their campus librarian mark any book unavailable for their individual student, ensuring they cannot check it out,” Cope added. “When a community member wants to request the removal of a book from the entire student population, we follow a formal process found in” the school board’s policy manual. According to the policy, a reconsideration committee is formed that includes at least one member of instructional staff with experience using the challenged resource, among others, when a formal complaint is submitted through a form to a school principal. All members must completely review the resource and write a report about whether it meets the selection criteria outlined in the policy. A state law that goes into effect Sept. 1 also will impact what books are allowed in school libraries. It aims to regulate library materials by requiring book vendors to assign ratings to books based on sexual content.
“Books with a ‘sexually explicit’ rating will be removed from bookshelves. Students who want to check out school library books deemed ‘sexually relevant’ would have to get parental permission first. Criteria for these ratings are being developed by the state and will be provided to vendors and school districts by April 1, 2024. The state will make these ratings available to the public,” Cope said.
Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/lo...
In Colorado, there's a hearing : journalist who publishes the names of the censors in the media vs. the censors who want to remain private" ...The hearing basically concerned whether Brookhart could release to the media the names of people who file a form with the library district asking that books be relocated or banned. The Gunnison District Court had ruled that while the requests on the forms could be made public, the names should be redacted given a Colorado law that protects the identities of library users.
That redaction is basically what the CB News is appealing with the help of the passionate attorneys from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
Both the CB News and the Library District believe that democracy works best when it is open and transparent. The newspaper, and Drew Brookhart and the local library district, is that if people want to argue for policy changes to public institutions like the public library.
https://crestedbuttenews.com/2023/08/...
While Virginia just removed homosexuality from the state’s definition of “sexual conduct,” a term that is used in various laws, including a recently passed law informing parents about “sexually explicit” books in schools." However, LGBTQ+ activists believe it will still be practiced.https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/08/v...
HA I knew it I knew it! The censors in Florida DID willfully misinterpret the illustrations in Daddy's Roommate. Daddy and his roommate share a bed, one man is asleep and the other is reaching over to shut off the light; Daddy and Frank shave together in the morning - topless; Daddy and Mark argue and then one apologizes looking into his partner's eyes with his hands on his partner's shoulder; Daddy and Frank go to the beach and one rubs sunblock on the other's back.
The Miami-Dade County Public School District (M-DCPS) of Florida has removed Michael Willhoite’s gay-inclusive children’s picture book Daddy’s Roommate – published in 1990 – for allegedly depicting “adult content” or “sexually charged language” even though the book has neither.
“Mommy says Daddy and Frank are gay,” the book’s child narrator says near its conclusion. “At first I didn’t know what that meant. So she explained it. Being gay is just one more kind of love. And love is the best kind of happiness. Daddy and his roommate are very happy together. And I’m happy too!”
M-DCPS said district officials removed the book from four district school library shelves after an audit determined it was “inappropriate” for students, the Miami New Times reported. The school district also removed two other books for the same reasons: Sarah J. Maas’ 656-page novel A Court of Mist and Fury and Lauren Groff’s 400-page novel Fates and Furies, both of which were written for young adult readers.
Daddy’s Roommate was reportedly banned from a public library in Wasilla, Alaska in 1995 after repeated complaints by then-councilwoman Sarah Palin (R). Palin, who became an unsuccessful vice-presidential nominee in 2008, allegedly fired the librarian who refused to remove the book, but then re-hired the librarian after a public backlash. Palin and her 2008 running mate, then-Sen. John McCain (R), dismissed the ordeal as an untrue “smear attack,” The Huffington Post reported.
At the time, the book’s author said, “[Palin] is my mortal enemy. She is one of the enemies of the First Amendment…. I am so offended by this.” He also said he was “strangely flattered” to be “on her list.”
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/08/f...
At Talcott Public Library (IL), a few concerned parents spoke out in favor of banning books.Katie Littlefield
Littlefield inquired what it cost the Village of Rockton to hire extra police, sheriff department help, and their staff during the Monday evening library board meeting on June 26.
Littlefield read an excerpt from the book, “This Book is Gay” which explains in detail about sexual relations. During June 2023, the book, which was written for queer young adults, was prominently displayed in the Teen Room of the Talcott Library.
“What is the benefit of children ages 12-18 in reading this book? MIT defines the age of adults from 18-26 years of age. I am asking that this book be moved from the young adult or teen section of the library.”
Mary Katherine Lindt is wife and mom of two young boys and said that the library had inappropriate information that was geared toward kids and teens.
Lindt added, “I grew up here... If I came across this at that age, it would be emotionally terrible for young children. These types of books make easy targets for young predators. I am concerned for my young children.”
Michael Lind said, “Content is something that affects the way you think. There can be a negative aspect.” One example Lind used was social media. “The content we expose our kids to matters. It is really good to teach technology with a step by step instructor.” He also asked that the books be moved to an adult section of the library.
Lifelong resident Laurie Miller said, “It is a good thing that this has come from this exposure, matched to underage children. The theme for this year's summer reading is 'Find your Voice' - well, I have found my voice to protect the innocence of children. This is what I want attached to my name.”
Father of six William Landerholm referred to the movie “Sound of Freedom,” which is about the international trafficking of children.
“Children deserve to be protected and the library is using children as pawns for their own tyrannical ideas. We cannot debate the fact that they are targeting young minds. It is a sad day when drag queen etiquette is the subject of a presentation. We will not be leered at the trafficking ideals.”
Landerholm also expressed concern for library directors.
Rev. Carolyn Lukasick of Rockton United Methodist Church said, “I am also a mother of seven, a pastor, and a resident. I am devoted to the right to free speech, including those of which I disagree.”
“There also needs to be diversity. I would like to apologize publicly for the rhetoric by those claiming to be Christians.”
“How was so much voice given to outside agitators? The queer people that I know aren't a danger to your children. That is not what the pride community is about.”
https://roscoenews.com/g/rockton-il/n...
Spotsylvania, Virginia superintendent pushes back on criticism over sexually explicit books questionSuperintendent Mark Taylor disputed parents' claims they can't access ParentVue without answering the question
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/lo...
DEFINE "Sexually Explicit" please! It's not a yes/no question!
Natrona County School District (WY) is also introducing an opt-IN this year. The books included in the policy are those deemed "sexually explicit," but the board has the power to include whatever books they want to on that list whenever they want to, for whatever reason they wish.
The Standard Operating Procedure 6233 (01), titled “Controversial Issues,” was approved by the Cabinet and officially adopted on July 1.
The purpose of this procedure is to outline the school’s responsibilities in selecting, retaining and maintaining learning materials housed in the school libraries. The process aims to address content that falls under the definition of a controversial issue according to the standard operating procedure.
The opt-in process is designed to empower parents and guardians to give explicit written permission for their minor students to access existing materials deemed as opt-in material. Specifically, this applies to content that contains sexually explicit images as defined by NCSD Board Policy 6233 within the library the student is currently enrolled in.
However, the reconsideration committee may also designate a book for the opt-in process that does not contain sexually explicit images according to the standard operating procedure.
To opt in, any parent or guardian of an NCSD minor student may select all current and future titles and/or specific books from the opt-in list for their child to have access to. This is done through the opt-in form available in the student information system.
Parents or guardians may update the opt-in form at any time through the parent portal, and the most recent submission will be honored, according to the library permission information on the NCSD website.
The opt-out process provides parents and guardians with the ability to specify books or authors they do not want their children to check out from the school’s library. Parents or guardians must fill out the opt-out form via Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
The form allows for up to 20 books to be listed by title or author. If parents/guardians have more than 20 books they wish to opt out from, they must directly contact their child’s school librarian.
NCSD Library staff will take each opt-out request seriously and work diligently to support the success of implementing all opt-out requests. After submitting the form, school library staff will be notified via email and the selected information will be properly transferred from the student information system to the school’s library learning management system.
Opt-out and opt-in choices will remain in effect for the duration of the student’s enrollment in all NCSD schools unless the parent/guardian submits another form.
NCSD Administrative Regulation 6233 states, “The District recognizes there exists a vast array of materials with age-appropriate educational content. It is the District’s objective to choose material that provides educational content appropriate to students in the District rather than material that may provide similar content with explicit images. Therefore, effective as of November 28, 2022, schools will not purchase material with sexually explicit images as defined by Board Policy 6233 for any educational setting. Librarians and principals are responsible to ensure that supplemental resource materials align with and are consistent with the policy and administrative regulation.”
.Library permissions are specific to grade bands (elementary, middle school, high school), and parents or guardians should complete the forms for each individual child.
Titles listed in the opt-in category are not assigned or required classroom reading; the decision to read such materials is solely at the discretion of the parent/guardian of the child.
https://oilcity.news/general/2023/08/...
Lee County FloridaThe School District of Lee County’s new Media Center Access form was further tweaked at the July 31 school board meeting in an effort to get language agreed upon for the start of the new school year.
The district came up with two different forms following the prior week’s board meeting to provide a different option as a default if parents do not sign the form that tells the district what materials a student may have access to and to which they may not.
The board gave consensus for the second form, which states “My child has full access to check out books from the school media center except for those books that have been restricted based upon the determination of the book challenge process or those that require parent/guardian consent.”
Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier said as soon as a parent clarifies their desire for their child, if different, they can change the option.
“The board is acting in a manner and means until we have a parent signature on a document, the board is acting as ‘loco parentis’ assuming the child is not permitted to check out certain books,” he said.
Board Member Cathleen Morgan said with the second option the board is overriding the recommendation of the curriculum advisory committee.
“With form B you are telling the student that the district is acting on their behalf and you are again overriding community input after a book has been evaluated,” she said. “I think these forms are not accomplishing really what we want to do of educating the parents.”
In addition, Morgan said the form includes the word “challenged” too much. She said she would like to see the form changed to something along the lines of “Your child will have access to media center materials except for those books that have been restricted, or those that require parent, or guardian consent.”
Morgan said the concern is the child who wants access to a book that has been reviewed and found appropriate for his or her age.
“Why are we saying we are acting on that child’s behalf on accessing that book?” she asked. “I don’t think that is our responsibility. That is not the authority we have been given.”
The other selections a parent can select on the form is my child is not permitted to check out books from the school media center and my child is not permitted to check out books from the school media center that have been formally challenged, based on potentially objectionable material, using the district’s Challenge to Instructional/Media Form regardless of the outcomes.
The form also includes a list of materials that have been challenged and reviewed by the district’s Challenge to Instructional/Media Ad Hoc Committee or Directors of Curriculum. Instead of a link to a book challenge webpage, the form now includes a link to the school year and the challenged materials and decisions.
Chief Academic Officer Dr. Jeff Spiro said he was “super excited” to share information they received on July 28 from Destiny. He said emails can be sent to parents whenever a child checks out a book from the media center, so the parent is aware of any book their child is reading.
At the board meeting on July 26, the school board was also led through a lengthy presentation regarding media center and classroom library processes as new HB 1069 was signed.
Board Attorney Kathy Dupuy-Bruno said HB 1069 not only includes media library materials, but also includes classroom library material.
“The challenge material form, at some point, will be prescribed by the State Board of Education,” she said.
The new bill includes material that is pornographic in material or depicts or describes sexual conduct must be removed from the shelf within five school days of receipt of an objection and remain unavailable until the objection is ultimately resolved.
“Parents also have the right to read passages that are subject to objection during public comment at school board meetings,” Dupuy-Bruno said. “If the school board denies the right to read the passages due to the content, meeting the pornography prong, then the material must be discontinued from use by the school district. If the school board finds that any material violates any of the prongs such as it is pornographic, or depicts sexual conduct as defined, is not suited to the student, is inappropriate for the grade level and age group, then the school board has an obligation to remove the material.”
In addition, HB 1069 mandates committee meetings to resolve objections to instruction materials that are properly noticed and open to the public. The committee must include parents of the students who have access to such materials throughout the district.
“If a parent disagrees with a determination by the school board after a decision is rendered through the final process, which is an appeal to the school board, the parent may request the Commissioner of Education to appoint a special magistrate,” she said, adding that it must be done within 30 days of request made by a parent.
The State Board of Education must approve or reject that is more than seven calendar days, but less than 30 days. Dupuy-Bruno said the cost of the special magistrate is borne by the school district.
Also at the board meeting on July 26, Elementary Curriculum and Instruction Director Dr. Bethany Quisenberry said each school now is required to have a school committee review process that has a media specialist, literacy coach, an administrator that oversees the media center and a parent representative from SAC or PTO. They review the list and make a recommendation to the principal, which then is approved by the certified media specialist.
Teachers also must have their classroom libraries vetted, the books they personally purchase, and those libraries are required to be searchable on school websites. The books are scanned into Beanstack’s Classroom Library Connector.
Allevato said they have 10 certified media specialist who are working the 98 schools and almost 6,000 teacher classroom libraries.
With the new system, teachers will automatically see if the book is either rejected or approved when the books are scanned into Beanstack. If a book is not approved, the book needs to be removed, but if approved the book can go on the shelf automatically.
Teachers can also search a book title before purchasing a book to see the status of the book.
She said now when a district media specialist approves or rejects a book, the entire district can see the outcome.
Allevato said if a family, community member or stakeholder want to submit a challenge, they now submit a form to mediaservices@leeschools.net. From there a new step was added, directors can now remove the material if there is a violation based on p____phy or s___al conduct.
The book must be pulled within five days, which is streamlined through Destiny, and which titles their child has checked out. District staff will log into Destiny to determine which materials are at schools.
“If a parental consent form is placed on a book, then that will let schools know and flagged inside of Destiny to provide the parental position,” she said.
Allevato said they have created a Google sheet, which contains any challenged materials submitted on the Challenge Form. The principals get the link of the book title and author and if it is located in their media center they can pull the books.
The Ad Hoc Committee meets and makes a recommendation to the chief academic officer, and then submits it to the superintendent. The school board and attorney then receive the outcome."
https://www.captivasanibel.com/2023/0...
OVERREACH much?
New Louisiana law makes library boards create ‘sexually explicit’ book, DVD policyNow that Act 436 is law, libraries across the state are developing their policies of what books should be available for teens and children. They’re also fine tuning their policy of how patrons can bring up their concerns about specific books.
“We have 1.8 million items across our 14 locations, and a lot of these books have been here for quite some time,” said EBR Deputy Library Director Kristen Edson. “They’re not all brand new that people are having issues with. So it is possible that something that was determined appropriate 10 years ago is no longer considered appropriate.”
For larger systems like East Baton Rouge Parish Libraries, they already had a tiered card system for kids, tweens and teens, which make up nearly 40% of their cardholders.
Assistant EBR Library Director Mary Stein said they will work to recode all 70,000 student ecards, so kids have the same restrictions on digital materials. They plan to order new library cards with new barcode ranges next month. Parents who don’t want their children to access the digital library can choose a new kind of card for their children.
“A tween card would not be able to just be given access to adult material. The way that our cardholder policy is currently written, a teenager or tween is not eligible for an adult library card,” Edson said.
For parents who are okay with their teens having an adult card, EBR is looking for answers on how to implement that.
The Louisiana State Library is guiding library boards on how to set up their own policies and book challenge processes. In EBR, a book brought up by a patron goes through a rigorous check by librarians on what ages should have access. They look at trustworthy review sites and read the materials to determine if it is in an age-appropriate tier.
“If they are not satisfied, the new law also makes it so that the Library Board of Control would review the materials as well,” Edson said.
A lot of misinformation was being discussed during the legislative session when the bill was being heard. Some claimed the bill would make libraries pull books from the shelves or relocate them within the library. This is not the case, it just makes the card system so kids cannot check out adult materials.
Libraries have until January to revise their policies and until June 2024 to implement them. Otherwise, they risk financial repercussions from the State Bond Commission
https://www.brproud.com/news/local-ne...
Former Texas lawmaker Matt Kraus is taking credit for his 850 book list of titles needing to be pulled from libraries being why book bans have increased throughout the country.https://www.kens5.com/article/news/po...
Good news from North Dakota
"Earlier this year, North Dakota Republican lawmakers targeted sexual content in public libraries with a new law, removing or relocating “explicit sexual material” from the libraries’ children’s collections. Now, local officials are getting some complaints.
The Grand Forks School Board this week reviewed a complaint about six books in school libraries, but the board agreed with a committee recommendation that the books remain, though not all decisions were unanimous."
https://knoxradio.com/2023/08/09/gf-l...
Mod
https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/...
Canadian libraries are also dealing with the rise of book banners. Over the ..."
I checked the Vancouver article, and frankly, the idiots challenging the Asterix books should be shamed, named and made to look the ridiculous boors they are. And come on, EVERYONE gets made fun of and is satirised in the Asterix series, there is NO ONE who gets off free so to speak.
Manybooks wrote: "QI checked the Vancouver article, and frankly, the idiots challenging the Asterix books should be shamed, named and made to look the ridiculous boors they are. And come on, EVERYONE gets made fun of and is satirised in the Asterix series, there is NO ONE who gets off free so to speak...."As you say, the ultra left is as bad as the extreme right! Challenging an OLD book over a couple of pages is silly. The subscription library I sometimes belong to has a collection of those old juvenile books. They don't circulate but you can sit and read them all you want. That's one way of preventing the extremists from banning anything written before 2020.
Crazy news of the day! The source is unreliable but the info comes from an open records request so I'm posting it anyway. SO reportedly, Karen Lowry of Granbury, Texas broke into a high school, where she is a trustee, possibly to take pictures of books she doesn't agree with.
"Lowery is indeed a member of the Granbury Independent School District board. Security video would show that she and another woman, Carolyn Reeves, had entered the library an hour and a half earlier, around 8 a.m., repeatedly switching the lights off when a motion detector turned them on.
Exactly what the two were doing there remains a mystery, and they have failed to respond to requests for comment, as has the school board, the school board president, and the school superintendent.
But Lowery has been on a crusade against supposed smut in school libraries. The school board president accused Lowery of lying to gain access to the library and declared that she had “never seen such a blatant breach of ethics in public schools.”
In May of 2022, Lowery went so far as to file a criminal complaint alleging the high school was illegally harboring obscene books. County Constable Chad Jordan—who reportedly once urged all law enforcement officers to join the far-right extremist Oath Keepers and who is said to have enlisted Lowery to sign on as a complainant in the smut case—dispatched deputies to the library to commence an investigation that is described as “ongoing.”
Lowery then made the supposedly obscene books the focus of a successful campaign for the school board. She was elected in November and continued to raise the specter of smut sullying the shelves.
During a July 19 executive session of the board, a recording of which was obtained by The Daily Beast, Lowery gave some insight into just how far to the right she is when she spoke about a library website touting a book that won a Stonewall Award.
“Stonewall is a bar in New York,” she said. “We have opened the door for the evil to come through.”
She expressed concern that there was still what she considers smut in the high-school library, despite an exhaustive review by an independent committee. And she inquired of her fellow members if she had the right to “go into any library at any school at any time.” Board of Trustees President Barbara Herrington and District Superintendent Jeremy Glenn told her that she should first make an appointment with the principal of the particular school.
But Lowery does not seem to have made any such arrangement when she arrived at the high school on the morning in question, accompanied by Reeves. The clerk would report in an email that she told the people at the front desk that she and her companion were there to participate in a program to aid disadvantaged kids.
“I thanked both of them for volunteering for the day’s duties during the disbursement of Operation School Supplies,” a front-desk person would report in an email to the district office.
The clerk reported that Lowery displayed her school board ID. Reeves was given a visitor’s pass indicating she was authorized to be in the cafeteria, where various school board members, teachers, and parents were giving kids backpacks full of school supplies. There was also face-painting and free back-to-school haircuts.
Lowery and Reeves slipped into the darkened library, where they were confronted by Guidry. His report quotes Lowery saying, “I have been asked by the superintendent to come and look at some books.”
Guidry says that he asked them to “please exit as soon as possible” and that Lowery replied, “OK, thank you, it will be fine.”
But Reeves was not ready to just leave. She paused and asked what was inside a storage room.
“I informed her that was the storage room for computer carts and textbooks,” Guidry reported. “She continued to attempt to see in the room and open the storage room door, but it was locked and [the] window was blacked out.”
Board President Herrington subsequently viewed the video and the written statements by Guidry and the front-desk clerk. She conveyed her conclusions in an email to Lowery.
[Principal calls her on her unethical behavior]
“When you left, in addition to your purse, you have a stack of papers in your hand that were not in your hand when you entered,” Herrignton wrote. “Would you care to explain that?”
Herrington further observed, “When you were leaving the library, you hesitated before entering the hallway, looked both ways and then stepped out into the hallway.”
The board president noted that Lowery had spoken of the importance of trust and transparency at the July 13 meeting.
“Your behaviors in this incident had neither built any trust nor were they evidence of transparency,” she wrote. “In my 33 years as public school educator, 10 years as an adjunct professor art Tarleton (State University) supervising interns in a master’s programs for school administrators, and more than 18 years on the GISD school board, I have never seen such a blatant breach of ethics in public schools.”
The letter and video and the various reports were made public after a parent named Adrienne Quinn Martin filed an open records request. Martin is one of the tiny minority of Democrats in Granbury, a deeply conservative town of 11,000 named after confederate general Hiram Broson Granbury. She sees the reaction of Herrington and other respected conservatives to the library incident as a sign that the antics of Karen Lowery, her school-board ally Melanie Graft, and others on the extreme far right are beginning to alienate those who are simply on the far right.
“They are starting to eat their young,” Martin said. “There’s a bunch of anti-Karens. This is the first time since this whole book thing has started that I’m seeing a portion of the public that’s not the Democrats going against these people. People are sick of ’em because they just caused so many problems. And… they’re hurting the schools. They’re hurting the staff, and they’re beating a dead horse and people are tired of it.”
Another parent, who describes himself as a “mid-range Republican” cognizant of the need for social programs, sees an irony in Lowery’s position.
“It’s very unbecoming of somebody with the title of trustee to go rogue and lie to get what she wants,” he said.
The parent, who asked not to be named, agreed with Martin that people have begun to weary of Lowery.
Lowery’s unexplained behavior is sure to be a major topic at the next school board meeting on Aug. 21.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/book-ba...
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"Stonewall is a bar in New York!"? Snorts with laughter. THAT's what she's objecting to? Good thing she doesn't know the association with the gay rights movement but sad that she can't even figure that out from the award!
Some good news for once... A woman in Jacksonville, Florida (Duval County) creates 'positive affirmation coloring books' to inspire kidsThe I Am: Positive Affirmation coloring books can be bought on Amazon and is shipped nationwide.
https://www.firstcoastnews.com/articl...
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SO reportedly, Karen Lowry of Granbury, Texas broke into a high school, w..."
If those two morons actually did break in have them arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law and then some (and strip them of ALL their political clout, credentials etc.). Simple, or at least it should be simple.
Follow-up after the Hamilton County, Indiana Public Library removed The Fault in Our Stars and other YA books from the YA section. "The leader of the Hamilton County Public Library Board announced that a discussion will be taking place soon as the board continues to find itself at the center of controversy after removing “The Fault in Our Stars” and other books from the Young Adult section.
“The Board will lead a discussion regarding the book review process and the operational plan to ensure we have the best outcome in the days ahead,” said Laura Alerding, the Hamilton East Public Library Board president, in an email that was sent to FOX59 Friday night.
No timeline on when the public discussion on the policy will take place was provided.
The policy has also drawn criticism from the Indiana Library Federation as its Advocacy Co-Chair Chad Heck said he hopes “the library board reconsiders this policy and keeps those books together and really encourages parents to be involved in the reading lives of their kids.”
The policy focuses on removing any materials deemed to be inappropriate for youth, middle school and high school sections. Any books containing sexual content are not permitted to be shelved in those sections.
The review process is estimated to cost as much as $300,000 as the library has needed to bolster staffing to read through materials currently housed in the Young Adult section to determine if they are age-appropriate.
The library has moved 1,385 titles to the Adult section so far but still needs to review nearly 75% of the materials currently housed in the library.
https://fox59.com/news/hamilton-count...
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"The leader of the Hamilton County Public Librar..."
So if you frequent the Hamilton Country Public Library and sign out any of the removed from the YA section books, will the librarians also be monitoring you to check that you will not be letting young adults read them?
Manybooks wrote: "So if you frequent the Hamilton Country Public Library and sign out any of the removed from the YA section books, will the librarians also be monitoring you to check that you will not be letting young adults read them?"Most likely minors won't be allowed in the library without a parent/guardian/adult and they have special library cards that won't allow them to check out books from the general collection.
Their website doesn't have updated policies.
They have a parents' guide
https://www.hepl.lib.in.us/parents-gu...
It states
Children in Grades 5 and below must be attended and supervised by a responsible adult (parent, guardian or other caregiver, 18 years or older) at all times while in the library.
Children in Grades 6 and and above may use the library on their own. Even if they are not present, parents are responsible for their children’s actions and well-being.
Children age 5 and up may have their own library cards for checking out items or using the Library’s digital collections. Here are our main options for youth cards:
Resident Youth Cards: Available for children age 5-17 of service district residents, who reside at the same address. An eligible child may apply with their parent/legal guardian present at any library location.
Non-Resident Student Cards: Available for K-12 and college students enrolled in any public or non-public school, college or university located in the Library’s service district. This card offers the same benefits as resident youth cards, but does not require residency. An eligible child may apply with their parent/legal guardian present at any library location.
Student Digital Access Cards: Available for K-12 students enrolled in any public or non-public school located in the Library’s service district. This card is provided through a partnership between the Library and the participating school system, and provides access to the Library’s digital resources only. A parent/legal guardian may sign their child up for this card through their annual school enrollment process.
While the Library includes special departments for children and teens, parents should be aware that children also have access to all materials in the Library. Library staff will not monitor or censor your child’s selections. It is your responsibility as a parent to be aware of what your child is checking out. There are several ways you can do this:
Accompany your child to the library and assist them in their selections
Monitor your child’s checkouts by logging into their online library account
Staff at any library service point can provide a list of materials checked out on your child’s card
Parents/legal guardians of cardholders have the right to access information about their minor child’s library account, including full disclosure of materials checked out on the card. Parents/legal guardians of cardholders ages 5-17 must agree to be responsible for materials checked out on their child’s account.
The people are reading in Houston!Crowd reads books at HISD school board meeting to protest library changes
Readers young and old sprawled across the floor with novels, poetry collections and nonfiction books open in their laps at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center in a display of staunch opposition to a new plan that will diminish recently expanded library services at Houston ISD. Several hundred people read books before and during the school board meeting in a show of solidarity with libraries and librarians while others spoke out against the measure during public comment.
The read-in event marks the latest community backlash against state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles' controversial plan to dismantle libraries at many of the 85 schools under his New Education System reform model. Last week, several hundred people gathered Saturday morning to rally outside district headquarters, elected officials and families sweating in the heat, holding homemade signs and demanding a policy reversal.
HISD is eliminating the librarian position at most of the NES and NES-aligned campuses. Many of those libraries, which typically occupy a large, central space in the school, will be stripped of comfy furniture and converted into so-called Team Centers, where a learning coach will oversee both students who have mastered a particular lesson and those who misbehave in the classroom.
The centers will be arranged with rows of desks, and students can sit there before school to study, read or write, but they will not be permitted to talk, according to an HISD slideshow shared during a professional development session.
Miles said the district is doubling down on literacy by adding more reading teachers and implementing a science of reading curriculum.
"Literacy is a big component of this," he said. "So I appreciate the people who are reading books, that's a good thing, and if the message is all kids should be reading a lot, I think NES and NES-aligned schools will reinforce that."
The library changes have elicited great disapproval from the community in part because HISD last year made district-wide progress in expanding librarians and library services to long-neglected campuses in response to community feedback.
As a result, book checkouts across the district surged from roughly 1 million in the 2021-2022 school year to more than 1.7 million in 2022-2023, according to HISD data, and students at NES and NES-aligned schools checked out more than three times as many books last year compared to the prior school year.
During the school board meeting, several dozen people stood for roughly an hour with their back to the board members, holding posters up for the TV cameras with slogans: "Libraries are for everyone," "Books are worth more than gold," and "Children need librarians not spin bikes."
Others sat quietly with their heads bent over books while the superintendent and board members discussed and quickly voted on policy revisions, a budget amendment and a new teacher evaluation system.
Several faith and community leaders have been involved in the fight for libraries, including Bishop James Dixon, president of the Houston NAACP.
"If you take a book out of a child’s hand, you take a future out of a child’s life," he said while addressing the board at the meeting.
Meanwhile, the room erupted in applause when Angela Ravin-Anderson, a reverend from Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, delivered to the board three white boxes stuffed with nearly 2,000 signed letters from her congregation stating their opposition to the library restructuring plan. Ravin-Anderson said her church is concerned about the creation of a "separate and unequal learning environment," which will primarily impact Black and Hispanic students.
"There is no research that supports the closing of libraries or the re-purposing of libraries as a means of increasing literacy," she said. "We know that literacy will help to derail the pre-K to prison pipeline."
Also in attendance were HISD students and alumni who spoke about their own positive experience with school libraries and worried that removing librarians from some schools will widen existing disparities in the school system.
Cora Lindsay, an HISD parent, ... worries that type of personal relationship and emphasis on creativity may be lost with some of the changes underway in the district.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news...
Scary news in Iowa! I never thought I'd see AI replace librarians! AI can not possibly understand context and intent of the author. Like Beloved... about slavery and how dehumanizing slavery was, how enslaved women were abused and used...ironic that a book about a woman who didn't have the freedom to parent her own child is now banned. Interesting how many of these classic books feature abuse of women and girls and are now banned, echoing the political climate of the state.
__________________
19 books pulled from Mason City school libraries
District used artificial intelligence software to review books for sexual content
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction at Mason City Community School District Bridgette Exman said in a statement, "Our classroom and school libraries have vast collections, consisting of texts purchased, donated, and found. It is simply not feasible to read every book and filter for these new requirements. Therefore, we are using what we believe is a defensible process to identify books that should be removed from collections at the start of the 23-24 school year. After this, we will continue to rely on our long-established process that allows parents to have books reconsidered. We are confident this process will ensure the spirit of the law is enacted here in Mason City; parents will always have a voice in their students’ education."
The district's policy already states that instructional materials, including teacher manuals, films, tapes or other supplementary material that will be used in connection with any survey, analysis or evaluation as part of any federally funded programs are available for inspection by parents.
Another policy calls for the removal of the requirement that two high school students, selected annually by the principal, serve on the materials review committee in the case of a hearing — complying with a new provision that forbids students from serving on such committees.
According to the district, "lists of commonly challenged books were compiled from several sources to create a master list of books that should be reviewed. The books on this master list were filtered for challenges related to s___ content. Each of these texts was reviewed using AI software to determine if it contains a depiction of a s-e-x act. Based on this review, there are 19 texts that will be removed from our 7-12 school library collections and stored in the Administrative Center while we await further guidance or clarity. We also will have teachers review classroom library collections."
The district's statement added: "We have searched back 20 years and can't find a single formal challenge to a book by a parent of a student here in the Mason City School District. This tells us that our parents do trust that we are providing curriculum and other related materials that are age-appropriate. We always have and always will work with parents who have requests or concerns and want accommodations to be made for their child.“
https://www.thegazette.com/k/19-books...
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But sadly, books where abuse is accepted and deemed as being disciplinary, will likely be actively promoted (or at least not considered all that problematic).
Manybooks wrote: "But sadly, books where abuse is accepted and deemed as being disciplinary, will likely be actively promoted (or at least not considered all that problematic)..."Yes, to an extent, the kinds of violence that aren't physical. The censors certainly don't understand psychological abuse since they think deadnaming and misgendering a CHILD is quite all right and the ultra extremists actually believe physical violence is OK too.
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Yes, to an exten..."
Yes, the ultra extremists think physical violence is fine and acceptable, unless, of course, the tables are turned and they are the recipients.
In Hanover, VA School Board directs employees to start reviewing books for removal"Documents also state that educators are expected to use BookLooks, a tool associated with advocacy group Moms for Liberty, as the first authority when gauging a book’s suitability."
Other MORE legit sources include
hese sources must come from the following list, which was also approved by the school board on Tuesday:
Common Sense Media
Horn Book (already consulted by librarians!)
Horn Book Guide
Junior Library Guild
Kirkus Review (already consulted by librarians!)
Library Journal (already consulted by librarians!)
Publisher’s Weekly (already consulted by librarians!)
School Library Connection
School Library Journal (already consulted by librarians!)
"The school board also originally added Rated Books — explicitly run in connection with right-wing group No Left Turn in Education — to the list of approved sources. The school ultimately decided to remove this source from the list."
https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/...
Behind a paywall!
They've already removed books from the school library
https://richmond.com/news/local/educa...
The Fishers, IN library board president has been shamed into returning The Fault in Our Stars to the YA section after criticism from the author and a viral quote placed on t-shirts "you won't catch me alive or dead in Fishers, Indiana until these ridiculous policies are revoked!".The official article:
Fishers library board president cites 'error' in removing John Green's 'The Fault in Our Stars' from teen section
"This book should be moved back to the Teen section immediately," Hamilton East Public Library Board President Laura Alerding said in a statement Sunday afternoon.
Laura Alerding, board president of the Hamilton East Public Library, shared the following statement with 13News Sunday afternoon:
"Upon reviewing the page(s) of 'The Fault in Our Stars' book that were the basis of the Director’s and review staff’s reason to move the book out of the Teen section, I believe there was an error in implementing the Collection Development Policy and that this book should be moved back to the Teen section immediately. The Board of Trustees will discuss further what went wrong with the review process at the next public board meeting."
In a post on social media, Indiana author John Green responded to the news:
"Cool. What about my other books and hundreds of other YA titles? Award-winning classics of YA lit by everyone from Nic Stone to Judy Blume continue to be wrong shelved by a ridiculous policy that embarrasses Central Indiana. Change the policy not just for TFIOS, but for all."
After learning his books had been banned, Green posted a letter to the library board members. Green pointed out his success as an author and that his books are written for young adults. He also urged the board to trust the librarians and teachers in the community, who agree his and other popular young adult books should be shelved in the young adults section.
"It's political theater of the lowest and most embarrassing order, and it's an awful way to have Fishers and Noblesville make national news," Green wrote. https://twitter.com/johngreen/status/...
Green's followers also responded to the move.
Clothing company Raygun joined the movement, with Green's approval, to sell T-shirts. https://t.co/9ArgMMGNHS
According to the company's website, a portion of sales will support the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library.
https://www.wthr.com/article/news/loc...
Follow-up storyLibrary, school boards reviewing teen book relocation policy
The Hamilton Southeastern School Board announced Friday it would not seek to replace a politically moderate member at an scheduled special meeting. And the Hamilton East Public Library Board followed by stating it would review its sweeping book relocation practices and reinstate a book by Indiana bestselling author John Green that was removed from the teen section.
The moves were applauded by Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, who had previously been silent on the turmoil.
“When dealing with something as complex as the intersection of ensuring appropriate content for children and the freedom and access to written bodies of work, you should tread slowly and cautiously,” Fadness told IndyStar in a written statement Sunday. “I was encouraged by the board’s statement that they are going to reevaluate the current policy. I hope they do, and I hope they engage a broad array of perspectives, political ideologies, and professionals."
Fadness and the Fishers City Council do not make appointees to the seven member library board and the school board members are elected. But the city itself has become the focus of derision by people opposed to aggressive policies being implemented by new politically conservative majorities on both boards.
Alerding had already announced Friday night that “due to the events of this week, the Board will lead a discussion regarding the book review process and the operational plan to ensure we have the best outcome in the days ahead.”
In addition, school board President Dawn Lang said she would cancel an Aug. 30 special meeting to rescind the board’s appointment of Andre Miksha to the library board. Instead, she said the board would concentrate on passing a school funding referendum in the November election.
She did not say whether Miksha’s appointment would be reconsidered after the election.
The previous school board appointed Miksha to the library board last September to fill a vacancy. But the newly elected board of four conservatives has been unhappy with his voting record, which included opposition to a policy to relocate books from the children's section that were deemed harmful.
Miksha, who has two years left on his term, told IndyStar last week Lang wanted to replace him because of his votes.
Fadness said nixing the meeting on Miksha's seat was the right move.
"I am glad the school board has canceled the board meeting to consider their current library appointment and I was encouraged to hear President Lang say their focus will be exclusively on getting the referendum passed," the mayor said in his statement.
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/l...
Good newsFoley, Alabama library director refuses to remove pro-LGBTQ children books — Calls selection 'a pretty good reflection' of community
[The censors use the usual hateful arguments to discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community.]
Jackson said it was his position to preserve freedom.
"I love the country and I love the fact that we have this document [the Constitution] that gives us the freedoms that no people have ever had in the history of humankind and we have to protect it," said Jackson. "It's very precious. We can't take it for granted."
Jackson said libraries offer intellectual freedom and the right to read. He said content in the library reflects the people in the community.
Different towns have a different makeup, socially, professionally and their library should be a reflection of that," he said. "And I think ours is a pretty good reflection of each and every person in this community. That's what we strive to do. Certainly, there are always going to be people who do not like a particular book. That's always happen and it will always happen, but you have to make sure that each and every person is heard. That's part of our democracy. They should be heard."
Foley Mayor Ralph Hellmich told 1819 News he was unaware of the concerns until it was brought to him Friday.
"I know that our folks are having a get-together on this," Hellmich said. "I am not going to go so far to say that everything in our library reflects every value in our city because obviously there are things in the library that may not. We will be looking at this. One of the things that concerns me is I don't believe censorship is good in our country, but I also believe that parents have a right to make sure that the books that their kids see are appropriate."
Those opposing the books in the children's and youth section of the Foley Library have not called for a ban on any books, but they said they believe books should be rated similarly to movies and TV shows. Jackson prefers a less overt approach to the matter.
"I think that draws more attention to them than not," Jackson responded. "The more labels you have on books, certainly you could do that, but then I think you kind of enter into the realm of censorship at that point in time and whether or not the publisher or the writer of that book would allow that sort of label to be on the book, I don't know."
The legality of the matter is being discussed nationwide and statewide.
Jackson said the Foley Library will comply with whatever laws are put into place, but he thinks the matter will end up before Congress.
"Both sides need to come together, and like I said, I'm not on one side or the other," he added. "I have my own personal opinions, but I leave them at the door when I come in here, and I'm here to protect our First and Fourth Amendment rights, and I am here to make sure that people have access to information that they want. Some of that information for other people isn't what they want to see, but I can't condemn one person not to have the information they need to serve another person. It all has to be given equally, and that's the position that I have to take as a library director."
Furthermore, he said it is not the library's responsibility to choose what children read. Children under 12 are not allowed to be unattended in the library. Johnson said for children 12 and under, it is the parent's responsibility to protect their children from content they deem inappropriate.
That's a parent's duty, is to watch over their children, to guide their children on a path that they would have them follow," he said. "And that's why we need parents to play a much stronger role in their children's lives than they have."
When asked if he would remove a book from the children's or young adults section if he saw inappropriate material, Johnson told 1819 News he would have the ability to remove it but would not because he believed doing so would set a dangerous precedent.
"I have the ability to take it off the shelf, but I will not take it off the shelf because I will not be self-censoring," Jackson said. "I will not fall into the trap to becoming a censor and a book-banner because once you do that, where do you stop? You then become ruled by whatever anyone comes in and says they find offensive. I'm sure that someone could find content in virtually any book on the shelf offensive based on their personal beliefs, so once you start book banning, there's no end to it."
He said it is possible for full nudity and sexual content to be available in the young adult section, which is for those ages 12 – 18. He said those books are there because the location and sections books go in are determined by the Dewey Decimal System, not by library workers. However, library workers are the ones that decide which books are housed in the library.
Jackson said he chooses adult books while the children's and young adult librarians choose books for their respective sections. However, at this time, the Foley Public Library does not have a children's division librarian, so the librarian for the young adult section is currently choosing books for both young adults and children.
Anyone who finds content they believe is inappropriate for children can fill out a request at the Foley Public Library to have the book reviewed.
Hellmich said the discussion is just getting started in the "very conservative" city of Foley.
"I am aware now of some of the discussion going on, and we're going to have a better understanding of what's in the library now, and we are going to handle it in the future," he said.
https://1819news.com/news/item/foley-...
Author Jacqueline Wilson ‘very against’ editing classic books for adultsHowever, the Tracy Beaker author said making changes to books for children can be justified.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...
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However, the Tracy Beaker author said making changes to books for children can be justified.
https://www.ind..."
Really, I have always despised abridged and "sanitized" books (it happens way way too often and that Jaqueline Wilson supposedly thinks this is justifiable, yuck).
Manybooks wrote: "Really, I have always despised abridged and "sanitized" books (it happens way way too often and that Jaqueline Wilson supposedly thinks this is justifiable, yuck)."
She has to. She's updating Enid Blyton books. They need to be left alone as relics of their time. There's no reason they need to be read by kids who can't figure out how to discuss the problematic text with their parents. And for goodness sake, now I know why college students flip a lid when they see the word "queer" in the original meaning when encountering it in a primary source. They either don't read old books or only read sanitized versions. I know modern kids that read the classics just fine, hopefully the original texts and grew up to be very intelligent, intellectual young adults.
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Really, I have always despised abridged and "sanitized" books (it happens way way too often and that Jaqueline Wilson supposedly thinks this is justifiable, yuck)."
She has to. ..."
I really hate updated, changed and sanitized books. For me, I always enjoyed reading older books and getting a look at the past that way. And I really hope that Enid Blyton will still be available without the updates. Is she updating the school stories?
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This is good news, but only if New Brunswick premier Blaine Hicks and education minister Bill Hogan actually listen, are intelligent enough to do the right thing and realise that there are MANY New Brunswickers (including politicians in their own party) totally against them (and that parents should have NO rights regarding what pronouns their children want to use).
The school psychologists in NB are mostly against this. And basically and in my opinion, what they should do if a student is forcibly being sent to them (due to that bill) regarding pronoun use should be to simply agree with the student's choice of pronouns and encourage this as being necessary for mental health concerns (even if the parents, teachers and politicians create a fuss and do not agree).
I still fail to see why it matters what name a kid goes by in school. Who cares? If a student chooses an inappropriate name like a profanity or something hateful then get the parents involved but other than that they need to leave it alone. Unfortunately these rules are passing all over the U.S. school districts.
I have lots of news already today and none of it is good.
Alabama Public Library Service board asks AG for opinion on regulating local librariesThe vote came at the urging of The vote came at the urging of APLS District 5 board member John Wahl, chair of the Alabama Republican Party, after members of the Prattville-turned-statewide effort Clean Up Alabama asked the board members to cut all ties with the American Library Association.
“This is extremely concerning to me,” Wahl said. “As a man of faith, but more importantly as someone who, it’s important for me that we represent the values of the people of Alabama. They have put trust in us. A priority for me is protecting our children...
, I strongly believe that we should let the children be children. It should not be a social agenda or socially engineering our children.”
Wahl suggested removing ALA guidelines from APLS policies and replacing the APLS recommended book list with a list created by the APLS itself.
Hannah Rees and Wil Sanchez spoke to the APLS board Thursday, echoing a resolution the group had proposed to members at last Saturday’s ALGOP meeting to end association between the APLS and the ALA.
Gender Queer: A Memoir is available in some Alabama libraries, although it is not in the Prattville circulation.
According to a report from a far right-wing website, Rees shared training guidelines from the ALA on how to bend the rules on meeting spaces to prevent certain anti-LGBTQ events from taking place, such as Brave Books and Kirk Cameron’s recent event on Aug. 5 that was temporarily halted in Madison after the library said attendance had ballooned far out of maximum capacity.
In the training guidelines, Deborah Caldwell-Stone, ALA’s director of the Office of Intellectual Freedom, explains how the facially-neutral rules for use of meeting rooms can be used to create barriers to certain disfavored groups from using the meeting rooms. Int hose guidelines, she specifically notes the Brave Books event with Kirk Cameron.
APLS Director Nancy Pack spoke at the recent Autauga-Prattville Public Library board meeting, defending the ALA and noting that she had called both Millbrook and Madison libraries to ask about the Brave Books events they were planning to hold on Aug. 5, and said neither library planned to host the event, cautioning the audience against misinformation online. But some critics have questioned whether Pack may have played a role in encouraging the libraries not to allow the events to occur, although both events ultimately took place after negotiations in Madison and a change of venue from the Millbrook Public Library to a public space in Prattville.
“This issue of calling libraries to question events and encourage cancellation through fear is a particularly egregious act that needs to be addressed since the person that called has direct access to state funding and its distribution: Mrs. Nancy Pack, the director of APLS,” Sanchez said.
Wahl suggested the APLS should investigate the near-cancellation of the Madison County event.
“If I’m seeing faith-based organizations that are kept from doing events while we are allowing, say, a drag show in Mobile, I want to know why,” Wahl said. “I think that is a fair question for the people of Alabama: why are faith-based groups being denied when other things that would not be in line with Alabama values are being allowed?”
Sanchez also began to suggest the board should hire a new director, but board member Ronald Snider told Sanchez to put his request in writing.
....
Same same about filters on the computer...
In a press release Friday, Clean Up Alabama called the board’s reaction “lukewarm at best.”
“We look forward to seeing what comes of Wahl’s investigation in the coming weeks as we seek to protect the children of Alabama and assure our public libraries reflect the community standards and values of the people of Alabama,” the group said in the release.
The book challenges are an obviously growing topic in the state, with Prattville drawing particular attention with a book challenge that has now lasted about six months and includes 21 books officially challenged with many more in the works.
https://www.alreporter.com/2023/08/14...
The much beleaguered Temecula County (Calif.) school district just banned Angels in America and the teacher may end up fired!"Drama teacher, Greg Bailey.... [became] the focus of an irate parent and the Temecula Valley Unified School District governing board in May, he was placed on paid leave,.
In May, mother Tracy Nolasco claimed her daughter, a student of Bailey's, was "forced" to read "Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes." That proclamation resulted in Bailey's paid leave and undecided future employment with the district, according to the PE.
According to multiple reports, students had their choice of several plays to read, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Angels in America" by Tony Kushner, which Bailey forewarned contained sexual situations and details about the AIDS epidemic.
Nolasco insists her daughter was "unprepared" for what she would read, adding that reading such material isn't like a bad meal you can throw up. It is in your brain now.
"My problem with 'Angels in America' and with Mr. Bailey is the fact that that [play] was offered as a choice," she told the PE. She alleged the play was in the [school] library for over 20 years. "And he took it upon himself to make copies and to distribute it to my daughter."
Bailey described the play as life-changing for some students. "I'm not talking about LGBTQ+ students. I'm talking about students who are expanding their worldview or gaining empathy by thinking about other people's experiences," he told the PE.
Following the meeting, in which Trustees Joseph Komrosky, Danny Gonzalez and Jennifer Wiersma said "Angels In America" contained inappropriate content, Bailey was removed from the classroom.
The three trustees were elected to the TVUSD board in November after financial backing from the Inland Empire Family PAC led by Pastor Tim Thompson of 412 Church Temecula Valley. The PAC works "to stop the indoctrination of our children by placing candidates on school boards who will fight for Christian and Conservative values.
...
According to Bailey, the current makeup of the school board is "dangerous." The teacher, who has been employed in the district since 2018, told the PE, "The ultimate negative here is that (the school board is) dismantling the school district in Temecula by making it untenable for quality teachers to want to work here."
https://patch.com/california/temecula...
In his first public comments since going on leave, Bailey said he never forced anyone to read “Angels in America,” one of 10 plays students can read for an end-of-year assignment on Pulitzer-winning American playwrights.
Bailey said he didn’t learn of Nolasco’s misgivings until a month after the assignment and that he warns students in advance about the play’s explicit content. Students can read another play if “Angels in America” is too upsetting, he added.
“On the very first days of class, I let (students) know that there is never a time that they should feel uncomfortable in my room,” said Bailey, who teaches freshmen through seniors and this summer is directing a production of “Hamlet” in Temecula Valley Wine Country.
If a parent complains, “I am very, very reasonable,” Bailey said. “Parents do have the right to have their students not read something if they don’t want them to.”
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts” and Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” were among the other plays students could read for the American playwrights assignment, Bailey said.
Bailey said he tells students “Angels in America” is “about the homosexual experience in the 80s.”
“I tell them it’s about the AIDS epidemic,” Bailey said. “I tell them that there is adult language in it. I tell them there are sexual situations in it. I also tell them that it is an epic piece of theater, that it won the Pulitzer Prize.”
Bailey said he makes students take notes on his lectures about the plays and hand their notes in “to prove that they were listening when I told them what the plays were about.”
Nolasco’s daughter was among those students, he said.
But in a phone interview, Nolasco insisted Bailey “did not prepare (students) for what exactly was going to be read.”
He added: “I keep that play because I have had numerous students who read it and it has changed their life … I’m not talking about LGBTQ+ students. I’m talking about students who are expanding their worldview or gaining empathy by thinking about other people’s experiences.”
Bailey said he has “strict content standards” in his classroom that forbid profanity and hate speech, even when students are acting and in character.
“(My daughter) went to discuss stuff with him and she was getting upset and he was like, ‘Well, if you’re gonna be all sensitive about it, then just forget it,’” Nolasco said.
Bailey replied: “There was never any complaint made to me about the content by the student. If concerns would have been raised, I would have been more than happy to speak to Ms. Nolasco at any time to address her concerns.”
After not hearing from Bailey, Nolasco said she tried calling and emailing the teacher and school administrators — at one point, she hand delivered a printed email to the principal — but never heard back.
Eventually, Nolasco spoke at the school board’s May 16 meeting about her concerns with the play.
Board President Joseph Komrosky agreed with her, saying at the meeting: “Once that kind of concept enters the child’s mind, the sexualization, it’s over. It’s in there.”
The board’s conservative members are considering changes to district policy intended to keep obscene and pornographic material away from children — a move critics fear could lead to censorship.
Bailey said he learned of Nolasco’s concerns May 12, when he received a printed copy of one of her emails.
The day after Nolasco addressed the school board, Bailey said he was removed from the classroom in the middle of taking attendance. He said Riverside County sheriff’s investigators visited his home and spoke with him for about 45 minutes, but no charges were filed.
412 Church Temecula Valley Pastor Tim Thompson, a leader in the effort to elect and defend Temecula’s conservative school board majority, called for Bailey’s firing and accused him of being a “groomer” and of “perverted behavior.”
Thompson “has never met me,” Bailey said. “He has never attended my class. He has never heard me teach … He knows nothing about my life. He made judgment calls about who I am based on some words in a play that I allow students to read if they choose to.”
While upset “that so many people in the community would jump on this bandwagon of calling me names and having this hate for me … the response from people who do know me, who have seen me teach, who know what I do and know what my program is about has been really heartening,” he said.
“It has been the thing that has kept me strong … I will be stronger at the end of this no matter what. But every day is a challenge.”
Bailey’s supporters, including his students and parents, held a June 2 rally for him near Temecula Valley High School.
Bailey said he’s not worried about being punished.
“By keeping me out of my classroom, as the school year starts, they are punishing the students of TVHS drama.”
Nolasco said Bailey “needs to apologize and admit that that was a lapse in judgment. And then you should maybe be allowed to come back.”
“You’ve got to admit when you make a mistake,” she said. “You can’t just hide it under the guise of ‘Well, it’s a Pulitzer Prize-winning play and I gave them an option’ … You’ve got to realize that wasn’t a good option for a 14 or 15 year old.”
Nolasco added: “I never wanted anything bad. I just wanted someone to acknowledge that I’m a parent and I have rights. I was never out for blood.”
Bailey, who said he has “every intention” of teaching in the Temecula school district this year, said he “didn’t want to be part of the politics of the valley.”
“I got dragged into this unwillingly and all I’ve ever wanted is to teach drama and to pass on this message to my students,” he said.
https://www.pressenterprise.com/2023/...
A whole county library system in Texas just withdrew from the ALA!https://www.mrt.com/news/article/midl...
On the flip side in California...School boards would be barred from removing 'inclusive' learning materials under California bill
The bill was introduced by California State Assemblyman Corey Jackson, D-Perris, earlier this year. It will reappear before the state legislature as lawmakers reconvene this week. The legislation aims to, among other things, establish guidance for school boards when approaching challenges to materials.
If passed, school boards statewide would be barred from "prohibiting the use of an existing textbook, other instructional material, or curriculum that contains inclusive and diverse perspectives." Schools board which are believed to fail to provide students with such materials could face a fine.
California law currently requires school districts to provide students with "culturally competent" instruction about "the history, experiences and viewpoints of people from different communities in California."
Jackson's bill has been largely criticized by Republicans, including California State Assemblyman Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin. In February, Patterson called the legislation "a slap in the face to parents who voted for a new direction" in schools.
Under a separate bill, California school boards would have permission to censure or remove any member who "adopts a policy" that is perceived to go against laws requiring "inclusive policies, practices and curriculums." Additionally, school boards would be prohibited from "taking an action that contradicts any existing law requiring a school district to have inclusive policies, practices and curriculum."
The bill, proposed by Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, will not go before California lawmakers again until next year.
https://krcrtv.com/news/local/school-...
Hillsborough, Florida WILL offer AP Psychologyhttps://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
Also in Hillsborough
Hillsborough school board looks to clear up confusion over book selection
Hillsborough County School Board members, in their long-awaited workshop Tuesday about library books, generally agreed that they trust and respect their trained media specialists.
But, while a formal process exists to choose and vet library books, board member Stacy Hahn said, “things do fall through the cracks.” This Book Is Gay in Middle School. Two parents filed a challenge, which worked its way through a series of appeals until the school board removed it in March.
With new state laws in effect, and guidelines expected at an upcoming meeting of the State Board of Education meeting, Hillsborough leaders want to avoid having to defend a citizens’ lawsuit, as has happened in some other counties.
They also want to avoid the embarrassment of removing a book without following their own established process.
There was consensus at Tuesday’s board workshop that people are confused about how the state defines terms such as “sexually explicit” in literature and what the consequences are if a teacher allows a book into the classroom that was not properly cleared.
There were also sharp words directed at board member Lynn Gray.
Gray, who has served on community panels to combat human trafficking, described that issue as her “area of expertise.” As an educator and grandmother, she added, she has concerns about a graphic novel adaptation of “The Kite Runner: Graphic Novelr” by Khaled Hosseini and a Disney Pr0n version of the children’s movie “Little Mermaid.” (I know that's not even in schools! If it even exists! I know about the wedding scene and some people have dirty minds.)
Such products “are p__n,” Gray said. “They desensitize our youth. They normalize s---al behavior.” Children are “aroused” by these images, to their detriment, she said.
“I don’t know if you’ve read ‘The Kite Runner,’ but I have,” board member Jessica Vaughn said. “And if anyone is aroused by that, that’s extremely problematic. It is not sexual by nature, by any way, shape or form. If something like that is what’s grooming our children and not predators who intentionally earn the trust of our students either through familial relationships or online... we need to re-evaluate ourselves as a society.”
Board member Karen Perez picked up on Gray’s description of her work to combat human trafficking. “I think when you used the word ‘professional,’ as opposed to sitting on a board as a voice, that’s also misleading,” she said.
Throughout the workshop discussion, board members frequently used the word “p___y” and cautioned against its use when referring to all sexual topics.
Hahn and board member Patti Rendon called for more clarity as the district refines its process. Suggestions included paper book challenge forms for parents who do not have computers, available at multiple locations and translated into numerous languages.
Most members said they look forward to getting more guidance from the state at a planned Board of Education meeting on Aug. 23. Hahn, along with others on the board, had requested Tuesday’s discussion for more than a year.
“Nobody wants p___y in schools,” chairperson Nadia Combs said. “Nobody wants their children reading p___.” But she said conversations like the one about the “The Kite Runner” weaken the district.
“Our literacy rates are so low,” Combs said. “Our early literacy rates are some of the lowest in the entire country. Our focus is to educate you. Nobody wants to brainwash your children.”
https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
In Arkansas, AP African American Studies won't count towards graduation creditThe Arkansas Department of Education didn't bar schools from offering the course, as Florida did earlier this year when it told the College Board it violated state law. The department said the class, which is offered at a handful of schools in Arkansas, could still count toward students' grade point averages.
But the Education Department said the class couldn't be part of the state's advanced placement course offerings since it's still a pilot program and hasn't been vetted by the state yet. The department cited a state law enacted this year that places restrictions on how race is taught in school but did not say the course violates those prohibitions.
“The department encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination,” Department spokeswoman Kimberly Mundell said in a statement.
The College Board revamped its course following Florida's decision, but faced criticism that it was bowing to political pressure. Arkansas education officials cited the ongoing revisions.
....
The department informed districts offering the course that it was not one of the state's approved courses on Friday, days before classes began on Monday. The department said it been coded as a state course in error.
The move means that students who take the course won't have the cost of the AP exam for it covered by the state like other AP courses. This year is the first an AP exam is offered for the African American studies course.
It's unclear what the state's decision will mean for the schools offering the program. The Little Rock School District said it will decide within the next two days its next steps. The district said Superintendent Jermall Wright “has been in direct communication with officials from the ADE to explore options that will allow our students to fully benefit from this course despite ADE’s decision.”
The Arkansas Education Department said the state has a course in African American History that will county toward high school credit, though it's not an Advanced Placement course. The department said it's working with districts who want to offer an honors version of that course.
https://news.yahoo.com/ap-african-ame...
https://news.yahoo.com/ap-african-ame...
Finally, some goodish newsCalls for LGBTQ book ban in Rio Rancho, New Mexico seemingly backfire
A Monday night meeting seemingly backfired on those calling for LGBTQ books to be banned in the main Rio Rancho Public Library. That’s because most of the people who signed up for public comment were against banning books.
Signs in hand, many people showed up to the Rio Rancho Public Library Monday night with a clear message: no book bans.
“The books they may not want their children to read, I might want my children to read. So they can certainly control it at home, but they shouldn’t restrict these books ,and make choices for everybody about what books people should read or not read,” said Willie Orr, an indivisible Albuquerque member.
While there was nothing on the city library board’s agenda dealing with book bans, the large turn-out Monday night was because of a tweet posted by the Conservative group, New Mexico Mass Resistance.
It called for followers to show up at the meeting to “defend the heterosexual nuclear family.” But, the tweet ended up having the opposite effect.
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/calls-...
Mod
Mod
Frankly, I think it is times to make (in both the USA and in Canada) education something federal and not just state and provincial. In Germany, each of the provinces have a certain amount of educational autonomy but education is first and foremost federally controlled (and this happened because there were so many discrepancies and that conservative and very Catholic provinces like Bavaria tried to push religion).
There is a National Education Secretary and a Department of Education- the extremists want to do away with it and let the local school boards (controlled by the extremists) be in charge. https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/fo....
Mod
https://..."
Extremists are a scourge (and sickening).
Some surprisingly good(ish) news today:The teacher who read My Shadow Is Purple had a favorable outcome at her hearing.
Cobb tribunal does not recommend firing of teacher over controversial book
School board is expected to make decision at Thursday’s meeting
The school board has the choice to adopt, reject or modify the tribunal’s decision. Board Chair Brad Wheeler told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the board would discuss the case at a school board meeting Thursday. The board is expected to talk about the case privately and vote publicly on the issue.
During the two-day hearing, Rinderle and her attorney repeatedly argued that “My Shadow is Purple” by Scott Stuart is about inclusivity, not gender identity. This was a sticking point for the district, which argued in investigative documents and in the hearing that Rinderle’s professional judgment was no longer trustworthy.
The recommendation is a five-page document that lists the district’s assertions of the facts. The tribunal indicated whether they agreed or disagreed with each, sometimes crossing out statements and adding handwritten notes. Claims that Rinderle has a pattern of making students feel uncomfortable in her class, that multiple parents have complained over time about Rinderle and that the topic of the book should be left for parents to address with children at home were all crossed out. Rinderle’s attorneys argued last week that topics like these were outside the scope of the hearing or constituted hearsay.
The tribunal agreed that the book involves a sensitive and controversial topic per district rules, that Rinderle was trained on the district’s rules and that she did not give parents a chance to opt out of the lesson. It agreed that she disobeyed the instructions of her supervisor to avoid sensitive and controversial topics, but crossed out “willingly” from that line.
The district made the case that Rinderle’s actions constitute insubordination, willful neglect of duties and “any other good and sufficient cause” — all reasons an employee could lose their job under Georgia’s Fair Dismissal Act. But the tribunal did not believe there was enough evidence to show that Rinderle had been insubordinate, according to the document. The recommendation does not mention additional or alternative punishment.
https://www.ajc.com/education/cobb-tr...
The book news from yesterday is mostly good. The library directors are responding to shame. The more negative attention their library gets, the more they feel like they need to correct the story by reversing course. Of course the rest of the news is not so good and the fight for equality continues for LGBTQ+ people.
Little Rock, Arkansas school district to offer AP African-American History. I should think so!!! If you don't teach it where it happened, then no one learns anything to move past it. They state: "LRSD said that AP African American Studies will be weighted the same as all other AP courses. This means that students will be able to take the AP exam without having to pay for it. The district shared that it will also continue to work closely with the College Board regarding content and curriculum."
Despite the announcement made by the Arkansas Department of Education, eStem Public Charter School expressed that they will continue to teach AP African American Studies at eStem.
The AP African American Studies course will be offered as a local elective credit, and weighted on a 5-point scale. eStem will also cover the cost of the AP African American Studies Exams for students and families who choose to remain in the course.
The Jacksonville North Pulaski School District has also made the decision to move forward with plans to offer the AP African American Studies course at Jacksonville High School.
In a statement, they explained in part that "district leaders believe the AP African American Studies course will be a valuable addition to the district’s curriculum, and will help young people understand and appreciate the rich diversity of our society."
https://www.thv11.com/article/news/ed...
How many of the Little Rock Nine are still alive? Most of them although elderly now.
https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local...
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)
More...
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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https://www.npr.org/2023/08/11/119203...