Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Across US, Catholic groups often behind LGBTQ book banning effortshttps://www.ncronline.org/news/across...
In Front Royal, Virginia
Clean Up Samuels began their public campaign with an invitation to a May 13 event, titled "Beer, Babysitting, and Cleaning Up the Samuels Library," to fill out requests to remove library books with LGBTQ+ content. The event was posted on their website, saying that the library's content is "a risk for Catholic children whose parents are working to guard their innocence." It also was posted in the Young Adults of St. John the Baptist Facebook group.
Throughout the spring, about 90 people filed almost 800 forms objecting to 134 books with LGBTQ+ content.
As Clean Up Samuels expressed frustration with the library's initial responses to their concerns, which included creating a "new adult" section for patrons ages 16 and up and creating new library cards that allow for greater parental supervision, the group developed four demands. They were:
that the governance structure of the library be transferred from the current nonprofit board of trustees to direct control by the county board of supervisors;
that "p----graphic" books be removed from the children's section of the library;
that the library sever any connections with the American Library Association;
and that the library leadership and board be removed.
Clean Up Samuels leaders did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.
Eileen Grady, the interim library director for Samuels, said that Samuels has no significant ties to the ALA. Like many small libraries, she said, they can't afford the membership, even though they have referenced the association in their collection policy.
Grady said that the board of supervisors' ultimate decision to fund the library with the governing structure largely intact came after the board learned that Clean Up Samuels' suggestions were unfeasible. "The county had their own people run numbers on what it would cost if they took over the library and, at the end of the day, they realized we were by far the cheapest option," she said.
Grady highlighted the costs of the Clean Up Samuels campaign on the library, including more than $50,000 to hire outside legal and communications help and about $50,000 more to reevaluate the young adult collection. Costs also included staff and board hours required to read every book Clean Up Samuels has challenged.
Most significantly, Grady said that the stress and harassment "cost us a much loved library director and at least one other staff member."
"This is not the Catholic Church or the teachings of the church" that I was raised with, Grady said. "We were raised to love one another."
Throughout the last year, community support for the library has increased. The library now has 20,549 total patrons, up 2,035 new patrons from the previous fiscal year. The library trustee president told The Washington Post that donations were up 25% since the anti-LGBTQ+ campaign began.
Fringe Catholic groups throughout the country have also organized around the removal of LGBTQ+ content from public libraries.
In St. Marys, Kansas, a hub for the controversial Catholic Society of St. Pius X, the city commission has since the end of 2022 repeatedly threatened to withhold the lease for the decadeslong site of the regional library headquarters if the library does not remove materials with LGBTQ+ content. All five St. Marys city commissioners are St. Pius X parishioners, and one commissioner has said that their shared faith has motivated the demand.
In Steubenville, Ohio, Catholics with connections to the Franciscan University of Steubenville, including alumni, a professor and a professor's wife, have spearheaded a persistent campaign to remove LGBTQ+ content from anywhere but the adult section of the local public library.
While a local news outlet last year published multiple letters to the editor from the library standing by their current policies last year, the public library director announced to county commissioners on Sept. 14 that the library had formed a committee to create a solution that would be broadly acceptable, including to the anti-LGBTQ+ activists.
In Warren County, Virginia — home of Front Royal and Samuels Public Library — conservative Catholics have long been politically active and are gaining political power.
While conservative Catholics affiliated with the Front Royal Civic Education Group have been politically organizing for years, their campaign against the library sparked fierce resistance from other community members.
"That passion that the community felt for the library," Randolph said, "brought together a very wide coalition of people" from across the political spectrum.
Chip Stewart, an attorney who was raised Catholic, and his wife, Valerie Minteer, moved to Front Royal about three years ago with their two children. While they described their experience of Front Royal as "beautiful" and "welcoming," they told NCR it was "shocking" to see the effort to remove books from Samuels.
"Regardless of your religious affiliation, nobody has the right to tell anybody else what they can and cannot read," Minteer said.
"I did not foresee us becoming activists, but I guess we have," Stewart said of his and Minteer's involvement with Save Samuels.
As Catholics became the face of the impending library shutdown, other Catholics in the community made clear that the faithful held a diversity of opinions. Forty-two Catholics, including seven Christendom professors, signed a statement in early September calling for the library to be funded.
"The library has been existing for many years, and it's been successful. And I think it's unfortunate that we're having to go through all this," said Richard Kurzenknabe, a retired police officer who has been at St. John's since 1982 and in Front Royal since 1977.
And while Kurzenknabe counts Clean Up Samuels supporters at St. John's as friends, the father of eight and grandfather of four said, "everyone has the rights to make their own decisions in their lives." While he doesn't want to limit the library collection, he does think parents should make decisions about their children's library access.
Other community leaders also stepped forward to call for the funding crisis to end. On Sept. 16, Robert Hupman, chair of the Warren County Republican Committee and a Primitive Baptist, a denomination that believes that only people elected by God will be saved, weighed in on Facebook. Urging the board of supervisors to accept the library's terms, Hupman wrote, "Let's stop this nonsense from being dragged out any longer."
In an interview with NCR, Hupman compared the calls to remove LGBTQ+ books from the library to calls to ban guns. "I'm a big fan of the U.S. Constitution," he said.
ince losing on their library demands, Clean Up Samuels has been largely silent, although their website now features a link to a new Front-Royal-based group whose mission is "to decolonize rural America by bringing democracy to bureaucracies in small towns around the country."
In Front Royal, many community members wish the conflict would end.
"I felt like we needed to just get back to being neighbors," Hupman told NCR, saying that the community was "fighting too much" and that homeschooling parents like him need the library's programs for their kids.
Hupman serves on the boards of six nonprofit organizations, including work with families, children and people who are homeless.
"I wish they would take all this energy that they put towards some of this stuff and put it back towards joining a lot of these nonprofit boards," he said.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Bill Hammack, a Catholic who has worked on several local Virginia races for Republican candidates, also expressed regret about the impacts of the Clean Up Samuels campaign. "I hear people talk about the Catholic war in Front Royal," he said.
Many community members expressed concern that Clean Up Samuels' combative brand of politics would come to represent all Catholics, even as they tried to push back against that narrative.
"I think they're doing damage to the church. I think they're doing damage to the community," Stewart said.
Millies said that these kinds of polarizing conflicts can turn "religion generally, Catholicism particularly, into a toxic brand," even among Catholics who are open-minded about the LGBTQ+ community.
Grady, the librarian, said, "We have to learn to live together regardless of our beliefs, regardless of our personal preferences." She continued, "We have to respect one another, and I think that's key to a civilized democratic society."
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
This is Why They Hate Us by Aaron Aceves
Cool For the Summer by Dalia Adler
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
What If It's Us by Becky Albertali and Adam Silvera
Oklahoma board wants proposed textbooks altered after Moms for Liberty complainedhttps://www.okemahnewsleader.com/2023...
A state board requested a major publisher remove portions of its math textbooks for students in pre-K through fifth grade after a local conservative group complained.
Despite the textbooks receiving the top rating from a review team made up of dozens of teachers, the chairwoman of the Oklahoma State Textbook Committee on Friday asked McGraw Hill to remove the “math thoughts” sections in its “Reveal Math” books in order to receive approval from the board.
If the publisher does not make the requested changes, the Reveal Math books won’t be added to a list of approved titles that districts can purchase using state textbook funds. However, districts can purchase unapproved textbooks using other funding sources.
In a previous meeting, the head of the Tulsa chapter of conservative parents’ rights group Moms for Liberty criticized the same elementary school textbooks, claiming they contain social-emotional learning concepts that don’t belong in math classes. Social-emotional learning teaches children how to manage their emotions, make good decisions and relate to others.
Committee Chairwoman Kendra Wesson, a State Board of Education member State Superintendent Ryan Walters tapped to lead the textbook approval process, did not mention Moms for Liberty when she objected to portions of the McGraw Hill books.
Wesson said parts of the books don’t specifically focus on teaching children how to do math. In the pre-K through second grade textbooks, she pointed to a section that she said asks questions like, “What helps you feel calm when you’re angry?” and “How can you act with your classmates to build a safe classroom culture?”
“We have things in a math book that are not related to math, that are completely separate from that,” she said. “I don’t want to give up five, 10, 15 minutes of math time for things that are not related to math.”
In the companion teachers’ manual, Wesson flagged portions of a “math mindset” section that included suggested questions like, “Were you relaxed or frustrated during math today?”
Board member Jessica Thompson, a fourth-grade teacher, said she doesn’t have time to ask her students questions like, “What do you do when you feel sad?” when she’s trying to teach math.
“I don’t have the time or the knowledge to be a certified counselor … if those kids were to give me a really hard answer,” she said.
She called that portion of the books “a waste” and expressed concerns that such questions would distract educators from teaching the fundamentals of math.
Jay Rotert, another board member, wondered if pushing back to 2024 a vote on adopting McGraw Hill’s textbooks would leave the company enough time to get the new materials into classrooms for the next school year.
Citing the top ratings the review team gave the textbooks, board vice-chair Kathryn Szallar expressed optimism that McGraw Hill could make the requested changes.
“They do exemplify quality, and I do think those are the kinds of textbooks we would want in our classrooms,” she said.
The board voted to provisionally approve the textbooks contingent upon McGraw Hill making the requested changes. The board plans to revisit the issue at its next meeting.
The company will reach out to the State Department of Education to get further details about the requested changes, said spokesperson Tyler Reed.
“We look forward to working collaboratively with the (Department of Education) to ensure our math materials are available to students and instructors across the state,” Reed said.
If the board does not endorse the McGraw Hill textbooks, elementary schools will have few options that could be purchased using state dollars.
In that scenario, there would be just one approved vendor for pre-K through second grade and three vendors for math textbooks for children in third through fifth grades.
At least eight textbook publishers withdrew from consideration this year, leaving the state with a limited number of new textbooks for consideration.
This is the first cycle for the textbook committee to review proposed educational materials since Walters took office in January. The new superintendent previously accused textbook companies of trying to indoctrinate students and has said it’s a good thing some vendors pulled out of the selection process.
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https://www.ncronline.org/news/across...
In Front Royal, Virginia
Clean..."
Funny, how Catholic groups are often behind moves to ban books with LGBTQ content and characters but how the Catholic Church still tries to coddle and protect priests who have sexually assaulted young boys (and still tends to blame the victims).
Billings, MontanaBillings Schools Criticized for "Assassination Classroom" Book in | https://realnewsmontana.com/ixp/990/p...
There's a book that talks about school shootings and killing teachers? And it's on the school library bookshelves in Billings, Montana?
At least one parent in Billings plans on sounding off at the School District 2 School Board meeting on Monday night.
She is also encouraging other members of the community to show up at the school board meeting tonight as well.
Jessie Browning censor of the day
Liberty Lake Council Poised to Give Itself Veto Power Over the Libraryhttps://jerrysindivisible.substack.co...
It all started in Liberty Lake in early 2022 over an award-winning book in the Liberty Lake Municipal Library called “Gender Queer”. One Erin Zasada, who admitted that she hadn’t read the entire book, requested of the library in late 2021 that “Gender Queer” be pulled from the shelves of the library. (Note: even before that request the book was housed in the “adult” section.) When her request was denied, Zasada appealed to the library board, an appeal the board rejected. (The Liberty Lake Library Board is appointed by the City Council, but, once appointed, makes its decisions independently of the City Council.)
On Tuesday, May 3, 2022, the City of Liberty Lake City Council voted to uphold the library board’s decision to keep the book after a fiery meeting with a great deal of public input against the idea of the council banning books. The vote was 4-2 to uphold.
At the time council members expressed discomfort with the content of the book but greater discomfort with the idea of the council banning a book and overruling the judgement of the library board. Notably, one of the two votes to overrule the library board came from >Council Member (CM) Chris Cargill. Cargill was formerly employed by the Washington Policy Center in Spokane and is now the president and organizer of the Mountain States Policy Center, a new right wing think tank based in North Idaho. In short, he is employed to express right wing opinion. The other vote in favor of banning “Gender Queer” came from CM Wendy Van Orman.
The book banners, led by CM Chris Cargill, were not done. Rather than openly voting on whether to ban individual books, in early 2023 they proposed an ordinance that would codify the council’s power to “approve or reject” Liberty Lake Library Board policies with a majority vote.
On May 16, after many hours of council controversy and public input, the vote was 4-3 in favor CMs Chris Cargill, Wendy Van Orman, and Phil Folyer cast three of the four Yea votes. Then on Monday, May 22, 2023, Liberty Lake Mayor Cris Kaminskas vetoed the ordinance.
She argued that the library board has much more collective experience and expertise than the City Council to write library policy.
“The board is made up of educated and trained professionals,” she wrote. “Let them do what they were appointed to do.”
Cargill said it seemed the only recourse was to dismiss some of the library board members.
Until there is more oversight, Cargill said he will not vote to approve any mayoral appointments nor any budget requests from the library. He said he will be “very skeptical” of proposals that come from the executive branch.
“I wish I didn’t have to take these steps, but I think a major trust has been broken,” Cargill said.
Six of the seven seats of the City of Liberty Lake City Council were on the general election ballot on November 7th. Only two of the six seats changed hands.
CM Phil Foyer, a proponent of the power grab lost to Linda Ball, an opponent of the ordinance, while CM Mike Hamblet, an opponent of the ordinance, lost to Mike Kennedy, a man with the name recognition advantage of a former council member.
There is no supermajority to override and Mayor Kaminskas’ veto would still stand if the ordinance came up again - theoretically.
Thanks to a quirk in Washington State law the two new City of Liberty Lake City Council members, Mike Kennedy and Linda Ball, will be sworn into office in staggered fashion. Because Mike Kennedy in Position 6 will take a seat currently held by an appointed rather than an elected CM, Tom Sahlberg, Kennedy will be sworn in and have a vote as soon as the Spokane County Auditor’s office certifies the election on November 28th. Linda Ball, on the other hand, because she will take a seat that is currently still filled by elected CM Phil Folyer, won’t be sworn in until January. As a result, for the month of December (plus three days) there will be a potential veto proof supermajority (5 of 7) serving on the Liberty Lake City Council likely in favor of Cargill’s ordinance.
Back in ArkansasExtremist Christian cult member former Arkansas Sen. Jason Rapert was appointed to the state’s library board by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday. Rapert replaces Joan O’Neal and his term will expire on October 18, 2029.
The appointment comes as parents and Arkansas libraries have been challenging a law passed earlier this year that restricts access to books in public libraries. The law was temporarily blocked after a district judge’s ruling in July.
https://www.kark.com/news/politics/fo...
Members of the right-wing group "Save My America" are fighting to get the book Making A Baby removed from the children's area of the Pickaway County Public Library (OH).https://www.circlevilleherald.com/new...
Citizens voiced their concerns at a special meeting held by the Pickaway Library Board of Trustees “to discuss a challenge to a book in the library’s collection and any policies related to that issue and to take any actions deemed appropriate” on Friday afternoon at the main library.
The book in question is “Making a Baby” by Rachel Greener. Opponents of the book, which was on a shelf in the children’s section, suggested that it should be moved to a more age appropriate section of the library because of the subject material and the graphic nature of the book’s artwork. Supporters of the book believe the subject material to be acceptable because children may have questions about sex as it relates reproduction.
“I thank you for caring. I thank you for valuing the library. I thank you for communicating your concerns to the library exists to serve the residents of Pickaway County,” said Christine Spring, president of the library’s Board of Trustees. “Our responsibility is encapsulated in our mission statement. The Pickaway County Library provides information and services to educate, enrich, and engage our community. To carry out that mission statement, we have a detailed policy manual that has been developed and redeveloped through the years. It is the backbone of the library’s operations. It provides structure and rules for operations.”
“We have received communications regarding the book ‘Making a Baby’ by Rachel Greener from residents who question its location or inclusion in the library. And we have received messages from residents who feel that censoring any book is wrong. Thank you all for your submissions. We board members have spent hours of our time on the issue at hand. I assure you we have read your emails.”
From the library’s Request for Reconsideration policy:
a. Individuals may request reconsideration of a decision to select library material by submitting a written Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form, available from any staff member.
b. When a request for review is received, the administration will respond in writing and provide an explanation of the criteria used in selecting the item in question. Any appeal of this response will be referred to the library Board. The complainant will be informed in writing of the library’s Board of Trustees decision as soon as possible after the next Board meeting is held. The final responsibility for materials removal resides with the Board of Trustees. The title under consideration will remain in the collection throughout the process to support the freedom of other patrons to read, view, or listen.
Spring said the library has not decided one way or the other to move the book, but instead study the matter further. She said any decision to move the book would be made after the library’s Director, Drew Wichterman, reviewed the matter and reported to the board.
“Maybe we’ll move it. Maybe we won’t. He’s (Wichterman) not saying anything for people to come back where it is in library or anything. It’s just he’s going to explain the criteria. I’m sure he could say, ‘we have it in this section because of blah, blah blah’ but that I believe should be left up to our director. And he can then correspond with whether it’s sharing these services or maybe this is an adult book that people don’t like.”
Spring said Wichterman is not going to make a decision on the matter.
“He’s just fact finding,” he said. “The thing is though our policy guides him — he’s just on a fact finding mission. He’s just responding to people as to why it is in our collection. He’s just fact-finding, so he’s not making an opinion. He’s just saying, ‘why was this put there in the first place?’ Or he can say why, he still maybe leaves it.”
Local activist Ginger Wright is a key leader of Save My America. According to the group’s Facebook page, Save My America seeks to change the country starting at the city, county and state levels before moving onto the federal government. This is a place where everyone is free to share the truth about politicians, politics and ideas, the page says.
An outspoken opponent of the book, Wright said when she posted the book on her Facebook page that the social media site took it down as child prn.
Wright suggested the library has a double standard of being more accepting of books that the Left might view favorably than it does with books that the Right supports.
“In the past we had someone request to have faith-based books in this library and they were denied. So I don’t see why if we can’t have faith-based books, we can’t get rid of this one,” she said.
While not supportive the book’s content, Wright does not want to see it banned.
“I would be perfectly happy with having it on the top shelf if that’s what if we absolutely have to have it here and everybody agrees to it,” she said.
Bonnie Rinato said the book is informative and helps kids learn about s-x, where babies come from.
Pickaway County Commissioner Gary Scherer shared the Commission’s point of view regarding the issue. The commission appoints four of the seven members on the library Board.
“The three of us (commissioners) have talked among ourselves and our suggestion, maybe, to you is — our objection is where it’s placed — that it’s placed in the children’s section. We personally, I think all three, I know all three of us are in agreement in that we don’t say ban the book. We say put it in the parenting section. And if parents want to use it as a tool to explain, then that’s their judgment as parents.”
Pam Paul spoke out in opposition of the book, comparing it to p____graphy.
Chris Burton said the book is not pornography.
“This book is not p----raphy. It’s not soft core p----graphy. It is nothing anywhere close to that,” he said. “It is a health book and the information contained in it is the same information that would be contained inside any kind of biological or health book. And I’m sure there are dozens of books, probably in this library, that weren’t questioned at this particular juncture and aren’t illustrated in a way that’s intended to be for kids.”
Burton continued, “It has to be available in the library. It’s a lot better to come and find a book on the topic than it is to haphazard your way through that conversation and relying on materials that haven’t been vetted and are strange to you. It’s a difficult conversation. The more resources that are available, the better that’s going to be.”
Burton said no one is being forced to read the book.
“It’s available. It is here. No one is being forced upon it. No one’s childhood is being taken away. It is not being thrusting to anyone’s hands. It is a resource that is available. If you move it to a different location, that resource is going to plummet. You know, I’m sure one of the library personnel can talk about what their circulation information is. If you go and put that on a top shelf and try to hide it, fewer people are going to check it out. Fewer people are going to know that it’s available.”
In St. Louis, Controversial adult book to be removed from St. Charles City-County Libraryhttps://12ft.io/proxy
The book’s banning is the latest instance of St. Charles County — and especially its library system — being at the center of culture war controversies. In addition to calls to ban that book and others, patrons have complained about the attire of a library employee they say was wearing nail polish, makeup and a goatee, and some called for the implementation of a gender-neutral dress code for employees.
Two adult books restricted in Catawba County Schools high schoolhttps://hickoryrecord.com/news/local/...
Board member Michelle Teague challenged the books prior to her election.
Vice chair Leslie Barnette added if it is not enough that the books are not available to high school students without parent permission, “then I think the only thing left is that it is just about banning books.”
“We’re not book banning,” Teague said. “We are curating inappropriate books in the school system. That’s what that is. Nobody is banning books. We have inappropriate books in this library system, and I don’t feel like, as a board member, that we should house s---ually explicit books in the school system.”
“I respect your opinion, but I disagree with it,” Barnette said
In New York - Punches reportedly thrown, cops called at Lake Luzerne library meetingLibrary remains without staff following drag controversy and harassment claims
https://www.timesunion.com/news/artic...
Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Rockwell Falls Public Library Tuesday night following what other media outlets described as a heated board meeting in which punches were thrown.
Amicus Briefs Urge Appeals Court to Uphold Block on Texas Book Rating Lawhttps://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...
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Glad this horror story has been barred and disqualified, but frankly, someone who makes a comment equating LGBTQ Pride to Nazi Germany (and yes, especially if a politician, a lawyer, a judge, a teacher, a school board member etc.) should be facing serious hate speech charges and relentless public shaming. Glad that Monique LaGrange is being publicly identified and raked through the mud so to speak and shame on anyone supporting her, including her so-called lawyer James Kitchen (sink).
Brainless parents in Chicago objected to books their child had to read for a multi-cultural literature class in high school. Uh what exactly did they think he would be reading? The House on Mango Street
Part of a larger story
Number of challenges to books expands to more than 500 in Chicago area libraries and schools
https://www.nbcchicago.com/top-videos...
Don't read the story, it's pro M4L. Here's all you need to know."Student-created cards from Seattle Public Schools decrying Moms for Liberty's lack of support for LGBTQ+ youth were sent to the nationally recognized parental rights organization.
The cards, decorated with rainbows, peace signs and hearts, display messages such as "gay is slay, stop being a rat" and "stop bullying and excluding LGBTQ youth and families."
An included letter written by Seattle Public Schools (SPS) teacher Ann Christianson says the cards are "from concerned middle school students."
"When Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) asked SPS to confirm the authenticity of the cards, a spokesperson said "the materials in question were sent last spring as an independent activity and not part of the school curriculum."
"We firmly uphold the rights of our students, staff, and families to express their authentic selves," the spokesperson told CITC.
CITC also attempted to reach Christianson to inquire about the teacher's reasoning for the activity. When using the teacher's school-issued email address, CITC received an automatic response stating Christianson is "currently on a leave of absence and not checking email."
https://komonews.com/news/local/seatt...
Good for the students for standing up to the fascist bullies and exposing them for what they are. Too bad the teacher is about to be fired.
Also hooray for students in Florida.Florida students walk out in support of staff who flouted DeSantis trans ban
Principal and others at Monarch high school were reassigned over ‘allegations of improper student participation in sports’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2...
Lengthy piece from NPR. These people make my blood boil! Trust librarians. They are trained professionals. If you don't want to read it, you don't have to. If you don't want your kid to read it, talk to them about why not. They'll do it anyway."In the battle over books, who gets to decide what's age-appropriate at libraries?"
https://www.npr.org/2023/11/28/121452...
Censors of the day
Carolyn Harrison co-founder of the group Parents Against Bad Books and Halli Stone from Parents Against Bad books in Idaho Falls
Natasha Stringam mom against books with boys kissing other boys
Lewis County Washington Commissioner Sean Swope in favor of parent created ratings for books
Kyle Pratt, a writer and grandparent in Chehalis, Wash.
Pastor John K. Amanchukwu God > Gov
ACLU of Iowa, Lambda Legal sue to block Iowa law that bans LGBTQ teaching, explicit bookshttps://www.desmoinesregister.com/sto...
The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Lambda Legal are suing to block a sweeping Iowa law that restricts schools from teaching about LGBTQ topics and requires them to ban books depicting sex acts.
The groups are representing eight Iowa students and their families, along with Iowa Safe Schools, a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ students.
They say the law, Senate File 496, discriminates against LGBTQ students and violates their rights to free speech, free association, equal protection and due process in violation of the U.S. Constitution's First and 14th amendments.
"SF 496 is a clear violation of public school students' First Amendment right to speak, read and learn freely," said Thomas Story, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Iowa. "The First Amendment does not allow our state or our schools to remove books or issue blanket bans on discussion and materials simply because a group of politicians or parents find them offensive."
Reynolds; along with the Iowa Department of Education and its director, McKenzie Snow; the Iowa Board of Education; and the Iowa City, Sioux City, Urbandale, Waterloo and West Des Moines school districts; are defendants in the case.
The lawsuit, filed in federal district court Tuesday in the Southern District of Iowa, is focused on three sections of the wide-ranging education law. They are:
The law's ban on teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity before seventh grade.
The law's requirement that K-12 schools remove all books containing descriptions or depictions of sex acts.
The law's requirement that school districts inform parents if a student asks to use different pronouns at school.
The lawsuit says the law violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by infringing on students' right to free speech, free association and to receive information. They also argue it violates the 14th Amendment's equal protection and due process clauses by discriminating against LGBTQ students.
The lawsuit seeks to have the law declared unconstitutional and permanently blocked.
"This law erases and silences LGBTQ+ students and their families from school classrooms, books, and history," said Nathan Maxwell, a senior attorney for Lambda Legal. "It sends the message that LGBTQ+ kids are too shameful to be acknowledged and endangers not only their mental health, but also their physical safety and well-being."
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/sto...
More bad news in Prattville, AlabamaThree more Prattville library board members resign
Three longstanding members of the Autauga-Prattville Public Library board abruptly quit Monday in an apparent response to the appointment made by the Autauga County Commission last week.
The resignations include Chair Susan Poteat, Vice Chair Wayne Lambert and Pam Fredrick.
Murmurs of the library board resigning en masse have been rumbling since August when the Prattville City Council was considering a controversial contract to create stipulations for library funding.
Then last week when the Commission was considering appointing Clean Up Alabama member Tony Moore to the board, APR once again heard rumors that the board would resign.
https://www.alreporter.com/2023/11/28...
Not good news this week so far.This is a public library, folks. PUBLIC!
Controversial Parents Matter Act passes Fresno County Board of Supervisors
Opponents to the act crowded into the meeting, hoping to persuade the members of the board to vote against the act.
https://abc30.com/parents-matter-act-...
The measure creates a panel of parents and guardians to review all current and future children's books to be placed in the county's libraries.
"How often did you say you visited the library prior to this book?" asked Action News Reporter Kate Nemarich.
"Oh, I visited the library years ago. I haven't been to the library in years, but all of those questions and those answers they're meaningless," said Steve Brandau, Fresno County Supervisor.
The board passed the act 3 to 2 Tuesday morning. Introduced by Supervisor Steve Brandau, it moves certain titles deemed "age-inappropriate" out of the children's section in county libraries. He said no books will be removed from the library.
"The biggest point is parents don't want their tiny children to be targets of sexually explicit material and gender confusing and complex issues for 4-year-olds," said Brandau. "They want it off the table. We've taken it off the table."
At the previous meeting, Supervisor Buddy Mendes requested amendments to the measure, including the committee will be made up of 11 community members.
Each supervisor will appoint two, and the county administrative officer will appoint one.
There will be a process to appeal the committee's decisions, and it will be required for any books moved by the committee to a list that is publicly posted in libraries along with how to access and check out the books.
Mendes and Supervisor Nathan Magsig voted in favor of the act.
"There was a book that was brought by Supervisor Brandau that was shown to the public. While it was a book that was talking about how your body changes, it was very anatomically correct, nothing wrong with that. But a child got ahold of that book, and it caused an issue for their family, and they, of course, reached out to the Board of Supervisors about it," said Magsig.
Supervisors Brian Pacheco and Sal Quintero voted against it.
Opponents to the act crowded into the meeting, including a former Fresno County Library Director, hoping to persuade the members of the board to vote against the act.
"There is a procedure as been referenced for people to submit a complaint," said Karen Bosch Cobb, Former Director of the Fresno County Library. "Staff take these complaints very seriously; they research them, and each person receives a response."
Concerns were raised about censorship and potential harm to under-represented communities.
"The fact remains that there are various ideologies, faiths, ways of looking at the world, perspectives out there that are not going to be respected either," said Aideed Medina, who is opposed to the act.
Only one person spoke in favor of the act, Clovis City Council Member Diane Pearce, who said she spoke on behalf of herself and those who have voiced their support of the act with her.
Opponents of the measure said their fight is not over. They said they plan to fight the issue in court
And up in MaineMaine school district that banned 'Gender Queer' could be banning more books
RSU 56, which is the only district in the state to have banned the book, is considering a proposal that would remove all books containing sexually-explicit material.
https://www.newscentermaine.com/artic...
In August of 2022, RSU 56 in Dixfield became the first and only school district in Maine to remove "Gender Queer: A Memoir" from its school library.
And while all other districts in Maine that attempted to remove the book failed, that same district is now considering a proposal that would remove all material in school that contains sexually-explicit material.
The proposal, submitted by board member Kathleen Szostek, raised questions from the Maine Writers and Publishers Association and the district Superintendent Pamela Doyen.
Szostek confirmed with NEWS CENTER Maine over the phone Tuesday she did write the proposal, but refused to answer questions about the scope of the proposal along with her inspiration behind it.
Szostek campaigned for school board this year on a message similar to other candidates who wish to remove books from schools.
"Women's sports are in danger. Biological males should not be competing against females," Szostek wrote in a Facebook Post.
"Regarding gender... the question is this: Is there an objective reality? Or not?" Szostek said in another post.
These posts along with her campaign posts she also shared, show a message of parental rights.
Actually better news from Texas. I think this law is going to get tossed out.Federal appeals court questions Texas’ new school library regulations
House Bill 900 seeks to rid school libraries of inappropriate books by requiring book vendors to rate materials. A legal challenge says the law is too vague and broad.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/...
Public participation limited at Steubenville library amid LGBTQ book controversyJEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio — For more than a year, there’s been controversy at the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County over LGBTQ books and some of those displays that were seen in June for Pride Month.
Well now the library is acting by limiting some of that public participation, but some folks are speaking out.
Annie McKenna is against the books, while Barb Davis is in support of them.
However, the two can agree on this: they don’t believe these new rules will let them be heard.
https://wtov9.com/news/local/public-p...
Annndd in Prattville, Alabama the censors will win.Another Prattville library board member resigns due to commission appointment controversy
The board has been embroiled in controversy regarding book challenges for months. Three members resigned Monday after the Autauga County Commission appointed Doug Darr to the board last week without seeking consultation from the current board, which is the usual procedure.
Tommy Gamper resigned today and had been on the board since 2014. Chair Susan Poteat, vice-chair Wayne Lambert, and Pam Frederick left Monday. Another board member left in October for an unrelated reason. With Darr and another recent appointment, this week’s resignations leaves five spots to fill on the seven-member board.
https://www.al.com/news/2023/11/anoth...
Updates from Iowa and the ridiculous new lawIllustrated anatomy book among 73 removed by Iowa school district to comply with law
An illustrated anatomy book is among the 73 titles that the Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District will remove from school shelves to comply with a new state law.
It's the first time the book, "The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body" by David Macaulay, has appeared on a list of titles removed from Iowa schools, according to a Des Moines Register database that so far has gathered the books removed from 38 of 325 districts in Iowa.
The district says it has removed it and other books on its list ahead of the Jan. 1, 2024, deadline when Iowa schools and teachers would face penalties for having books with descriptions or depictions of s-x acts under Senate File 496.
"It’s our collective goal to be intentional in our efforts to comply with Senate File 496, while also having a library that meets the needs of our students and staff," Superintendent Scott Blum said in a message to parents. "This work will continue over the next five weeks as we approach the January 1 deadline."
In addition to banning all books that depict s-x acts from K-12 schools, the law prevents teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through sixth grade and requires school districts to inform parents if a student asks to use different pronouns at school.
In addition to "13 Reasons Why" and "Like a Love Story" from the high school list, two more titles — for a total of four — have been removed from the Oak View school for seventh and eighth graders:
"The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body" by David Macaulay
"Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers" by Betsy Franco
The definition of a s-x act in SF 496 includes (view spoiler) However, as written, school books with nonsexual nudity, or s--ual scenes that fall short of these actions would still be allowed. The bill also creates two exemptions: Descriptions of s-x acts will be allowed in human growth and development materials and in religious publications, including the Bible.
The Dallas Center-Grimes district did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why the book had been removed.
The lists are subject to change. The Dallas Center-Grimes district said in its statement that librarians will continue to review content until the Jan. 1 deadline.
"We also stand ready to respond to any guidance that comes from the Department of Education to ensure our continued compliance," according to the statement.
The district said it shared its list with the Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District Board of Education, staff and families on Nov. 27, before sharing the list with the Register the following day in response to an earlier records request.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/sto...
Alaska- Wasilla library to rename ‘young adult’ section amid questions over book challenge policy.The young adult fiction section of the Wasilla Public Library is expected to be temporarily relabeled “adult fiction” while librarians wait for direction on how to make decisions about challenged books.
The label change recommendation, made by Wasilla library director Zane Treesh at a city council meeting Monday, would swap out the “young adult fiction” labels on five rows of shelving tucked just outside the glass-encased children’s area.
Instead, Treesh said during the meeting, the labels would read “adult fiction.”
“We’ll put signs up at the end of the shelving saying that these are now an adult area, all of them,” he said.
The suggestion followed a city council conversation — part of it during a closed executive session — about the process used by library officials to review books flagged by members of the public for reconsideration.
Like many other public libraries across the state, the Wasilla library includes a series of shelves lined with books emblazoned with a yellow “YA” tag on the spine and targeting readers 14 to 17 years old. The more than 2,000 titles in the Wasilla young adult collection range from about 100 volumes of the classic Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries to titles challenged nationwide as inappropriate for teen readers, including “Tilt” and “Identical” by Ellen Hopkins, which contain themes of sexuality and drug use.
Under the city’s current process, if someone challenges a library book, a panel including librarians and other community members decides whether to remove or relocate them after a public hearing where the person contesting the book can testify.
Wasilla city officials started to look at changing that process after receiving a complaint early this month that the process violated at least one person’s civil liberties by limiting how she used her testimony time.
The council asked Treesh, the library director, to provide information how books are selected for the library and the reconsideration process when books are challenged. After his remarks, the council held an executive session with Holly Wells, an attorney for the city, to discuss possible changes to the consideration process that could ultimately give the council more sway in what books stay on shelves.
Before starting that session, Wells warned such a change would require the council to alter its current policies and procedures.
Rather than update the rules now, Wells recommended the city wait for more information on two ongoing issues that could change the outcome of what the city is legally allowed to do: a warning from the state’s attorney general to libraries that they should block children’s access to books with sexual content; and a lawsuit that contends the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District violated students’ constitutional rights when officials removed 56 protested books from library shelves early this year.
Instead, Wells recommended that members of the council who want more involvement in the challenge process personally challenge specific books using the existing public hearing process.
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/mat-s...
_________________________
This is stupid and pointless. Young adult is young adult and adult is adult. This is going to be confusing for patrons and deter teens from reading books period. I don't believe the parents who claim their 5 year olds got ahold of obscene materials. I do believe this is a parenting issue. Librarians and booksellers do not equal babysitters, nor do bus drivers or other shop clerks and people in public. Every time I'm in the library, small kids are playing in the playhouse with other kids or looking at books with their caregivers not running around pulling books off shelves randomly. If the children's area is glassed in, children should be in the children's library and not running around the YA section.
Also in IowaThe good news
Penguin Random House and bestselling authors sue Iowa over school book-banning law
The publishing giant and four authors — including John Green and Jodi Picoult — joined several teachers, a student and the state's teachers union in filing the federal lawsuit.
https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-n...
Penguin Random House and four authors joined several teachers, a student and the Iowa State Education Association — the state’s teachers union representing 50,000 current and former public school educators — in filing the federal lawsuit.
The law went into effect this fall after the Republican-led Legislature passed it earlier this year and Gov. Kim Reynolds signed it in May. In addition to the the book ban, the law forbids educators from raising gender identity and sexual orientation issues with students through grade six, and school administrators are required to notify parents if students ask to change their pronouns or names.
It is the portion banning books that the latest lawsuit challenges, said Dan Novack, an attorney for and vice president of Penguin Random House. That ban prohibits books that feature any description or depiction of s-x — regardless of context or whether the work is fiction or nonfiction — from schools and classroom libraries from kindergarten through grade 12.
“It’s also created the paradox that under Iowa law, a 16-year-old student is old enough to consent but not old enough to read about it in school,” Novack said.
The law also bans books containing references to sexual orientation and gender identity for students through sixth grade, which the lawsuit says is a violation of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.
The lawsuit seeks a court order declaring the law unconstitutional, Novack said, adding that government can’t violate free speech rights “by pretending that school grounds are constitutional no-fly zones.”
The lawsuit does not seek monetary damages.
Good news in ColoradoDouglas County Libraries
Book banners came for this Colorado town. They didn’t anticipate resistance.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/11/b...
LGBTQ+ titles topped the number of book bans in the past year, but a growing number of grassroots organizations are rewriting the story.
In April 2023, residents in Douglas County, Colorado, a region 45 minutes south of Denver ... rallied as conservative activists launched an increasingly common book-banning campaign against the county library. Jessica Fredrickson, a former Douglas County Public Library employee, first found out about the book challenges on Facebook a few days before the library’s Board of Trustees meeting.
Aaron Wood, founder of the conservative Christian Freedom Fathers group, called on his Facebook followers to attend the meeting in a post accusing Douglas County libraries of “perversion.” He then linked to BookLooks, a website with ties to Moms for Liberty and a common tool for people trying to ban books.
Books challenged before the April meeting include All Boys Aren’t Blue, an award-winning memoir by Black queer nonbinary author George M. Johnson. The ABC’s of Gender Identity was challenged for pushing a “demonic narrative” on children and suggested “the Bible” as content to counterbalance or provide additional information on the subject. Another challenge to the award-winning children’s book Prince & Knight claims that it is “physically impossible” for two men to satisfy each other’s romantic feelings.
“I put out a panicked call to action,” Fredrickson told LGBTQ Nation. “I said, ‘I’m gonna be here, and I’m gonna speak in defense of libraries and the freedom to read. Who’s gonna join me?’ People showed up.”
...
At that first Douglas County Library Board of Trustees meeting, public comments were evenly split between those defending the books and others calling for removal. “That should give people hope,” Fredrickson said. “I found out just three days before and put out this call, and an equal number showed up to support the library. Every meeting after that, we outnumbered them.”
“New people showed up every time. Every time,” added Jan Knauer, another former library employee.
Still, Fredrickson says she was worried after the April board of trustees meeting. “I felt chilled. It’s one thing to read about book bans in another state. It’s another thing to hear someone calling for a bonfire to burn LGBTQ books in your own community,” Fredrickson said. She organized library supporters using a structure in a guide from We Need Diverse Books. She also recommended the GLAAD guide for community response in an email to LGBTQ Nation. Knauer soon joined as a second leader, and in May, they co-founded the Douglas County FReadom Defenders, an organization that challenges censorship and seeks to protect intellectual freedoms.
Knauer knew of the EveryLibrary Institute well before she began organizing the FReadom Defenders, aware of the organization because of its work to support library funding initiatives. But she started following EveryLibrary more closely after it ran fundraising campaigns to support struggling librarians during the height of COVID-19. In May, she got on the phone with EveryLibrary’s political director, Patrick Sweeney, who helped her create a petition that stated “parents have the right to screen what their own children read,” but “no one parent or government entity” should make those choices for everyone. Knauer also joined a monthly call hosted by EveryLibrary Associate Director Peter Bromberg, which brings together community organizers to discuss challenges and strategies in the fight against book bans.
One way EveryLibrary supports groups is by helping them build a petition. A petition alone may not change a board member’s mind, but it produces an email list of people organizers can count on to attend meetings and vote for pro-library candidates and policies. That list is the true power since library board meetings rarely draw in large crowds under normal circumstances.
Conservative activists try to drive up engagement using what the PEN America report calls “hyperbolic and misleading rhetoric about “p__rn in schools” and “s---ally explicit,” “harmful,” and “age-inappropriate” materials.” In June, Aaron Wood did just that. In a flier initially reported by the independent editorial book site Book Riot, Wood claimed Douglas County Public Libraries contained “child’s p____” He challenged at least four books at the Douglas County Public Library and appealed Library Director Bob Pasicznyuk’s decision to keep the titles in the library catalog.
In his challenges to the books Jack of Hearts (and other parts), All Boys Aren’t Blue, and This Book is Gay, Wood claims that “It would be illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to view this material outside of the library.” But Wood failed to fact-check his claim.
In Miller v. California, the Supreme Court said the First Amendment protects most books from censorship, even for minors.
The appeal would be heard by the library’s board of trustees in August. Significantly, the board would not vote on whether to keep the books. Instead, it voted on whether or not the library director had followed library policies when he decided to keep them. Fredrickson says she was “cautiously optimistic” in the days leading up to the August board meeting.
“Thanks to our Fight for the First petition, we knew the community overwhelmingly opposed book bans. We knew library policies defended the right to read. What we didn’t know was whether the library trustees would stand by those policies. Lately, governing boards in Douglas County don’t have a great track record when it comes to following policy or law.
At the August meeting, public comments overwhelmingly supported keeping the books in the library catalog. “We outnumbered the book banners 31-12 in public comment at the August Board meeting,” Fredrickson said. Ultimately, the board of trustees voted unanimously that the library director had followed library policies, and this iteration of the book ban challenge ended.
The work of the Douglas County FReadom Defenders is still ongoing. “During the August board meeting, Wood indicated he would pursue library policies next. It seems like Wood has an ally in trustee Meghann Silverthorn, who accused library staff of aimlessly purchasing materials without a framework at the same meeting,” said Fredrickson. The library board writes policies, meaning it could make changes that permit future book bans.
The FReadom Defenders is also preparing for a fight over book bans in the school board, which Fredrickson and Knauer said has likely already begun. In September, The FReadom Defenders held a school board candidate town hall in conjunction with Castle Rock Pride.
“When we did the town hall, we invited everybody, all the candidates,” Knauer said. “Only three candidates showed up to answer the questions, which were about book banning and LGBTQ+ issues in schools and supporting kids.”
DougCO FReadom Defenders also sent a questionnaire to school board candidates and asked them to sign the American Library Association pledge to oppose book bans. Only three candidates returned the questionnaire and signed the pledge. In a significant win for book lovers, all three won election to the school board, where they can protect LGBTQ+ books and students from similar challenges.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/11/b...
EveryLibrary's survey reveals the vast majority of parents trust and respect library workers!https://www.everylibraryinstitute.org...
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
Other good news from Literary Activism
In Marietta, Georgia, schools, there's been an appeal to reinstate Me and Earl and the Dying Girl back into school libraries.
https://www.mdjonline.com/news/educat...
The appeal to get “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” reinstated was filed by Jenny Storino, a Marietta High School parent who works as a creative director.
Storino fears Marietta schools is headed down the same path as Cobb schools.
“We are such a small, wonderful school district that I have been so proud of for so long of how we handle things specific to Marietta,” Storino said. “I don’t want to become Cobb County (schools). I don’t want to become Fulton, I don’t want Gwinnett. We’re Marietta, and we’re unique in that way.”
Cobb Schools has removed an unknown number of books — somewhere in the hundreds — from library shelves since the start of the year, many of which have themes of race, gender and sexuality. Ragsdale has maintained the books were removed as part of a regular “weeding” process to update library content.
Marietta school board member A.B. Almy is concerned her district is heading down the path of “an exhaustive cycle of endless bans,” and thinks the district should instead focus on creating more individual agency for parents.
“I would love to see us focus on a solution where we maximize choice of parents that allows each family to decide what’s appropriate for their child and what’s appropriate for them to access, and move away entirely from a district wide ban of anything,” Almy told the MDJ.
Jeff Hubbard, president of the Cobb County Association of Educators, said both Marietta and Cobb schools have long had processes for parents to raise concern about books in schools, but that recent removals are a direct result of laws governing content in schools passed by the Georgia legislature last year.
“It was an attempt, as some people say, to keep divisive issues and controversial topics that should not be in our curriculum from being taught,” Hubbard said. “The problem though, is the language was way too vague, way too confusing, and it didn’t say what the divisive issues were, it didn’t say what the controversial topics were. It pretty much left it up to the school systems to determine what would be appropriate and what would be inappropriate.”
Almy, who was the lone “no” vote when the school board upheld Rivera’s decision to remove “Flamer” from Marietta High School’s library, said she doesn’t know if “Flamer” was targeted because it tells the story of a gay teen, but does think it was held to a different standard than some of the classic books Marietta schools has available, such as “The Color Purple.”
“I became concerned that we were banning a book that was less explicit than others we were keeping, and couldn’t explain why we were doing that and didn’t feel like we had an equal bar,” Almy said.
Storino believes “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” and “Flamer” were removed because they make people “very uncomfortable.”
“It’s not traditional man and woman married, falling in love conversations,” Storino said. “It’s all the other wonderful bits about life that are true and very, very real and people have a really hard time when it’s not out of a Hallmark movie, feeling like it’s OK for their teenagers to read.”
Hubbard said both school boards need to create new polices and more seriously consider whose responsibility it is to adjudicate literature.
“That’s going to be the challenge, is finding out who determines in the end, what is appropriate and inappropriate,” Hubbard said. “Is it a bunch of elected officials? Is it parents? Is it the people we entrust with our children in the schools? And if so, what are they going to do about it?”
The censors:
Marietta school board member Angela Orange
Dr. Rivera, Superintendent
Cobb Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale
Now the bad newsWhile the Democrats are trying to protect the freedom to read, the Republicans want to ban books.
https://www.wpr.org/wisconsin-librari...
Wisconsin libraries would have to notify parents about the books their kids check out under GOP proposal
A separate bill would also repeal a protection for librarians related to distributing obscene materials
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library shelves full of books
Franklin Heijnen (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Wisconsin libraries would have to notify parents about the books their kids check out under GOP proposal
A separate bill would also repeal a protection for librarians related to distributing obscene materials
By Anya van Wagtendonk
Published: Friday, November 24, 2023, 5:00am
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Young people's use of libraries would face increased scrutiny under Republican bills being considered in the Wisconsin Legislature.
At a time when some states are passing restrictions on the kinds of materials that students can access, the bill’s author said she views her plan as a compromise between concerned parents and public libraries.
Opponents of such restrictions said they tend to target books that deal with LGBTQ+ themes or issues of diversity or discrimination.
The Wisconsin proposals would require librarians and school librarians to alert parents about what kids under 16 are checking out.
"I could just see the conflict brewing between certain camps and the libraries," said Rep. Barbara Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc, in an interview with WPR. "I'm a huge supporter of libraries, I love our libraries, and literacy is important to me. And I thought, 'There's got to be an easier way to solve this problem.'"
A separate proposal in the Legislature would repeal a statute that protects librarians from prosecution for obscene materials.
The bills come at a time when Wisconsin Republicans are again proposing what they call a "Parents Bill of Rights," which would, among other things, give parents the power to review instructional materials for their kids.
Taken together, the legislation amounts to "intimidation on librarians and educators, all under the guise of parental rights," argued Kasey Meehan, the Freedom to Read Program Director at PEN America, which advocates for free expression rights.
Dittrich said her library bill followed conversations with parents and librarians alike, and is aimed at allowing parents to determine when their kids are ready for certain themes.
"I think parents have a good grasp on what sort of material their child is or isn't ready for," Dittrich said.
A representative for the Wisconsin Library Association declined to comment, saying the group is still analyzing the proposals.
Dittrich says that her bill is not about banning books.
"I've had some people who actually think my legislation isn't tough enough and that that stuff should be removed," she said. "I think this is a peaceable way for people to get to common ground."
Some individual Wisconsin school districts have restricted certain materials on their own.
31 books will be debated in Brevard County, Florida, schools beginning this month (M4L territory)After more than five months of being on hold, Brevard Public Schools book review committee is set to resume at the start of December. With an ever-growing list of 31 books to review, with titles ranging from "Slaughterhouse Five" to "Bible Stories for Little Angels," it's not yet clear how often they will meet.
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/ne...
The first meeting comes after revisions were made to the policy passed in April. These changes included adding language from House Bill 1069, legislation passed this year that restricts what content can and can't be in school classrooms and libraries. The board also changed the review process so that the committee no longer makes the final decision about a book's fate. Rather, they make a recommendation to the school board, who will have the final say about whether or not a book can stay on library and classroom shelves or if it will be banned. Their decision will remain in place for five years.
The book review committee is set to meet at 1 p.m. on Dec. 1. The five members, chaired by a non-voting media specialist, will review "Sold," a 2006 novel by author and journalist Patricia McCormick.
The committee is tentatively set to meet on Dec. 15 to review "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini.
The meeting will be held in a training room at the district's office in Viera and will be open to the public.
In the previous version of the policy, which was passed in April, members of the review committee could vote on whether or not a book would remain on BPS shelves. However, school board members raised concerns about harassment from community members toward those on the committee based on their decisions. They decided to change the policy so committee members will provide a recommendation, but the ultimate decision lies in the hands of the school board.
Members of the committee were chosen by school board members. They include:
Ashley Hall, appointed by Megan Wright
Katie Delaney, appointed by Gene Trent
Michelle Webb, appointed by Matt Susin
Paul Roub, appointed by Jennifer Jenkins
Michael Howell, appointed by Katye Campbell
Trent's previous member, Michelle Beavers, quit due to moving out of state, while Susin's former member, Sheri-Lynn Diskin, resigned.
Diskin wrote in a letter to the board that the committee was not given adequate guidance regarding evaluation criteria and that committee members "may have participated with individual goals in mind and used the process as a platform to share their beliefs, without intent to seek a compromise."
At the Nov. 14 board meeting, prior to approving the amended policy, newly elected board vice chair Trent proposed using the Florida Department of Education list of books banned in various school districts to ban books in Brevard County. He suggested removing all the books that were on that list so that the committee could "pick up at ground zero." Books not already in BPS' system would be placed on a "do not purchase" list.
Susin suggested an amendment to the move, proposing that only books both on the list and in the formal review process be banned.
The move wasn't approved, with Susin and Trent voting in favor and Wright, Campbell and Jenkins opposing.
In MinnesotaSt. Cloud library system tackles record number of requests to ban, move books
The board approved an updated policy after challenges over "obscene" books.
https://www.startribune.com/st-cloud-...
After receiving an unprecedented number of requests this year to remove or move certain books to a different section, a central Minnesota library board voted this week to implement a more concise process for reviewing books — one that aims to balance public input with people's First Amendment rights.
This year, eight books have been challenged, some with multiple requests for reconsideration. And in recent months, dozens of patrons have attended the usually quiet library board meetings, chastising the library for having in its collection — and accessible to children and adolescents — certain books such as "It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, Gender, and Sexual Health" and "Gender Queer: A Memoir."
A few people spoke against restricting library materials at Tuesday's meeting, including Kathy Parsons of St. Cloud.
"You can't have one small group deciding what everybody should read," she said. "Every family should decide for themselves what fits with their values, and parents should be involved in those decisions."
Under the new review process, a panel of staff will review challenge requests quarterly and make an initial decision. If the challenger appeals that, the library board will create a committee to look deeper at the challenge. The book then cannot be subject to reconsideration for five years.
At an October board meeting, Susan Dege, who provides legal counsel for the library system, talked about case law that establishes precedent for challenged books.
"Removing books based upon the message or idea in the book will likely subject a library to a lawsuit," she said. "It's just a clear First Amendment violation."
At Tuesday's meeting, Stearns County resident and board member George Fiedler questioned why the board is creating a policy "that portrays there is a process that can be used when we can do nothing."
Pundsack said the process could be used to reconsider books that are defaced or factually inaccurate. But it likely won't be used for books some consider obscene.
"I can't see us being in that position but I've also been around long enough to know never say never," she said.
Manitoba, Canada - againJake Epp Public Library
Stupid because you know books have titles, pictures and descriptions "My two dads and me" "Mama, Mommy and Me"
Equally stupid for Christian books for the same reasons. Do Christmas, Easter, etc. books get labeled Christian?
_________________
LGBTQ stickers to be placed on children’s books
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/the...
Steinbach’s library board decided to label every picture book in the easy and board sections that has LGBTQ2S+ content with a sticker.
“We had some challenging books, especially in regards to the LGBTQ,” said Steinbach councillor and library board member Bill Hiebert.
October’s library board minutes read that there was a patron request to remove or move to a separate section of the library children’s books of LGBTQ2S+ content. Hiebert said that was not the only person they heard from on this topic.
“We had quite a few emails sent to us. There’s quite a few so it’s not just one or two,” said Hiebert.
He said everyone on the board was in agreement with putting the stickers on the books, including library staff. Chrystie Kroeker Boggs left the position of library director before the October meeting.
Stickers on Christian books are already in place, pointed out Hiebert.
“So we said you know what, we could take the LGBT category and sticker it as well just so people are aware that this is the content. That was our reasoning and I thought it was very appropriate, especially considering the Christians are stickered,” explained Hiebert.
The stickers are not on yet, as the library is busy dealing with the aftermath of a leak causing water damage to about 1,400 books. They were mostly adult fiction, and need to be replaced.
Jake Epp Public Library already has book lists online under its “find books & more” tab for what it describes as LGBTQ+ and horror genres.
Mod
Jake Epp Public Library
Stupid because you know books have titles, pictures and descriptions "My two dads and me" "Mama, Mommy and Me"
Equally stupid for Christian books ..."
I would just sign the books out, remove (or cover up) those STUPID stickers and do this over and over and over again. And I would probably be very public about this as well (so I guess Steinbach, Manitoba, should be happy I live in Ontario and not there).
Corpus Christie, TexasAppointed 5 new members to the public library board this week...several incumbents were removed, and at least one book banner was given a seat.
https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/l...
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Questions surrounding appointments made to the city of Corpus Christi's library board were raised by community members during public comment at Tuesday's city council meeting.
Corpus Christi City Council was tasked with filling five seats on the library board, which is made up of nine members and acts as an advisory body to city leaders on all things concerning library services.
According to the League of Woman Voters, one of the new members is an active proponent in the "book banning" movement. The appointments sparked an outcry by community members who fear it could lead to books being pulled from city public libraries.
Three of the seats filled Tuesday belonged to people who were already serving on the board and hoped to be reappointed. Generally, an incumbent is re-appointed, but council chose not to do so, and instead, replaced all three of members in what was seen by some as a shocking move.
The members call this a radical departure compared to how this process has gone in the past.
Julie Rogers, who served on the library board, was stunned by council's selection of the new members.
"What just happened, it was five names that were orchestrated or planned ahead of time," she said.
She said the three board members seeking reappointments were highly qualified, but were instead passed up.
"I didn't see anything glaring, their attendance was fine, their credentials were impeccable, as a matter of fact," she said.
Two of the people removed were to be the board's chair and vice-chair. Pooja Bindingnavele, who filed for reappointment, was not selected and spoke out during Tuesday's meeting.
"From what I've discerned, people came to city council with books from the library that they believed were inappropriate," she said. "Many city council members, instead of doing their due diligence, were swayed by this propaganda."
Members from the League of Women Voters asked council members who voted for the new board members to reconsider.
Council chose not to.
Members also claimed one of the new appointees is said to be prominent in the "book banning" movement.
"Moving forward with this slate of nominees imply there is an agenda at work, the existence of an agenda was confirmed when it was decided a nominee who refused to state her educational background and listed no prior community activity was deemed superior to three current board members," said Tim Dowling, director of media communications with the League of Women Voters Corpus Christi Area.
"I understand the latest slate of candidates that were appointed appear to be supporting of banning books in our public libraries, and that saddens me. Our country is built on individual freedom and that includes freedom for adults to chose what they read," said Vickie Natale who was seeking to be re-appointed but was ousted by council.
Others who spoke praised council members and voiced their concerns about books children have access to.
Gail Anderson who misunderstands what the ALA is and thinks ALA is a government organization
Robin Cox who thinks 5 year olds can access (and read?) 50 Shades of Grey.
City council members weighed in following public comments on the 'book banning' allegations.
"I don't think anyone is supportive of any book banning, and all the other things that are talked about, it's in the interest of many of us to see who has guidelines in place as to who has access to what content," said council member Dan Suckley.
3 NEWS reached out to city manager Peter Zanoni who said the process that city council has in place to appoint advisory boards and commissions was followed in this case, but that the library board does not have the power to ban books.
"The library board is an advisory board, they are not a policy setting body, they don't direct staff, they don't direct city council they don't direct city manager, they merely advise library staff and how they run their business," he said.
Zanoni also said the city follows the best practices laid out by the State Library Commission and Archives and if someone has an issue with a specific book they can go to the city's website to file a complaint.
Also in TexasIn League City, Texas, the attempt to create a new library book policy has now cost the city attorney his job.
Councilman Chad Tressler said some councilmembers aimed to terminate the city attorney for early drafts of the controversial library book policy, which he referred to as a “pile of crap” on Tuesday.
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/ar...
League City councilmembers said that a Tuesday move to terminate the city attorney was fueled by a questionable first draft of a library book removal policy that caught the council in the center of controversy, and left one councilman “embarrassed” to be sitting at the dais.
That draft said residents would be allowed to challenge any books in the local library with content containing (view spoiler) It has since been changed to let anyone submit reconsiderations of any type of book to the Community Standards Review Committee, a council-appointed board that calls the final shots on those requests.
Mayor Nick Long said Tuesday that the first draft “should’ve never gotten that far.”
“It was extremely poorly written, and not a lot of good advice was given on that,” he said. “It took an extremely messy process to get to something that was extremely reasonable in the end and people had every right to be aggravated and up in arms about the first version.”
He said less political advice should’ve been given at the time that the policy was first being drafted.
With the legal aid of city attorney Nghiem Doan, councilmembers Andy Mann and Justin Hicks, who was named mayor pro-tem Tuesday, drafted the policy late last year. Both council members voted in favor of the attorney’s termination this week.
The policy gained traction around February when residents and library advocates flooded the city’s chamber halls to warn councilmembers of imminent lawsuits.
The council received a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union Feb. 14 warning that various drafts of the policy, and the act of restricting certain books from the children’s section of the library come in violation of the First Amendment.
League City resident Katherine Swanson, who headed an alliance in response to the book policy dispute, said the vote should’ve been postponed until the city council has all seats filled. She is running for the council after one councilman recently resigned.
“It appears to be political retribution for what occurred during the book reconsideration resolution last December,” she said. “It isn’t appropriate to use personal grievances and a position of power to affect someone’s job. The first draft of last year’s ordinance was upsetting to many and not well done. This was of no fault of the city attorney.”
Swanson said there was no way to write legally sound wording for an unconstitutional law.
Manybooks wrote: "I would just sign the books out, remove the stickers and do this over and over and over again. And I would probably be very public about this as well (so I guess Steinbach, Manitoba, should be happy I live in Ontario and not there"I don't understand why librarians are going for this. Not even the Christian books should be labeled but if they're religious in nature should be placed under the call number for religious books. There's a call number for gender and sexuality too. Some libraries have sections of picture books labeled "families" and "growing up", "our community" etc.
Also, most kids looking at picture and board books can't read and some can't talk to ask questions so what's the fuss? You can change the story "This is Mommy, this is Auntie or babysitter or Daddy's roommate" (eye roll)
If people just bothered to parent their kids none of this would be necessary.
Mod
It is incredibly stupid, and yes, ALL book banning happy or cancel culture parents are obviously too lazy to parent and monitor their children and would rather governments and school official do this for them (kind of ironic though and hypocritical since many extremist right wingers are in often so against supposed government interference).
I'm also blaming the publishers and catalogers for this problem. If books were marked with subject headings on the inside AND if more libraries used the Library of Congress cataloging method, it would be easier to identify books certain people object to."PZ5 for collections of works by different authors, PZ7.5 for novels in verse, PZ7.7 for graphic novels, PZ8 for traditional fairy tales, PZ8.1 for folklore and legends, PZ8.2 for fables, PZ8.3 for nursery rhymes and stories in rhyme, PZ10.3 for realistic animal stories, PZ10.4 for sign language and Braille books, and PZ10.5 for polyglot books written in three or more languages. Higher PZ numbers are used for juvenile fiction in foreign languages."
https://www.loc.gov/aba/cyac/classifi...
There's also resources to help readers find books or not! Lazy parents need to be online and looking at book databases from the library, libguides and talking to the librarian about what books their kids would like/not like.
Oh way back in 2015 this stuff came up and the Dewey system isn't working well enough and of course doesn't include fiction but really, the description on the jacket flap or inside the book should give people a clue. If it's not listed as LGBTQIA+ then it's just not. It's just a crayon ... it's just a kitty who wants to be a unicorn...
https://www.lapl.org/collections-reso...
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...
Essay by Robert Samuels from the New YorkerHis Name Is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice
When Your Own Book Gets Caught Up in the Censorship Wars
I had envisioned book bans as modern morality plays—but the reality was far more complicated.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/essay/...
Mod
This is totally bigoted and hugely disgusting, and if I lived in Moncton, New Brunswick, I would (and even with the risk of legal repercussions) organise some very loud and verbally hard hitting protests outside of the mayor's home and with one right on Christmas Day (and I sure hope that Moncton's Jewish community seriously considers doing this, not just complaining but actually and vehemently fighting back and publicly humiliating and shaming Moncton bureaucrats and urban politicians). And well, the putrid mayor's explanation and excuse that this (that not putting up a menorah for the first time int went years) is to separate church and state means NADA and is a huge joke since Christmas symbols are up. Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold is obviously a NAZI.
Manybooks wrote: "https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-br...This is totally bigoted and hugely disgusting, and if I lived in Moncton, New Brunswick, I wo..."
Bogus. That would mean no Christmas trees, angels, stars, wreaths, holly, etc. too! Give a better excuse.
I'm concerned about not seeing Hanukkah items for sale at CVS this year and haven't seen any posters or anything advertising the menorah lighting, in fear of the Jewish community being attacked by the ridiculously one-sided "woke" police. However, I see ONLINE the new mayor is honoring Hanukkah as well as Christmas with a Hanukah spectaculah, whatever that means. We did have a governor once try to rename the Christmas tree a "holiday tree" and everyone flipped a lid.
A little bit of bookish newsin Washington state
School Board to hear appeal for challenged library book
A decision to keep "Empire of Storms" in the Brainerd High School library will be appealed Dec. 11.
https://www.brainerddispatch.com/news...
A committee of district officials and community members met earlier this year and agreed in September to keep “Empire of Storms” by Sarah J. Maas in the Brainerd High School library after it was challenged by community member Shirley Yeager. She asserted the book sanctions early sexualization of students and does not meet the district’s standards of providing high quality resources for students.
Yeager has now appealed that decision, and School Board members will take it up at their next meeting. What exactly that appeal process looks like, though, is uncertain.
The district’s policy 606, which references resource selection and how to challenge materials, states a complainant has the right to appeal a decision made by the resource review committee, and the board will make the final decision.
Human Resources Director Angie Bennett told the board Wednesday they had to decide if they wanted to repeat the process the review committee already went through — reading the book in its entirety and answering a series of questions about it — or if they wanted to simply make a decision based on the process that was already followed.
Superintendent Heidi Hahn said the appeal that came through is not about whether the process was followed correctly but instead argues the book meets the state’s definition of obscenity, and therefore should not be in a school library.
Board member DJ Dondelinger asked if they should table the appeal and give everyone time to read the book, as he would like to have that option.
Board member Michelle Brekken, who sat on the review committee, noted there were a dozen people who already read the book and made the decision to keep it.
That policy, however, is undergoing a review, and district leaders are working to create a new one that specifically references library books and the process for challenging them. Policy 606 does not specify a certain amount of time a complainant has to appeal a decision, but in the new policy the person will have only 14 days to appeal. That new policy has not been approved yet and is not in effect.
Going forward, Board Chair Kevin Boyles said he can let board members know as soon as an appeal comes in, giving them the option to read the material ahead of time if they so choose.
Board members plan to have a roll call vote Dec. 11 to decide the issue.
“Empire of Storms” is the fifth book in the fantasy series “Throne of Glass.” The fourth book, “Queen of Shadows,” is now also under review after a challenge. The review committee’s deciding meeting is scheduled for Dec. 15.
Mod
This is totally bigoted and hugely disgusting, and if I lived in Moncton, N..."
Definitely bogus, a huge dual standard and a lame excuse for blatant anti Semitism.
Brace yourselves. This is the good news of the day...Letter to the editor
p_____ or loss of resources? Utah book bans from a teacher’s perspective
https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/arc...
There are other letters from veterans, parents and concerned citizens. Not, however, government officials.
More good news
Ohio- Book challenges have skyrocketed in Ohio. One bookstore is pushing back
At this small bookstore in southwest Ohio, there’s a cabinet lined with caution tape. Swing open the doors, and you're met with familiar titles: "Fahrenheit 451," the "Harry Potter" series, "The Great Gatsby," a creased copy of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
They might seem harmless, but their place on this shelf means someone once thought they were too dangerous to be read.
“Some of them you just look at it and go, ‘Really?’,” said Rachel Collins, owner of the new bookstore, The Banned Book Nook and Other Curiosities in Wilmington.
In Ohio alone, more than a hundred titles have been challenged at public libraries this year, according to the American Library Association.
Amid these pushes to restrict reading, Collins’ store is embracing the controversy. They collect and sell books that have been challenged or removed from libraries because of their content.
“It's just been overwhelming to think that this is going on now. I feel like in 2023 that should not be something we're dealing with, but it seems like it's a big topic right now,” she said.
The couple opened the bookstore in early October, and Rachel has been keeping tabs on book challenges since then. She’s surprised by the number of reports coming out of schools across the country and in Ohio.
Communities across the state are debating what books are appropriate for library shelves.
Rachel admits that a banned book bookstore isn’t a substitute for a library, since the books aren’t free. But, she said, the store does price the books at $3 or less to make them as accessible as possible.
“I don't think anybody should not be able to get their hands on a book if they want to read it,” Rachel said.
The shop has other literary offerings, too – but the banned books draw in the biggest crowd. Co-owner Adam Collins said people are often intrigued to see some of their favorite books on the shelf and decide to reread them in search of what made them once outlawed. Others simply want to read about challenging topics.
Whatever the case may be, Collins said he hopes each title sparks a conversation around the freedom to read.
“People have one mindset, and they don’t think they can be changed. Books can do that.”
https://www.ideastream.org/2023-12-04...
Summary: Democracy in Florida is dead and fascism alive and well. The Florida Attorney General, following Hitler's playbook, is stating exactly the opposite of what the parental rights people are complaining about! They claim the liberal left/the government is "indoctrinating" their children and they don't like it. They do not co-parent with the government. THEY choose to mask or no mask, vaccine or no vaccine (No to both) and which books kids can read. The Florida Attorney General says public school libraries are “a forum for government speech,” not a “forum for free expression." Florida’s government is arguing that school districts have a First Amendment right to remove LGBTQ books.
Or any book, for that matter.
“Public-school systems, including their libraries, convey the government’s message,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody wrote in a legal brief.
That argument is also being made by lawyers for the school boards in Escambia and Lake counties.
See also Texas and Arkansas
Local officials in Llano County, Texas, for example, are arguing that “content and viewpoint consideration are both inevitable and permissible when weeding books.” They’re appealing a federal court’s decision ordering them to return removed books to shelves.
Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, asks "Should schools be preparing individuals to be broadly educated, to be able to make their own decisions about their lives? Or should schools be indoctrination centers for only one viewpoint that may not even represent the viewpoint of the majority?"
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Do public schools have a First Amendment right to remove LGBTQ+ books from the shelves?
Lawmakers say yes because they say public school libraries are a forum for government speech, not free expression.
Two Florida school districts are being sued for removing books from their libraries, a direct result of a new state law.
Collier County is not one of them, but this district, like the two facing lawsuits, removed dozens of books this school year because of sexual content.
https://winknews.com/2023/12/04/publi...
“I don’t agree to our government officials deciding what children should and shouldn’t read,” said Jacie Keay, Collier County parent and former teacher.
Keay has a child in the Collier County school system. That school district has removed dozens of books from its libraries this school year, strictly following the new state law.
“Yes, obviously, as a parent, I know there’s certain books that are inappropriate because of age, you know, issues or content, and I feel like that should be monitored in certainly putting the right books, the appropriate books in students hands, but I don’t think you should, across the board, ban books,” Keay said.
WINK asked Peter Bromberg, a 32-year librarian and an associate director for EveryLibrary, an anti-book banning organization, for his take on what the attorney general wrote defending Florida’s law.
“Once those books are on the shelf, we can’t allow the governor or the attorney general, or the principal, or the school, the school board head or an angry parent to say, ‘That book has to come off the shelf because it offends me,'” Bromberg said.
In an August legal filing, state Attorney General Ashley Moody described a different reality when it comes to public schools.
“Public-school systems, including their libraries, convey the government’s message,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody wrote in a legal brief. Additionally, she wrote, public school libraries are not a “forum for free expression.”
Her arguments, made in friend of the court briefs on two book challenge lawsuits, had experts saying Moody was advocating for authoritarianism, not parental rights. “If government speech determines what books can be in the library, the government is essentially saying your children can only see the ideas that the government has approved,” Ken Paulson of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee University told the Tallahassee Democrat.
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/new...
First Amendment experts and advocates interviewed by the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida all had grave warnings about what court support for the state’s argument could mean.
“There’s considerable irony in that those who seek to limit access to books in school libraries often say they’re fighting for parental rights,” said Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. “If government speech determines what books can be in the library, the government is essentially saying your children can only see the ideas that the government has approved.
“That’s not parental rights,” he added. “That’s authoritarianism.”
Shalini Goel Agarwal, counsel for Protect Democracy, called the state's position a “sweeping argument.”
Agarwal and her organization are representing the plaintiffs in the case against the Escambia County School Board.
“It seems to us that their position is that a school official has unfettered discretion to decide what is in the library, or what library books are taken out, and they can take them out for any reason at all, even for discriminatory reasons,” she said.
That's exactly what the lawsuit alleges is happening.
“In every decision to remove a book, the School Board has sided with a challenger expressing openly discriminatory bases for the challenge,” the plaintiffs write. “These restrictions and removals have disproportionately targeted books by or about people of color and/or LGBTQ people.”
And the argument that Escambia’s actions are protected government speech, Agarwal says, would have a broader effect than just books.
Using the “government speech doctrine (in this case) would basically eviscerate a lot of other areas where people would expect the First Amendment to apply,” she said.
In her case, a group of 23 constitutional scholars from across the nation filed a brief opposing the state and counties’ government speech assertions.
“[We] write to caution the court against adopting the aggressive, unprecedented interpretation of the government speech doctrine,” they said. “The notion that such libraries exist to carry official messaging is profoundly antithetical to their nature and purpose.”
Moody contends that Pico’s plurality decision has no strength, especially since it predates court findings on government speech. She points to a decision that found the selection of public park monuments was government speech as an example.
“And because compiling library materials is government speech, the First Amendment does not bar the government from curating those materials based on content and viewpoint,” she wrote.
Spokespeople for the governor’s office and the state Department of Education didn’t respond to requests for comment. But Chase Sizemore, press secretary for the state attorney general's office, said the legal filings “speak for themselves.”
“State and county employees are responsible for deciding what materials ultimately appear on the shelves of Florida's public-school libraries,” Sizemore wrote in an email. He also said Florida law also gives parents every opportunity for input on those matters.
“The plaintiffs in this case are arguing that third parties — the authors of the books themselves — can demand that their preferred materials be put in school libraries,” Sizemore wrote. “If that were right, it would negate not only the decisions of the responsible officials, but parental input too.”
Those interviewed by the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida say they think and hope the defendants' argument will get knocked down.
“It’s fundamental that no government entity can engage in viewpoint discrimination," said Caldwell-Stone of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom. “That’s a basic constitutional guardrail. And those guardrails apply to governments … including school boards. And that’s really what the Supreme Court (has) said.”
In legal filings, the plaintiffs extensively point to the U.S. Supreme Court's 1982 decision in Island Trees Union Free School District v. Pico. In that decision, justices ruled that school boards have “significant discretion to determine the content of their school libraries.” But it said that discretion “may not be exercised in a narrowly partisan or political manner.”
The case law doesn’t end there: “Every court that has addressed that issue … has rejected the position that libraries — including school libraries — constitute Constitution-free zones in which government officials can freely discriminate based on viewpoint,” plaintiffs write.
Despite the cited laws, those interviewed also acknowledged that, generally, there are more wild cards in the judiciary nowadays.
But Paulson said “fundamental constitutional principles” against the argument are clear. He even added that further judicial scrutiny of the Pico case could end up strengthening it. That decision was a plurality opinion, "in which the court is unable to generate a single opinion that is supported by a majority of the (nine) justices," explained scholars in a National Center for State Courts study.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
https://winknews.com/2023/12/04/publi...
One moreThe Escambia County School Board is currently facing a lawsuit from publishers and authors after it pulled a number of LGBTQ+ titles from public school libraries, including Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s popular And Tango Makes Three – about a real-life same-sex penguin couple.
The lawsuit claims the First Amendment rights of authors and publishers is being violated by the board, echoing a similar legal challenge filed against the Lake County school district in June.
In the latest filing, Moody rebuffs the notion that freedom of speech is being violated and claims public schools make “value-based judgments” every day about which materials pupils have access to, “based on viewpoint”.
She went on to say: “They exclude materials such as Nazi propaganda because they disagree that Nazis were wonderful, regardless of any educational value the materials may have.
“Viewpoint-based educational choices are constitutionally permissible because public-school systems, including their libraries, convey the government’s message.”
The authors and publishers argue that school libraries are public forums and therefore the government cannot restrict access to materials “based on viewpoint”.
They note that: “[M]any of these books have been targeted simply because they address themes relating to race, sexuality or gender identity” so there is the “intent [to] exclude speech by authors based on their race, sexuality or gender identity”.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, Peter Bromberg, the associate director of anti-book banning organisation
EveryLibrary, said: “[The case could] upend 100 years of established First Amendment precedent. This is such a far departure and would have such a ripple effect.”
https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/12/0...
And another public librarian resigns, however in this case, it's the book banner who resigned.Erie County Public Library Director Karen Pierce resigns
Pierce, who was named director in June 2022, faced a wave of public backlash in recent months over controversial decisions.
In June, she was criticized for her decision to relocate a Pride Month book display from the entrance of the children’s section in Blasco Memorial Library.
The Davis administration said Pierce moved the display after she received a number of complaints about its prominent location in the children's area.
The decision was widely condemned by LGBTQ+ groups as well as some state and local elected officials, and also led to multiple protests and the resignations of three members of the Library Advisory Board.
https://www.goerie.com/story/news/loc...
*sigh* News is not great today either.Our old friends in Prattville, Alabama are still at it in spite of the censors pretty much taking over the library.
Autauga County residents turn out to debate public library policies on LGBTQ-themed books
https://www.al.com/news/2023/12/autau...
About 24 people spoke to the five-member commission, and most, about 17, agreed with a group called Clean Up Alabama, which calls for tighter controls at the Autauga-Prattville library on books on sexual orientation and gender identity.
About seven speakers spoke in support of Read Freely Alabama, who formed in response to what they say is an effort by Clean Up Alabama to ban books that express a supportive or affirmative view of people who identify as LGBTQ.
After 90 minutes of comments, with the speakers receiving applause from their respective sides, the county commission appointed three new members to the Autauga-Prattville library board to replace board members who resigned.
The commission now has four new appointees on the seven-member library board. The Prattville City Council has appointed one member and has two vacancies yet to fill.
County commissioners did not publicly take sides in Tuesday night’s debate. They nominated and approved the three new board members with no discussion about their qualifications. The new board appointees did not speak.
After the meeting, County Commission Chairman Jay Thompson said he has tried to take a balanced approach. Thompson said the commission received more than 30 resumes for the library board spots, unpaid positions that he said until recently have been held for prolonged terms by a few willing public servants because of a lack of interest.
Angie Hayden, a leader with Read Freely Alabama and others who supported that group’s view, said the commission was not transparent about the appointment process and failed to follow a traditional policy of allowing the library board to recommend its new members. Thompson said the former board members did not make any recommendations.
Hayden said she was concerned that the new appointments, which give the commission-appointed members a majority on the library board, would enact policies that exclude books that do not fit what she and other Read Freely supporters described as the narrow viewpoints of Clean Up Alabama. Hayden said the library has never allowed sexually explicit books in the children’s section.
“There’s a balance between pleasing the Clean Up Alabama people and also not violating the Constitution,” Hayden said. “What the Clean Up people really want, however, is for anything that is affirmative of LGBTQ families, like ‘Heather Has Two Mommies,’ to be taken out of the children’s section. And those are books that are not s----ally explicit.”
Hayden said the former members of the library board were responsive to concerns about protecting children and teens.
Some who spoke in support of Clean Up Alabama invoked the Bible. One speaker said God established the principle of restricting knowledge with the story of Adam and Eve and forbidden fruit. Some speakers talked about protecting children from what they said were perverted lifestyles.
Others said about half of Autauga County residents are not affiliated with a church and that certain religious viewpoints should not dictate library policy.
Sarah Sanchez, a member of Clean Up Alabama, said the group’s mission is to protect children and teens from books with explicit s---ual content or s---ualized messages. Sanchez said leaders who control library policy must be proactive.
One example of a children’s book that sparked disagreement is “Red: A Crayon’s Story,” by Michael Hall. It is about a blue crayon with a red wrapping.
“The crayon book was a transgender allegory,” Sanchez told the commission. “And there’s nothing explicit in it, but it was clearly a picture of a story about maybe you’re not really a boy. Maybe you’re not really a girl.” [The author based it on his own experiences growing up with a learning disorder.]
Hayden said that illustration shows how Clean Up Alabama is going overboard to restrict books.
“I think they are looking so hard to be offended that they are creating things to be offended by,” Hayden said. “To the point where they are demanding a book about a red crayon wanting to be blue is inappropriate for children.”
County Commission Chairman Thompson said he had nothing negative to say about those who have served on the library board.
“My viewpoint from the very beginning is that s--ually explicit books don’t need to be available to minors,” Thompson said. “And that’s kind of what I had asked early on -- is there someway we can make sure a minor cannot pick up a book that they don’t need to pick up?”
Thompson said he was not sure if those safeguards have been adequate.
Children's Books
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My Rainbow (other topics)
Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts (other topics)
The Day the Books Disappeared (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
Ellen Hopkins (other topics)
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Scott Stuart (other topics)
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POST FALLS — Discussion about a draft materials selection policy for the Community Library Network continued Thursday, and trustees will continue discussing it.
https://cdapress.com/news/2023/nov/17...
The proposed policy addresses the library network’s selection and acquisition of books and materials with a heavy focus on books and other library items that could be harmful to minors.
The library network’s attorney D. Colton Boyles shared some concerns with the board that he has about the proposed policy.
Boyles said the board needs to distinguish specific ages when referring to minors when deciding which materials they should have access to.
“If we just limit to all minors what’s explicit, there could be material available to younger children that’s inappropriate,” he said. “Vice versa, if we limit all minors to the standard of what’s inappropriate to very young children, then there’s material that’s not legally inappropriate for the older age groups — 13, 14, 15 and up.”
Another concern he shared with the board was the potential impact of this new policy on other policies such as those regarding: children in the library; computer use; internet use safety; library cards for minors; social media and networking sites; and reconsideration of materials.
“That provides a broad overlay of the pond,” Boyles said. “When we’re changing the Materials Selection Policy, we’re throwing a pebble in the pond, right?”
Boyles said that while he thinks the overall proposed policy is a good start, it is very different from the existing policy.
“So I wouldn’t recommend approving it as it is right now because we have some gaps,” Boyles said.
One more dramatic change the board is considering making to the policy is changing some language to allow the library network to evaluate books “in part” rather than in their entirety.
Boyles said this is a concern because the Supreme Court considers the context of the work important and it could lead to too much discretion on behalf of a government agent such as the library director or a staff member to target specific parts of a work without considering the context.
The Materials Selection Policy was a main focus during the more than three-and-a-half-hour meeting, which was still not long enough to cover all the items on the agenda even with an extension.
Trustee Vanessa Robison asked Boyles to compare the current Materials Selection Policy, adopted Nov. 4, 2022, with the policy draft that is being proposed. She said the current policy is much more clear than the proposed draft.
“Putting them side by side, what is the difference?” she asked, then asked if the new policy would change the ability for a book to come into the library.
“I think it could, but I don’t know if it practically would,” Boyles said. “It leaves a lot of discretion to the director to make those age-appropriate determinations still.”
He said he recommends the board set a policy the direcommunitylibrary.netctor can apply that would cover state law and each minor age group.
“Do you see a big problem with the existing one?” Robinson asked.
Boyles said the existing policy is adequate, but could always be improved. He said with legislative changes on the horizon, the board should be mindful in its policymaking to be protective of staff. He said the board doesn’t want staff members being responsible for making decisions that could criminally implicate them.
In April, the Idaho House of Representatives nearly overrode Gov. Brad Little’s veto of House Bill 314, which, if passed, would have criminalized school and library staff — teachers and librarians — who made available materials “harmful to minors” and rewarded those successful in pursuing legal action with $2,500. A variation of that bill could emerge during the next legislative session, which begins in January.