Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Some good news today.Pittsburgh -
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/edu...
Blackhawk school directors on Thursday voted to roll back controversial changes to the district’s library policy after several community members voiced concerns that the amendments made it easier for residents to challenge books available to students.
The motion, which passed in a 6-3 vote, suspends two library book policies that were amended in October, reverting them back to how they were written prior to the changes. The suspension will last until further review. School directors Lynn Kalcevic, Frank Makoczy and Roberta Mansell voted against the motion. The vote came weeks after five new directors were elected to the board.
Discussions around library books at the Beaver County school district started in September after former school director Gwen Deluca challenged 12 novels in the middle and high school libraries, which were ultimately restricted, meaning they could only be accessed by students 18 and older or by those with parent permission.
A month later, school directors voted to amend the library policy, allowing students and parents to challenge books that are not compatible with “their values or fundamental religious beliefs,” the policy reads. They also specified the process for how books were reviewed, with the school board making a final determination on if a novel can remain in the library. Under the changes, challenged books would be restricted during the reconsideration process, a change from the previous policy.
But the edits were met with pushback from several community members who asked the board in October to hold off on any policy changes. The Education Law Center, a nonprofit advocacy group, also sent a letter to the board urging them to vote against the proposed policies while citing a 1982 Supreme Court ruling that said school boards cannot remove library books “simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books.”
Now, the board has removed those changes, meaning any book challenges will follow the previous policy, which permits parents or guardians in the district to submit a request for reconsideration of library books to the building principal. If the principal is unable to satisfy the request, the complaint will then move to a building review committee including an administrator, media specialist, two teachers and two community members. If the complaint is still not resolved, it will move to the superintendent and then to the school board, which could assign an ad hoc committee to review the material.
During the process challenged books can still be accessed by students and staff.
Despite that, several board members who voted to make the original amendments pushed against reverting the policy back to its previous version.
Mr. Makoczy re
Ms. Kalcevic
During the meeting, two residents spoke against changing the policy back to its previous version. One woman said the books were “s---ually explicit” and suggested that having the books on library shelves is “evil and nothing short of corruption of minors.”
This will never fly, especially because it's from a member of the "squad" but nice try and I really do want to move across the border. If only the cities were smaller and libraries closer the way ours are! Hopefully our new Reps will back Rep. Presley.Rep. Ayanna Pressley Wants To Take Down Book Bans With New Bill
Pressley introduced the bill, dubbed the Books Save Lives Act, during a floor speech on Thursday morning. The bill, obtained by HuffPost, aims to counteract conservative book bans by classifying such bans as a federal civil rights violation, and by requiring schools and libraries to include book collections from diverse authors and topics.
The Books Save Lives Act would challenge these local and state book ban laws by requiring that certain public libraries and school libraries maintain collections of books about underrepresented groups, or books written by people from underrepresented groups.
The Books Save Lives Act would also categorize book bans as discriminatory and, depending on the ban, a violation of multiple laws — including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or the Education Amendments of 1972.
The bill applies to public libraries that receive federal financial assistance and schools controlled by local governments that receive federal financial assistance. The bill also describes underrepresented community members as people that fall into a racial or ethnic minority group; people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex or nonbinary; people who are members of a religious minority; or people who have a disability.
The bill would require that the Comptroller General of the United States generate a report about the impact of said book bans across the country on underrepresented groups.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ayanna...
Now the bad news.Western Mass. (Yes ironic)
Someone complained about a book in a Great Barrington classroom. Then the police showed up
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/s...
After the complaint, Great Barrington police and the Berkshire District Attorney's Office began investigating whether the illustrated novel, “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe, was inappropriate content for an eighth grade classroom at W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School.
The book was made available as a resource by an English teacher.
The caller, whose identity had not been released as of Friday morning, told police that the book contained illustrations that could be considered p-----graphic and obscene.
Here’s what happened next, according to a variety of sources. After the call came in, Police Chief Paul Storti notified Peter Dillon, superintendent of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District, that police were investigating the complaint and referring it to the DA’s Office.
After school let out, Principal Miles Wheat escorted a plainclothed town police officer to the classroom to investigate the potential crime of "obscenity."
The English teacher was present. No one told the teacher in advance that a police officer was coming to the classroom.
The officer then searched for the book and planned to remove the book as part of the investigation.
But the book was nowhere to be found, Wheat said. It's not clear where the book is at this point.
“No one has raised an issue with this book before,” he added.
Wheat said he was surprised by both the complaint and the call to police. The teacher is exceptional and that the school plans to fully support the teacher, he said.
Storti said the department is working with the school and the DA’s Office to “make sure that further investigation isn’t warranted.”
District Attorney Timothy Shugrue, after speaking with Storti and Dillon, said on Friday that his office and the Great Barrington Police Department are no longer investigating the matter. He said the question of the book's appropriateness for eighth graders is one for the school to address.
“The complaint that was filed did not involve criminal activity, therefore, the Great Barrington Police Department and our office have closed the matter and referred any further action back to the Berkshire Hills Regional School District," Shugrue said in a statement.
"The superintendent assured the District Attorney’s Office that the issue will be reviewed according to the Berkshire Hills Regional School District’s policies and shall remain as a school department matter," Shugrue added.
Either way, parents are outraged that police acted on the complaint and the way that they did it.
“Along with why the teacher was allowed to be blindsided in her classroom,” said parent Cristina Markham, who worries that school officials are now "whitewashing" the incident. “The conversation that has most parents fearful honestly is the way that this was handled.”
In a walkout on Friday, more than 100 students and others in the Monument Mountain Regional High School community protested the removal of the book and rallied in support of the teacher and their schoolmates who identify along the LBGTQIA+ spectrum.
Dillon sent an email to district families on Thursday about the incident, saying the district was also blindsided by the complaint, and described what had happened.
He wrote that the book has been controversial in other districts, as well, for “images that some find offensive.”
“At the same time, many see it as an important story helping build empathy and support for a marginalized group and helping trans or queer students make meaning,” Dillon added.
What baffles and disturbs educators, parents and librarians is that a police officer was allowed into a school to investigate a book. It is also that the teacher was not alerted beforehand.
One librarian said it harkens to something dark.
“It brings you back to 1930s Germany, when law enforcement was behind censorship,” said Wendy Pearson, director of the Stockbridge Library, which has Kobabe’s novel on its shelves.
Some mildly good news from Florida, about an adult book Pinellas denies Moms for Liberty book challenge. ‘The Lovely Bones’ stays.
A panel of administrators, teachers and parents says the novel can remain in middle and high school libraries.
Using the school district’s new review process, a committee of administrators, teachers and parents considered a complaint filed against the book by Angela Dubach, president of the county’s chapter of Moms for Liberty.
The book has not been in schools this year, pending the outcome of the review.
Dubach, who attended the committee meeting accompanied by school board candidate Stacy Geier, said books like this one “have zero educational value,” and suggested that 95% of parents would opt out of letting their children have access to it if they knew it was available.
“If I were to hand this book to a minor in a public building, in a public park, I would be arrested,” Dubach said, suggesting it violates state law regarding p___graphy. “So why is it OK in schools?”
At that same meeting, Meyer suggested the board be responsible for making final decisions about books in school libraries. The majority disagreed, paving the path for the committee approach.
Under district policy, which the board revised several times over the past year, a superintendent-appointed committee has the role of determining which challenged books stay or go districtwide. The policy requires the committee to meet publicly and to take input from the person filing the complaint, district staff and members of the public.
About a dozen people from the community showed up Thursday, with two speaking. Parent Malissa Aaronson called “The Lovely Bones” a “celebrated novel” that helps young readers “find themselves and their humanity.”
She suggested those who seek to ban it “want one thing — for all of us to be as lost as they are.”
Media specialists from several schools submitted reviews, read aloud by committee chairperson Jennifer Dull. Each supported retaining the novel at middle and high schools, saying it has literary merit, sparking students to think about universal themes such as family and the power of love.
District library media coordinator Bronwyn Slack recommended the book be retained for self-selection in all school libraries.
Superintendent Kevin Hendrick has said he put together the new procedure to avoid having to conduct multiple school-level hearings for the same title.
The committee process runs alongside a separate procedure that allows the superintendent or his designees to remove books they determine violate state law, regardless of whether anyone files a formal challenge.
Dubach said she has no plans to file any additional book challenges. She said she would talk to lawmakers about the need to more clearly define what is permissible when it comes to s--ual content in books.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
I found that one greatly disturbing and didn't like it at all but I see the value in it for someone. I don't see how it violates any laws about you know what because it's a story about a teen girl's (view spoiler)
Some mildly good news from Florida, about an adult book Pinellas denies Moms for Liberty book challenge. ‘The Lovely Bones’ stays.
A panel of administrators, teachers and parents says the novel can remain in middle and high school libraries.
Using the school district’s new review process, a committee of administrators, teachers and parents considered a complaint filed against the book by Angela Dubach, president of the county’s chapter of Moms for Liberty.
The book has not been in schools this year, pending the outcome of the review.
Dubach, who attended the committee meeting accompanied by school board candidate Stacy Geier, said books like this one “have zero educational value,” and suggested that 95% of parents would opt out of letting their children have access to it if they knew it was available.
“If I were to hand this book to a minor in a public building, in a public park, I would be arrested,” Dubach said, suggesting it violates state law regarding p___graphy. “So why is it OK in schools?”
At that same meeting, Meyer suggested the board be responsible for making final decisions about books in school libraries. The majority disagreed, paving the path for the committee approach.
Under district policy, which the board revised several times over the past year, a superintendent-appointed committee has the role of determining which challenged books stay or go districtwide. The policy requires the committee to meet publicly and to take input from the person filing the complaint, district staff and members of the public.
About a dozen people from the community showed up Thursday, with two speaking. Parent Malissa Aaronson called “The Lovely Bones” a “celebrated novel” that helps young readers “find themselves and their humanity.”
She suggested those who seek to ban it “want one thing — for all of us to be as lost as they are.”
Media specialists from several schools submitted reviews, read aloud by committee chairperson Jennifer Dull. Each supported retaining the novel at middle and high schools, saying it has literary merit, sparking students to think about universal themes such as family and the power of love.
District library media coordinator Bronwyn Slack recommended the book be retained for self-selection in all school libraries.
Superintendent Kevin Hendrick has said he put together the new procedure to avoid having to conduct multiple school-level hearings for the same title.
The committee process runs alongside a separate procedure that allows the superintendent or his designees to remove books they determine violate state law, regardless of whether anyone files a formal challenge.
Dubach said she has no plans to file any additional book challenges. She said she would talk to lawmakers about the need to more clearly define what is permissible when it comes to s--ual content in books.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
I found that one greatly disturbing and didn't like it at all but I see the value in it for someone. I don't see how it violates any laws about you know what because it's a story about a teen girl's (view spoiler)
West Ada, Idaho school district removed another 10 books from libraries, citing content concernshttps://idahonews.com/news/local/west...
The district says a District Administrative Review was conducted on Dec. 12 by a team of District personnel and utilized the Book/Learning Resource Alignment Guide, professional reviews/ratings, content excerpts, circulation stats and considered Meridian Public Library placement.
"While West Ada School District Librarian perspectives are valued, this particular committee was composed of dedicated individuals committed to the responsible and inclusive curation of our library resources," the district says in an email to CBS2. "It is crucial to acknowledge that, in the formation of this committee, efforts were made to include librarians from the West Ada community. Several librarians were approached to serve on the committee, but all opted out, declining to participate in the process."
The district clarified books under consideration for removal do not fall under children's literature but represent works of a more explicit nature.
The review determined the titles below do not align with the district's program philosophy or the selection criteria for learning resources and should be removed from circulation at all schools in the district.
A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
Collected Poems 1947-1980 by Allen Ginsberg
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel by Margaret Atwood and adapted by Renee Nault
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
You: A Novel by Caroline Kepnes
The district based its decision on ratings from Booklooks.org. Other books being considered for removal are:
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
Beautiful by Amy Reed
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman
The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley
A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
Collateral by Ellen Hopkins
Damned by Chuck Palahniuk
Damsel by Elana Arnold
The Duff: a Novel by Kody Keplinger
Forever... by Judy Blume
Forever For a Year by B.T. Gottfred
The Freedom Writers Diary by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Handsome Girl and Her Beautiful Boy by B.T. Gottfred
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Identical by Ellen Hopkins
Infandous by Elana K. Arnold
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
Man O' War by Cory McCarthy
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins
Perfect by Ellen Hopkins
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Shine by Lauren Myracle
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Storm and Fury: Harbinger Book 1 by Jennifer L. Armentrout
_______________
Sarah J. Maas's novels are New Adult which is a category within YA and are hugely popular. The Handmaid's Tale graphic novel is also considered YA. Many of the others up for reconsideration are popular YA.
More good news from Massachusetts Rep. Aryana Presley. Still won't pass. "The squad" are the very people the book banners love to hate.Books Save Lives Act Introduced To US Congress
The Books Save Lives Act would ensure trained librarians in every school and classify book bans as federal civil rights violations.
https://pressley.house.gov/wp-content...
Following on the heels of the "Fight Book Bans" Act is another legislative proposal in Congress: the "Books Save Lives" Act.
Introduced late last week by Massachusetts Congressional Representative Ayanna Pressley, the four part bill is one of the first to directly address book bans on the national level. Where "Fight Book Bans" would open up money for school districts to fight book challenges, Books Save Lives goes even further to ensure that students have access not only to material but to trained librarians in their school libraries. It would also classify book bans as a violation of Federal Civil Rights–this ties right into the arguments being made in a wealth of lawsuits across the country that seek to end discriminatory policies and laws that infringe on First and Fourteenth Amendment Rights.
The bill calls for the following:
Ensure primary and secondary schools have a library with a trained librarian
Require public libraries and school libraries to maintain a diverse collection of books
Classify discriminatory book bans as violations of federal civil rights laws
Direct the Government Accountability Office to report on the effect of book bans on underrepresented communities.
The Books Save Lives bill has support from groups such as We Need Diverse Books, PFLAG, Florida Freedom to Read, and Colors of Change. The legislation is co-sponsored by Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Summer Lee (PA-12), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Alma Adams (NC-12), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Stacey Plaskett (VI), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Steven Horsford (NV-04), and Lucy McBath (GA-07).
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
Also good news2nd challenged Sarah J. Maas book to remain in Brainerd HS (Minnesota) library
The complainant has the option to appeal this most recent decision to the School Board.
https://www.brainerddispatch.com/news...
The complainant was not identified by the district on advice from the Minnesota School Boards Association and declined to give their name to the Dispatch but spoke during a meeting Friday, Dec. 15.
The meeting convened an ad-hoc resource re-evaluation committee, outlined by district policy, to review the book. Per policy, the group was made up of 12 district officials, community members, a school board member and a student. Director of Teaching and Learning Tim Murtha chaired the committee, which also includes: Jon Anderson (Forestview Middle School principal), Andrea Rusk (Brainerd High School principal), James Conrad (Harrison Elementary School principal), Randy Heidmann (School Board member), Karla Shepherd-Johnson (high school English teacher), Robin Knutson (district librarian and Forestview media specialist), Guy Kelm (elementary teacher), Helene Danielson (middle school language arts teacher), Jessica Mauro (District Advisory Committee), Martha Rustad (District Advisory Committee) and a student who wishes to remain anonymous.
When given time to testify against the book Friday, the complainant said it describes obscene accounts of witchcraft, is full of p----graphic situations and adds more graphic violence to a world already suffering from mass shootings and other violent actions.
“Witchcraft is considered a religion, and Sarah J. Maas certainly tries to lure interest and acceptance of it,” the complainant said noting if books that proselytizes Christianity are not allowed in district libraries this one should not be either.
“Which is it, fantasy or indoctrination?” she asked. “Isn’t it a tool to impress the reader with the power of her witchcraft and magic? How would a 9- or even 16-year-old child discern what is truth or what is fantasy?”
The complainant, who stated she arduously read the whole book, said it’s no wonder there is depression and suicide among students when books like this are available for them in a school library.
“I believe we need to protect children from violence and uphold a high standard of goodness, love, respect for others, honesty, truth and integrity,” she said. “There are many excellent books, much literature that could be considered for the library that will teach them to be ethical, honorable young men and women who have high standards and goals for themselves and not selfish, but will help others succeed as well as themselves.”
The complainant said the series cannot be that popular among students, as it was noted during the “Empire of Storms” challenge that the book was checked out three times during the five years it was in the library.
Robin Knutson, district librarian and Forestview media specialist, said “Queen of Shadows” was checked out a total of 10 times since being placed in the high school library but not at all over the past two school years.
Two people spoke Friday in defense of the book.
Community member Carrie Utz listed several reasons she believed the book should remain available at the school library, including its incorporation of mature themes that serve to elicit critical thinking skills from students and represent diverse perspectives.
The book includes explicit content and romantic elements that Utz said are not only integral to the narrative but also serve as a literary device to engage readers in a thought-provoking exploration of complex relationships, personal growth and societal challenges.
The book addresses real-world issues, encourages a love for reading, carries a strong female protagonist and explores complex moral dilemmas and choices, Utz said.
When given time to question the speakers, School Board member Randy Heidmann asked what age group they believe the book is appropriate for. Utz said 15 at the youngest, and Mauro said middle-level high school students. He then asked how they would monitor younger students checking it out, as the high school does not have a mature reader list or any guardrails in place prohibiting students from checking out any library books.
Utz said that’s a conversation to have with school librarians and students’ parents, and Mauro said she would simply talk to students about it.
“Do either one of you think that there’s an awful lot of violence from front to back in this book?” Heidmann asked.
Utz said the violence isn’t done for shock value but has a purpose and helps tell the story, which she described as a lovely story about loss, redemption, struggle and the ability to overcome adversity when the whole world is against you.
Heidmann: He knew going into the process he would be the only one speaking against the book, and if there wasn’t so much violence and vulgarity for shock value, the book probably wouldn’t be too bad. Parents can purchase the book for their children if they want them to read it, and the district should not be spending money on books like “Queen of Shadows.” No one is denying students the ability to read the book, as they’ll be able to find it somewhere. This is not an attempt to ban books but to look at what’s appropriate for students.
“A lot of high school kids cannot make decisions,” Heidmann said. “I mean, we make decisions for them every day at school.”
Andrea Rusk, Brainerd High School principal: The library contains all sorts of books that might have aspects of violence but that also portray diverse religions and perspectives, and schools should value that diversity.
“I may not personally like this book, but it’s not about me,” Rusk said.
Heidmann voted against the motion to keep the book in the high school library, while all other members voted in favor.
The complainant, who declined to comment on the decision, has the option to appeal to the School Board if she so chooses.
Board members voted 3-2 Monday, Dec. 11, to keep “Empire of Storms” in the library after the last complainant appealed the previous committee’s unanimous decision to keep it. Heidmann and board member DJ Dondelinger voted against keeping the book.
Good news from Harvard for a change this week. Student: 1 vs. MFL: 0Harvard student and LGBTQ+ activist Zander Moricz goes viral for takedown of Moms for Liberty co-founder in Florida
https://www.boston.com/news/national-...
A Harvard student’s message for embattled Florida school official Bridget Ziegler is going viral after he confronted the Moms for Liberty co-founder at a recent public meeting.
https://www.boston.com/news/national-...
Of course in Alabama, the news is bad as it seems to always be these days.Right-wing media prompts Orange Beach schools to review library books
https://www.alreporter.com/2023/12/18...
At least three of the books appear to have been challenged for LGBTQ themes or messages.
Superintendent Randy Wilkes told APR that the right-wing media outlet 1819 News, which has pushed challenges against public libraries in the state, “reached out and wanted to know if they can go through our libraries.”
Although Wilkes wasn’t there when the outlet came to review the books, he said they found what they were looking for with “relative ease.”
The seven books are now undergoing a review process apparently triggered by the site, which it then wrote about. The books challenged are:
“One Life” by Megan Rapinoe
“Tomboy” by Liz Prince
“Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell
“Dare to Disappoint” by Ozge Samanci
“Just Like Mother” by Anne Heltzel (adult)
“Bad Girls of Fashion” by Jennifer Croll
“The Year I Stopped Trying” by Katie Heaney
“Dare to Disappoint: Growing up in Turkey” is an autobiographical novel by Ozge Samanci, although 1819 News mistakenly states the author to be Michael Berry, who instead reviewed the book for the Sun-Sentinel. 1819 News wrote the book “contains cursing and shows police torturing and beating people for having right-winged ideas.”
In quotes from the 1819 News article and in an interview with APR, Wilkes emphasized the profanity and sexual content of the books.
“I think there is an appropriate set of materials we need,” Wilkes told APR. “If kids were to talk about those things in the classroom, there would be consequences and correction. Why have two sets of standards?”
When asked about how the school should handle LGBTQ content in books, Wilkes said “ideologies that our students are being subjected to is something that we have got to look closely at.”
“Woke ideology is going to have difficulty being on our shelves,” Wilkes said
Books targeted for banning by Western Pa. school board members are almost never checked out, analysis showshttps://www.post-gazette.com/news/edu...
John K. Amanchukwu Sr. pastor and right-wing censor from NORTH CAROLINA not even from PA, who claimed to be a resident’s roommate shows up at school board meetings across the country to try to ban books.
All Boys Aren’t Blue” was never checked out of the high school library by students during the past five years, information yielded from a Right-to-Know request submitted by the Post-Gazette found. The request was part of a thorough check on local school libraries that are at the center of culture wars as heated debates over available books continue to infiltrate school board meetings across the country.
The novel, available to Pine-Richland students only as an audiobook, is one of dozens of books being challenged at districts across the region despite students seemingly not reading them from school libraries.
“School libraries, they’re really valuable, they are, but they’re also not the central place that students are learning information about the world,” Gayle Rogers, chair of the University of Pittsburgh’s English department, said. “School library versus TikTok, you tell me which one is more in the hands of students and providing them information about everything from geopolitics to race and gender and sexuality to health and medicine to celebrities.”
At Pine-Richland in Allegheny County around a dozen books in the high school and middle school are currently being challenged. Of those, three have not been checked out by students in the past five years including “Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out” by Susan Kuklin, “Push” by Sapphire and “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” the Right-to-Know request found. Others have been read a handful of times, the most popular being “Heartstopper: Volume One” by Alice Oseman, a LGBTQ+ graphic novel for young adults that was checked out 16 times in two school years.
Students at Blackhawk School District in Beaver County, which educates 2,327 children, have rarely read the 12 books being challenged, with five of them having never been checked out in the past five years including “13 Reasons Why” by Jay Asher, “America: A Novel” and “Dime” by E.R. Frank, “Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Perez and “Sold” by Patricia McCormick. The most read of the challenged books was “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, which was checked out 12 times in five years, according to district data.
As of this week all 12 books were listed as restricted on the district’s library website, meaning that students can only check them out if they are 18 or have parent permission. The novels, moved after the school board in October amended the district’s library policy, are expected to be put back in circulation after school directors this week reverted the policy back to its previous format.
Pine resident Allison Bashe, whose daughter graduated from Pine-Richland last year, said she wasn’t surprised to learn that challenged books are not often checked out by students.
“The fact that they probably aren’t checked out I think again supports the argument that this is really not about protecting children but more about fear and imposing a select minority valued viewpoint on the whole community,” Ms. Bashe said. “I think the right to access information is really important.”
And those resources are essential for marginalized members of the community who have higher rates of mental health issues, said Ms. Bashe, who is a psychologist.
Censorship = suppression of information. Censorship = something I do not agree with and will not participate it even if there are good intentions behind it. That being said, here's the news of the day.
North Carolina= Wake school board adopts new parents' law into policy books
The new and controversial law deals with a lot of culture war issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation. School systems across North Carolina must now follow it.
It also prohibits instruction regarding sexual orientation, gender identity or sexuality before fifth grade, when instruction on puberty often begins. That's prompted questions about what is considered to be "instruction" and whether that restriction includes library books that might feature a gay character.
Censor of the day in Wake: Julie Page, founder of Wake County's Moms For Liberty chapter,
https://www.wral.com/story/wake-schoo...
Kentucky - The Boyle County School District quietly quietly banned more than 100 books, citing anti-trans bill SB 150. But a local campaign by students and their peers successfully pushed back.https://www.thenation.com/article/act...
Anyone in Florida? You're invited to the great Read Banned Books Corp. rally at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20 at the Countess de Hoernle Theatre at Spanish River High School, 5100 Jog Rd., Boca Raton.For more information, write to readbannedbooksusa@gmail.com.
June S. Neal, Delray Beach
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2023/12/...
MassachusettsStudents, staff and Gov. Maura Healey express grief, disapproval after police searched a Great Barrington classroom for 'Gender Queer' book
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/s...
on Friday, LGBTQIA + teens who have been beaten, or attacked with slurs and other indignities organized a walkout at Monument Mountain Regional High School to talk about it.
More than 100 students and staff gathered outside the school to protest a police officer’s search for the illustrated novel, “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe, in a eighth-grade middle school classroom this month after someone — who remains anonymous — complained that the book contains p____graphic images.
The book probe has outraged many in the community, including parents who say they want answers about how police got involved in the review of literature and why that was permitted.
Gov. Maura Healey on Monday also expressed disapproval of the attempt to censor, and in a statement applauded the students for their walkout.
"Book banning has no place in Massachusetts," Healey said.
While the students demonstrated, school officials and law enforcement were still scrambling to respond to blowback from the incident.
Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue said he was bouncing the book probe back to the school — where such issues are typically resolved.
Great Barrington Police Chief Paul Storti said in a statement he had to follow through with the Dec. 8 complaint and notify the DA, and that he worked with school officials to do it in the least invasive way possible.
Berkshire Hills Regional School District Superintendent Peter Dillon said he and other school officials found themselves caught off guard by this run-in with police about a book. It is something district “policies did not anticipate.”
“It’s really beautiful,” said organizer Noelia Salinetti, 17, after the protest, speaking of the support as well as that of “people that I wasn’t necessarily expecting to show up.”
Salinetti said the students are also rallying for middle schoolers’ rights to a variety of literature but also want to “protect” and support the teacher who provides it.
No one saw this attempt at a book ban coming. Students Ben Gross, Ari Caine and Mia Cohen were already worried about bans elsewhere on Holocaust literature such as "Maus," by Art Spiegelman and "Night," by Elie Wiesel — both of which are studied at the middle school.
Gross, 17, said it appears that books about “personal experience” appear to be frequent targets of bans.
Caine, one of the organizers, agreed.
“Because it humanizes," Caine said, "and they want so bad to dehumanize minorities that these personal narratives that really make you feel for the person are the greatest threat.”
Mod
Students, staff and Gov. Maura Healey express grief, disapproval after police searched a Great Barrington classroom for 'Gender Queer' book
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/s......"
How about naming, identifying the police officer who invaded the school to search for the book! Just doing their job does not cut it, just like it did not cut it for East German border guards who claimed they were just following orders when they shot people trying to escape to West Germany. The police chief could have categorically refused and that he did not makes Paul Storti akin and alike to the GESTAPO and his police officers as well (and the "person" who issued the complaint should be identified and frankly no anonymous complaints regarding books should even be allowed).
Can't find the specific officer's name, just a plainclothes officer, but I haveGreat Barrington Police Chief Paul Storti
NPR has a better version of events:
https://www.wgbh.org/news/education-n...
Storti told GBH News that because the complaint was made directly to the police department, police were obligated to respond. He added that their response was carefully crafted to minimize any disruption to or negative impact on the school, with an officer in plain clothes visiting toward the end of the school day after first consulting with school administrators.
“The interaction with the teacher was cordial,” said Storti, who said he had no familiarity with the book before receiving the complaint.
“The officer didn't touch anything. They didn't search,” Storti added. “They basically asked if the book was still there, to give the context of what we were dealing with dealing with. The teacher said the book wasn't there, and the officer left.”
In the wake of that visit, the Great Barrington Police Department and Berkshire County District Attorney Timothy Shugrue have determined that no criminality was involved, and referred the matter back to the Berkshire Hills Regional School District.
Julia Sabourin, a spokesperson for Shugrue, agreed with Storti that a law enforcement response was required once the initial complaint was made to police.
“Police are duty bound to investigate reported criminal acts, and they can’t choose when to respond and when not to,” Sabourin said. “‘Gender Queer’ is the most banned book this year … but just researching [that context] doesn’t complete what officers are bound to do.”
But Ruth Bourquin, senior managing attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts, took vigorous issue with that assessment.
“We are deeply concerned about the overreach by law enforcement in going down this path at all,” Bourquin said. “These are the tactics of a police state. … There is no serious argument that this book would give rise to the basis for any criminal investigation.”
The ACLU filed a freedom of information request to find out what went down in Great Barrington. The headline reads :
The police officer who searched for a book in a Great Barrington classroom also used a body camera. The ACLU has ‘deep concerns’
The article doesn't say much else that is new
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/s...
In case you can't access the above link, here's another with a summary
https://www.rawstory.com/massachusett...
Florida's rules are so draconian and ridiculous. Orange school district pulls 673 books from teachers’ classroom shelves
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/...
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/...
The books run the gamut, from John Milton’s 17th-century epic poem “Paradise Lost” to John Grisham’s 1991 New York Times bestseller “The Firm.” John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden” and John Irving’s “The World According to Garp” made the list, too.
The list also includes popular novels by Stephen King, Sue Monk Kidd and Jodi Picoult, classics like “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” “Jude the Obscure,” and “Madame Bovary,” and award-winning books like “A Thousand Acres,” “Beloved,” and “Love in the Time of Cholera.”
The rejected books include ones teachers say were once regularly taught in high school classes, such as “The Color Purple,” “Catch-22,” and “Brave New World.
The list contains books found in teachers’ classroom collections, not in school libraries. Many likely were not part of required instruction but were available to students for independent reading. The district said it could not yet provide a full count of how many books have been removed from school libraries this year.
The books pulled from classrooms represent “over censorship” by media specialists operating under “great fear” because of the new state laws that hold them responsible for every item on a shelf, said Karen Castor Dentel, an Orange County School Board member as the board discussed the list at its Dec. 12 meeting.
“It’s creating this culture of fear within our media specialists and even teachers who just want to have a library in their classrooms, so kids have access,” said Castor Dentel, a former OCPS elementary school teacher.
Parents, she said, can restrict what their own children read, making it hard to justify pulling so many books from classrooms. “They’re in a pile of we’ll-get-to-it-later and in the meantime, no one can read those books.”
The harm of so much censorship far outweighs the benefits of finding “a book or two that is offensive,” Castor Dentel added. “Look at all the chaos that has been created. It’s not worth it.”
OCPS had five copies of the book in four of its high schools, and after a complaint two years ago, administrators determined “Gender Queer” was too graphic for school shelves and ordered it removed. That happened in the fall of 2021, before the new laws were passed. The book appeared on the list of 673 rejected titles, apparently because a teacher had a copy in a classroom library.
Orange school board member Alicia Farrant, a member of the conservative Moms for Liberty group that has pushed for books to be yanked from schools, ran for office last year promising to get rid of books she called offensive.
She was on stage with DeSantis when he signed HB 1467 in 2022, which increased scrutiny of school and classroom libraries and prompted the new rules for media specialists.
During the board’s discussion last week, she mentioned the book “No, David!,” one of the picture books pulled from Hernando schools, and said districts need to find “that happy medium” when it comes to books.
“We can’t be living in a state of fear and removing every single book,” Farrant said. “I don’t like the book,” she said of “No, David!,” by David Shannon, “but a book like that shouldn’t be removed because a kid is running down the street with his butt showing.”
But Farrant also blamed Castor Dentel and others on the board before her 2022 election for allowing books she found inappropriate, including those with “graphic s--ual content” and “major cussing,” onto campuses.
“If you’re so frustrated, with the state having its nose in your stuff, maybe you should have been doing your job and making sure these books were not in our libraries,” she told Castor Dentel.
To comply with this year’s new law, OCPS began reviewing school and classroom library books over the summer, with the early rejection list alarming some teachers even before the new school year started.
Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” and Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” as well as popular, turned-into-movies books like “Into the Wild,” and “The Fault in Our Stars” were early entries on the list and remain rejected.
“Depicts or describes s--ual conduct (not allowed per HB 1069-2023),” read the explanation on the early rejection list, referencing the law DeSantis signed in May.
Superintendent Maria Vazquez said media specialists had no option but to take the state’s warnings seriously.
“If there is a challenge, it’s the media specialist’s certificate that is in jeopardy,” she said.
The district’s guidance to media specialists as the book reviews began in the summer warned them about what was at stake. “You are tasked with protecting your colleagues, yourself, and OCPS to ensure content being made available to students is in compliance with Florida Statutes,” it read.
Vazquez said the district wants staff to review the rejected books as quickly as possible, so some novels might be returned to classrooms. But, she said, “There’s hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of books, and they also have another job they are doing at the same time.”
Board member Angie Gallo urged the district to make the list of rejected books available on its website so residents can see it, and, if it bothers them, talk to state lawmakers.
“I think they’d be shocked,” Gallo said. “I know I was shocked when I saw the list.”
Vazquez said staff would try to do that early in 2024 and also update the board on the status of the books on the rejected list.
Gallo also said she understood that media specialists and district staff faced a “huge burden” reviewing so many books. “They’re doing the best they can to try to adhere to a law that is out there, and I appreciate them so much,” she said.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/...
Mod
Orange school district pulls 673 books from teachers’ classroom shelves
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/...
https://www.orlan..."
The teachers need to fight back and keep restocking their shelves with the banned books even if it means getting fired and/or arrested.
The teachers fear losing their license is my guess.
Mod
I can understand that, but they might have to consider that risk and also work collectively.
This week in censorship newsOver 1000 books are off limits to students in Escambia County, Florida, schools for review!
This is the district where the so-called Language Arts Teacher, Vicki Blodgett, was allowed to challenge and subsequently ban, hundreds of books. Also, a pastor with no children or grandchildren in the schools thinks he can tell everyone what they should not read. He's clearly using Book Looks (M4L's site) and taking passages out of context and doesn't seem to believe in reality.
He claims: "There’s “And Tango Makes Three,” about the first penguin in the zoo to have two daddies. First of all, scientifically, that’s an impossibility. Secondly, I don’t think it’s helpful to the child. This is not the time and the place to bring that subject up."
well, news flash! It's a true story so yes obviously, a penguin chick CAN have two daddies. Plus it's no longer a scientific impossibility. Several celebrities have twins with two daddies and an egg donor/surrogate. Welcome to modern science, pastor!
He continues "But these books have no educational value. What happened to the classics? They’ve just been forgotten about. “Gone With the Wind.” “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle.” That book brought reformation to the meatpacking industry."
Gone with the Wind? Seriously?! How is that educational, not to mention appropriate for elementary age students? The Jungle? No 5th grader wants to read that.
A superintendent was fired for implementing a process for banning books.
Wise words from a teenager, Aleora Holman:
"I was raised very religious. The kind of Christianity that says you go to hell if you’re gay. I was taught that women belong in the kitchen, wearing dresses. The man works. The man wears a suit.
But I grew out of that. I did my own reading online. I made friends who were gay. I realized gay people aren’t possessed by demons. They’re just people. I’m 17 now, and I’m pansexual, which means I like anybody. I’m also transgender and nonbinary, because I don’t identify with male or female. I’m just somewhere in the middle where it really doesn’t matter. You just kind of do you.
I’m never going to understand the argument that having gay couples in children’s books is not age appropriate. I mean, straight couples are literally everywhere.
It doesn’t make sense to say “And Tango Makes Three” is age inappropriate. It’s penguins. It’s wholesome. It’s a childish way of introducing, you know, that there’s not just women and men that like each other — sometimes there are boys that like each other.
Nobody thinks, when they walk into school, “I really hope I don’t read a book about a gay couple today.” If anything, every now and then I’ll have the worry, “What if today’s the day that somebody shoots up the school?” It’s pitiful that people are deciding to focus on something like books instead of a real problem like guns."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/educat...
Alabama has been working up to a police state for awhile and now they have a website to report so-called obscene books!Clean up Alabama
State House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartsell
Rep. Susan DuBose
Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover, among those who pushed for explicit and controversial reading material to be removed from childrens’ sections of libraries, praised the release of the new online portal, but noted that room remained for improvement.
“I’d love to see it available to school libraries and parents, but as it is, it will help librarians to make more informed decisions, and I’m very appreciative to the board,” DuBose told Alabama Daily News Friday.
Gov. Kay Ivey
https://aldailynews.com/alabama-libra...
North Dakota library obscenity law reignites old debates, but does little to change what's on shelvesGrand Fork Public Library has seen its first book challenges in years since HB 1205 passed in April
https://12ft.io/proxy
d Emily Frelich filed challenges against “Sex is a Funny Word” and “What’s Going on Down There?”
How Do You Make a Baby?
Four people ultimately filed requests for reconsideration for nine books in the Grand Forks Public Library, all located in the children’s section and intended for readers between the ages of 3 and 15. Residents who submitted remarks at public comment or requests for removal uniformly objected to the books’ display of sexuality and nudity.
Others singled out specific topics to which they object or illustrations they find particularly crass, like a cartoon showing a couple showering in “How Do You Make a Baby?” and an illustration of two nude men in “What’s Going On Down There?”
Laurie Kraemer, who submitted comments to the library board but no request for removal, said she disliked the “irreverent” attitude of “How Do You Make a Baby?” toward s-x.
“All of it is cartoon, but it’s very definitive in its presentation of the husband-wife relationship, or the marital relationship,” she said. “Obviously, they show other relationships too.” (emphasis mine)
Multiple parents expressed concern that a passage in “What’s Going on Down There?” (suggested age range: 8 to 12) that discussed (view spoiler)
The most prolific complainant was Sara Ellenwood, a mom of six who filed complaints against all nine books.
She was also notably the only complainant who indicated on her request-for-removal form she’d read the books she was issuing complaints about; the rest indicated they’d been sent photos of the offending books’ content, presumably by Ellenwood or another concerned parent.
For her part, Ellenwood wasn’t interested in seeing most of the books she complained about removed outright, but she took issue with the ease in which the books can be accessed by unsupervised children.
She suggests the library create a special section for sex education and puberty books targeted toward children, so parents have an easier time monitoring their children's reading materials.
(They do. It's called non-fiction, call number 612.6 at my library, at their library it is 612.6, 613.9)
Most complainants requested the books be shelved elsewhere rather than removed. A few were less accommodating.
In her responses to requests for reconsideration, Wendt, the library director, noted each of the books challenged at the public library were “well-reviewed by library professional journals” and fall within the library’s longstanding criteria for its collection.
She said the library tries to offer a diverse collection of material, and doesn’t try to limit who it serves.
“There’s that famous quote, ‘A good library will have something to offend everybody,’” Wendt said. “It’s not for us to decide what people should or should not read. We’re not the morality police.”
She defended the inclusion of sex ed and puberty books in the library in particular, arguing that access to the books is most important for youth who lack a supportive or informed parent or guardian to discuss their changing bodies.
“Honestly, puberty is the hardest time in somebody’s life and if they don’t feel they have a parent they can talk to, these books can be a lifeline,” Wendt said.
“Same with anything that had to do with being gay, lesbian, transgender, all of that stuff. If you don’t have some people to talk to – and most people don’t – these books can prevent people from feeling alone.”
Grand Forks Public Library ultimately kept six of the nine challenged books on the children’s shelf, and moved three — “How Do You Make a Baby?,” “Growing Up Inside and Out” and “Hello Flo. The Guide. Period.”— to adult nonfiction.
Wendt based the decision on the recommended age range of the books. Since “How Do You Make a Baby?,” “Hello Flo” and “Growing Up Inside and Out” were recommended for readers up to ages 13, 14, and 15, respectively, the books were moved out of the children’s section, which is intended for readers up to age 12.
Two of the four people who filed requests for reconsideration, Ellenwood and Frelich, indicated to the Herald they intend to appeal at least one of Wendt’s rulings on the titles they challenged to the library board – though, since more than 30 days have passed since Wendt responded to their complaint, they’ll have to start the process from scratch.
Even if they do, there’s no guarantee the library board will overrule Wendt’s decision, or entertain Ellenwood’s decision to rearrange the library to assuage her and others’ concerns.
Sherwood pointed out it’s ultimately parents’ responsibility to monitor their children at the library.
The law passed by the Legislature in April, HB 1205, will do very little to change that. For one, the bill’s final version doesn’t substantially change the statutory definition of obscenity, as the bill’s lead sponsor, House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, pointed out.
Lefor maintains HB 1205 does little more than require public libraries to demonstrate to the Legislature by May that they have in place collection development policies that remove or relocate “explicit sex--ual material.”
“It’s not meant to be difficult, and it’s not meant to be punitive,” Lefor said, though he suggested library directors “err on the side of caution” while interpreting the bill’s language.
HB 1205’s definition of “explicit s--ual material” essentially adapts the language of the Miller test, which since 1973 has been the Supreme Court’s standard for determining whether speech or expression can be labeled obscene and protects works with literary, artistic, political or scientific value.
“I don’t know how this bill actually even helps,” said Frelich. “I guess I’ll do an appeal, but I’m pretty much expecting that they will just say, ‘well, no, we just don’t want to’ and I’ll have nothing to go off.”
That hasn’t stopped the bill from being a nuisance for libraries across the state, most of which already have collection development policies in place, according to the State Library. Librarians like Wendt continue to be frustrated by the bill’s lack of specifics on what, exactly, they need to submit to the Legislature in May.
Organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union don’t buy Lefor’s tack. Cody Schuler, advocacy manager for the ACLU’s North Dakota chapter, argued passing the bill was at best reductive and a waste of taxpayer money, since the Miller test has been law for 50 years, and at worst an attempt at imposing certain morals on the general public.
“The issue seemed to be that they were unhappy with the processes that stood and they were trying to change the outcome,” Schuler said.
Schuler said one also had to consider the bill’s legislative climate. The Legislature passed a record-setting 10 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in a single day in April, according to the Human Rights Campaign, and the ACLU included HB 1205 on its own list of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation after the bill’s original language sought to bar (view spoiler)
Sex Is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU
Will Puberty Last My Whole Life?: REAL Answers to REAL Questions from Preteens About Body Changes, Sex, and Other Growing-Up Stuff
Growing Up, Inside and Out
HelloFlo: The Guide, Period.: The Everything Puberty Book for the Modern Girl
What's Going on Down There?: A Boy's Guide to Growing Up
https://12ft.io/proxy
Back to Florida, where the censors don't get their own way so they insist new review committees are needed to push through their own agenda. Beloved is about slavery so yes it's going to show how dehumanizing and degrading enslavement was particularly for women! I don't even remember any of the content they're talking about and I read it in college! Hernando school board removes six books
One is kept and one is put on limited access amid impassioned debate
https://www.suncoastnews.com/news/her...
Mark Johnson objects to out of context passages in The Hate U Give.
Board Member Shannon Rodriguez
Same same plus hurtful comments.
One book, “Drama,” was kept on a 3-2 vote, with Johnson and Shannon dissenting. Another book, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, was given limited access to students in college-level literacy courses and adults students on a 3-2 vote.
“The Hate U Give” was removed on a 3-2 vote.
“Push” was removed on a 5-0 vote.
“Court of Frost and Starlight” was removed on a 5-0 vote
“Beloved” was removed on a 3-2 vote.
“The Handmaid’s Tale (graphic novel) was removed on a 4-1 vote.
“The Lovely Bones” was removed on a 5-0 vote.
The debate was long, loud and vehement, with everyone arguing the expected positions on how the books in question are either smut that children should not see or helpful for children who are struggling with their identity.
Kim Mulrooney, a parent, contended that she should be the one who decides what her child sees and not the School Board, but Rodriguez hit back verbally, saying she wants the committees to go by the law and not personal taste or “literary value.”
Rodriguez gave her regular speech on the horrors of the books she said needed to be removed from the schools, and took issue with the idea of limiting access to books, contending that there are no “adult” sections in the school libraries. In any case, she said, older students could show books they can access to younger students and hurt them, also exposing themselves to the possibility of being arrested for giving p____aphy to a child.
In addition, she said she wanted to meet the members of the committees that were reviewing these books, and said some members should be removed.
As for the idea of “limited access,” Rodriguez said, if a book shouldn’t be in the schools it shouldn’t be there, and not “limited” to certain ages.
“The state has said that limiting access is a viable option,” Superintendent John Stratton said.
The motion for all but one book recommended for limited access was changed to call for total removal.
Rodriguez said new committees are needed for book challenges.
In Maryland, Carroll school board asks for public input on defining ‘s----ally e--licit content’https://www.baltimoresun.com/2023/12/...
Board of Education member Steve Whisler made the motion during new business; the topic was not on the school board’s agenda for the October monthly meeting.
“I’d like to make a motion that we ask staff to review Policy IIAA, to consider including a provision in there that restricts explicit s---ual content in our instructional materials,” Whisler said in October. “I’d suggest that we consider a clear definition of explicit s----al content and have that derived from federal and state laws and FCC [Federal Communications Commission] decency standards.”
The proposed policy revisions state that, aside from materials approved for instruction related to family life and human development, all other instructional materials “shall not contain s----ally explicit content.” The policy revisions further define “s----ally explicit content” as (view spoiler)
The board is scheduled to review the proposed revisions and take action on them at its next meeting Jan. 10.
Whisler said in October that an update to the instructional materials policy would ensure, “a backstop so we can make sure instructional materials and supplemental materials do not include explicit s---ual activity or explicit s---ual content. It doesn’t necessarily have to relate to state requirements or state curriculum, I just wanted to see if the staff could come to us with a recommendation.”
The motion was seconded by board member Donna Sivigny, who said at the time that she wanted to, “discuss it a little further.”
School board student representative Sahithya Sudhakar, a senior at Liberty High School, said “s----ally explicit content” is a vague term, especially for works of literature.
“It’s a very vague term for a lot of us and can be stated in simple undertones when you’re reading any passage of text, versus explicitly describing the act, so how exactly would you formulate some type of method of finding this?” asked Sudhakar, who as a student member of the board is allowed to comment on issues before the panel but does not have the authority to vote.
Board of Education President Marsha Herbert said in October that a discussion about adding language to the instructional materials policy should help clarify what books and instructional materials are too explicit for schools.
“We just need a clear, concise definition,” Herbert said. “I think that will help a lot, and I think that will clear a lot of things up.”
Good news in Pickaway County, Ohio. The public library will keep the book Making a Baby in the children's section where it belongs.https://www.sciotopost.com/pickaway-c...
Library President Chistine Spring paused before casting the deciding vote. Fifteen minutes earlier, she had voted against leaving the controversial book, Making a Baby, in the children’s section. That first motion was defeated 3-2. Now, there was a second motion before the library board to move this book to the adult section under parenting. On this new motion, two board members had already voted yes, and two had already voted no. Two board members absent. Thus, President Spring had become the deciding vote.
Most who found disfavor with the book wanted it moved to the adult section. Only one person called for its outright removal. Those opposed to banning a book expressed their trust in free speech and parental discretion. Only a few expressed their desire to keep it in the children’s section as their primary concern. It appeared that a compromise was at hand that would allow the book to be kept in the library but moved to the adult section on parenting.
There had been other issues with other controversial books placed in the children’s section. Any book in the children’s section is available for selection for the Bookmobile and the Children’s Storytime Hour. Earlier in the year, a principle at a Pickaway elementary school objected to the book, What, Wait?, when it was available at the Bookmobile. This book was listed as one of the best LGBTQ graphic novels of 2019 by The Advocate and is listed in Amazon as being for ages 9-14. Another controversy recently erupted when a third controversial book was read to children during their Storytime hour.
A question arose regarding where the community stood on this issue. The majority of the attendees objected to the book’s placement in the children’s section. Those in the minority believed that those very vocal majority attendees did not represent the entire community. Citing that fact that only 14 letters of concern were received by the library director within a county of 60,000, Vice President William Thomaschek expressed the same doubt. He questioned whether the controversy over this book was of paramount concern in the community. However, President Spring stated that during her ten years of service on the library board, no other book had been so problematic.
Kay voiced concern over the prospect of a lawsuit if the book was moved out of the children’s section and cited this ALA policy as one of her reasons. She suggested this movement was not specifically authorized by any library policy. She also stated that the book was purchased and placed in accordance with the library board’s selection policy. Library board member Caryn Koch-Esterline, who led the effort to move the book, stated that she had consulted with an attorney and had received a legal opinion that the library board had broad discretion over the situation. Board member Lori Roberts cast the other vote in support of moving the book to the adult section
This Book Is Gay challenged at Cuba Library in New Yorkhttps://www.tapinto.net/towns/greater...
Two requests from resident Jordan Alles: The first was that the library move the book “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson, a dating and sex education guide for LGBTQ+ teens ages 14-17, to the adult section. The second was that the library review all the books in the teen section and move any that could be considered “inappropriate” to the adult section.
Suzanne Flierl, a member of the leadership team for the Cattaraugus-Allegany Liberation Collective and a mother to members of the LGBTQ+ community, spoke about how she had raised her children in a household that was “religiously and politically conservative” and added that she later realized that “putting that much restriction on her children traumatized” them.
“I wish that this and other books were available to my children at the time,” Flierl said. “It was much needed but unattainable at home.”
Others in the crowd favored moving the book into the adult section. Jordan Alles, who had the support of congregants from the church he attends, North Park Wesleyan, spoke about censorship and read what he considered to be some of the “explicit” sections in the book he challenged, including information about dating apps and diagrams about the human body.
Alles said that applying the word "censorship" to his challenge to move the Dawson book to the adult section of the library was "intellectually dishonest." Teens, he pointed out, have access to the adult section.
Some speakers referenced examples of explicit content in books such as “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas and argued they do not believe such books are appropriate for young people under the age of 17, who should not have access to checking such materials out of the library.
Keller Independent School District in Texas has decided that chaplains can volunteer on campus. One board member walked out and resigned. I think we can guess what happens next in the libraries.https://12ft.io/proxy
Keller school board member Ruthie Keyes walked out of Monday night’s board meeting and announced that she was stepping down during a heated discussion about a resolution to allow chaplains to volunteer on campuses.
Keyes was in her fourth term. She first took office in 2012.
“This resolution has locked down my decision to step down from this board,” Keyes said during a discussion before board members voted 6-0 to adopt the resolution on chaplains serving as volunteers at schools.
Interim superintendent John Allison said chaplains would have to go through background checks and meet other requirements for volunteers. They would not replace the counselors who work with students.
Keyes said the wording of the resolution was vague and she questioned if the resolution opened volunteer opportunities for chaplains from different faiths. “I’m curious about the inclusion of chaplains from diverse faiths, or will this mirror the prayers at our meetings?” she said.
Keller board members voted previously to invite Christian clergy to pray at the beginning of board meetings.
“I believe it is critical to prioritize open communication, community input and transparent decision making to truly serve the interests of our students and their families,” she said.
Keyes said in an interview that her resignation was a culmination of a number of concerns, including the resolution on chaplains and discussions about book bans.
Keyes said she told board members that if they if they are concerned about the books their kids are reading, then take away their phones.
Keyes said she has more board experience than the other board members combined. Five board members are in their first term.
She said she was concerned about teachers and administrators not having a voice and that board members were not listening to them or to the community.
The votes were always 6-1, she said.
In in Dothan, Alabama, Resident voices grievances as Dothan library continues reconsideration processA Dothan man expressed frustration with the library’s decision not to remove the book “Gender Queer” from its adult collection.
One of those books, Gender Queer, has already been reviewed following the library’s reconsideration policies, with the committee deciding to keep it in the adult section.
The other, This Book is Gay, has not been formally challenged according to library director Chris Warren.
Local pastor Paul Thompson asked the board to reconsider its decision on Gender Queer, although library policy states the results of reconsideration decisions stand for five years.
https://www.alreporter.com/2023/12/15...
Thompson also claimed that Gender Queer had previously been in the young adult section, but Warren said it has been in the adult section since being added to the collection.
“One of things we kept in mind, this book has been described, reviewed and marketed as a book for young adults, but due to the nature of the book we felt it was better suited in the adult collection. It has never been in young adult.”
The most challenged book in the country, records show three separate individuals challenged the book in Dothan.
One such review noted they had only read the book in part, but argued “the entire book has no place in a civilized society” and added “it goes against all Biblical doctrine and offends me as a Christian.”
Thompson on Wednesday said he is challenging the book, not on religious grounds, but instead appealed to “common decency and common sense.”
“We are neither book burners nor book banners as some would claim,” Thompson said. “We are pastors and parents, teachers, farmers, businesspeople, retirees, stay-at-home moms. We’re your neighbors. We’re people that love this community, and we love the people that we live among in this community.”
One of the other two reconsideration forms said the book is “not appropriate for general consumption” and that it should not be”be in the library at all.” The challenger states they had read about the book in the Wall Street Journal and purchased their own copy of the book.
Warren said in his reconsideration response that the book “is a valuable part of our collection.”
Thompson questioned the five-year moratorium on reconsidering books, and the library’s direct involvement in the process.
“A five-year moratorium on receiving or engaging in legitimate concerns of citizens seems arbitrary and even draconian to meThompson said. “And while I understand the intent is to protect the limited resources of staff, time and budget, the perception from those who have submitted these requests and been denied is that the policy is only intended to silence any opposition…
“It seems inherently counterproductive for library leadership to be tasked with the responsibility with reconsidering their own actions and decisions and be possibly asked to correct themselves.”
However, the reconsideration process has led to five out of 18 titles reviewed so far to be moved from the young adult section to adult.
“Pride flag is representative of the LGBTQ population,” a challenger wrote of “Rainbow: A First Book of Pride.” “I object to it being used to indoctrinate our little ones. This book is saying ‘be OK’ with this philosophy; the child doesn’t understand it … If book was about a ‘real’ rainbow it would be just fine.”
The book shows illustrations of children with same-sex parents, but does not explicitly mention sexuality at all. It says the rainbow flag is about being proud of oneself.
A challenge of “Two Boys Kissing” states the concern simply as “homosexuality.”
“Should not be in the juvenile area to put thoughts in their head because of the front page,” the challenger wrote on the form.
There is very limited sexual content in the book, less than four sentences in the entire novel.
“The Wishing Flower” was challenged for portraying a young girl apparently having a crush on another girl.
“I’d like to say they become friends, but the author includes elements of ‘more than friends,’” the challenger wrote. (view spoiler)
“Jacob’s New Dress” was challenged for showing a boy who wants to wear a dress to school.
“We all have to blend in with socially acceptable norms in effect during our short time on Earth, the challenger wrote.
Some books have a mix of sexual content and LGBTQ content.
A challenge of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” calls the book a (view spoiler)
“Juliet Takes a Breath” contains everything from “alternate sexualities and gender identities” to “controversial historical and inflammatory, derogatory terms” according to its challenger.
A challenger wrote about “Looking for Alaska” that it “does not promote moral Christian living principles.
!!!!!
Pulaski County, Arkansas, students will once again be able to access online educational materials via the Central Arkansas Library System.article flagged for phishing in my browser. Summary from
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
The Davis School District (UT) is reviewing the appropriateness of the Quran.
Notably, the Bible also faced a challenge in the district late last year, garnering widespread attention across Utah and beyond, but school officials last June determined it could stay on school bookshelves.
In response to a records request, the school district on Monday supplied KSL.com with a copy of the short request pertaining to the Quran, removing information potentially identifying who submitted it. It is only two sentences, reading, "This book is full of s-- and violence. It is on too many pages to list," continuing with a link to a Wikipedia page titled, "Violence in the Quran."
The Wikipedia page contains a range of scholarly views on the Quran. They largely focus on violence and calls for use of violence in the Quran's pages and seem aimed at putting the messaging in context. "Numerous scholars and authors, both Muslim and non-Muslim, have testified to the underlying rejection of violence, cruelty, coercion and intolerance of the Quran and its embrace of justice and self-defence," one passage reads.
Chris Williams, the Davis School District spokesman, said the review of the Quran continues and didn't immediately respond to a series of follow-up questions on the review process. He also said that the review of the Book of Mormon, which faces at least two challenges, continues. The challengers to the Book of Mormon variously cite violence, sexism, racism and (view spoiler) they say are in its pages.
https://www.ksl.com/article/50822942/...
Stupid and unproductive. Ban all religious texts from public schools. End of story.
Leavenworth, Kansas School District Board of Education just passed their own "don't say gay" law thus banning LGBTQ+ books from elementary school.https://www.kmuw.org/education/2023-1...
Maine continues to approve Gender Queer. The censors should give up now.Cumberland-North Yarmouth School Board (ME) will keep Gender Queer on shelves.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/12/1...
The Cumberland-North Yarmouth School Board has unanimously denied a request from an SAD 51 parent to remove “Gender Queer: A Memoir” from the Greely High School library.
Scott Jordan of Cumberland, who this fall filed an official challenge to the book, had appealed to the School Board a review committee’s recommendation to keep the book in the library.
SAD 51 parents may request that their child not be allowed to check out “Gender Queer,” or any other book they object to, from the high school library.
Larry Aufiero said some people believe no book should ever be kept out of the library, no matter its content.
“To a large degree, I agree that we should provide students exposure to diversity,” Aufiero said. “However, I do not believe that a p____graphic book will help us to achieve these noble goals.”
“All qualified school librarians follow the same process for choosing books,” Perkinson said. “We choose materials that support our school’s curriculum and the Maine Learning Results.”
The review committee for “Gender Queer” included a curriculum leader, community member, administrator, librarian and teacher in accordance with policy, according to board Chair Leanne Candura.
St. Charles County Public Libraries (MO), system to remove books that contain s----ally explicit photosBooks that contain "explicit photographs of intercourse or s--- acts" will be removed from library shelves in the St. Charles City-County Library District beginning Wednesday morning.
The change is expected to affect an "exceedingly small number" of the 700,000-plus books in the library's collection, said Jason Kuhl, CEO for the library district.
"This isn't about words. It isn't about drawings. It would only apply to photographs," Kuhl said Tuesday night after a meeting of the library district's board of trustees at the Middendorf-Kredell branch in O'Fallon.
The books removed will still be in the system's catalog, and will still be available to patrons to check out.
[1 book?]
Books deemed to contain explicit photographs will be taken from the adult section of libraries to an off-site location owned by the library.
Lori Beth Crawford, a spokesperson for the library district, said she does not expect the new process will result in delays getting the books to patrons who want to check them out.
The move was lauded on Tuesday night by library board members.
"I think it does a good job of balancing the interests that we have to consider here in the district," said Staci Alvarez, library board chair. "I think this is a good step forward."
https://12ft.io/proxy
Quarryville, PA Library loses funding over LGBTQ material. Sad. Sad.https://www.wgal.com/article/lancatse...#
The Quarryville Library is a public library that depends on funding from the state of Pennsylvania and the 10 municipalities it serves. However, East Drumore Township and Fulton Township are pulling their donations, apparently because of LGBTQ material in the collection.
Sarah Bower, interim library director, said an East Drumore Township supervisor told a board member last week it would not give the library a donation because of the LGBTQ material in the library. The township gave the library $5,500 last year. And Fulton Township's 2024 budget does not include funding for the library.
Bower said, "It's disheartening; it's kind of a shame that they are pulling funding or not making donations because of one type of book. We are a public library, we are supposed to have something for everyone because we are here to serve the entire community."
When word of Fulton Township's decision was made public last month, many people, including Olympic skater Johnny Weir, who is from Quarryville, made donations to the library.
But Bower says these cuts may still force the library to cut some of its programs or even staff.
Lake Luzerne's (New York) public library now has three new board members after being closed for months because of people leaving both the library staff and the board.https://www.northcountrypublicradio.o...
The library has been closed for three months following a controversy that started in April over a drag queen story hour event. Dozens of people showed up at that month's meeting to oppose the event, including local Baptist pastor Josh Jacquard, who was later elected as a trustee. The story hour was postponed and never rescheduled, but the library closed in late September when two of its three employees resigned after complaining of public harassment.
The library's new trustees — Margaret Hartley, Rosemarie Gardner and Ted Mirczak — were appointed by the Board of Regents, part of the State Department of Education. NYSED had to step in after several trustees also resigned this fall, leaving the library's board without a quorum.
Locals who were interested in serving as trustees submitted applications to the Southern Adirondack Library System, according to Sara Dallas, the system's director.
Dallas, who was part of the group that reviewed the applications, said they crossed out all the names so they wouldn't know whose application was whose. Dallas said they looked for people who had experience working on teams, and who cared about reopening the library. They forwarded top candidates to NYSED.
"I was so pleased that 11 people cared enough to go through the process," Dallas said.
An education department representative said in an email that State Library staff interviewed the candidates and checked their references. Then, they presented the nominees to the Board of Regents, who approved them.
New trustee Margaret Hartley, of Hadley, said she has only one priority: to get the library reopened.
The new board's first order of business will be to resume the search for new library staff.
According to BookRiot and EveryLibrary's survey, most Parents Want School Libraries for Their Children–But With Restrictions95% of parents believe every school should have a library, but 60% also believe those libraries should have restrictions.
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
Mostly adult books, but still... no reason given other than they violate the law on sexual content (which they don't).Florida district pulls many Jewish and Holocaust books from classroom libraries at Orange County Public Schools, in Orlando.
Books are removed from classrooms with deference to House Bill 1069,” district spokesperson David Ocasio told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, referring to a Florida law signed this year that heavily restricts instruction and classroom materials about human sexuality.
No individual reasoning was given for each book’s removal, but Ocasio said that all of the books had been marked as “not approved for any grade level.” He added that every book will go through a secondary review to determine if it will be restricted to certain grade levels or “weeded from the collection” altogether.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/florida...
Some older stories I didn't have time to shareCulture war? Banned books? Controversial terms in a fiery time in Florida
'It's not a culture war,' one book advocate says. Rather, 'we're looking at authoritarianism.'
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/new...
Chief Storti apologizes for department’s role in ‘Gender Queer’ book investigation at middle schoolAs the Chief of Police for the Great Barrington Police Department, I apologize to anyone who was negatively effected [sic] by our involvement at the WEB Dubois Middle School on December 8, 2023,” Great Barrington Police Chief Paul Storti wrote. The apology has received sharp criticism and has made national headlines.
https://theberkshireedge.com/chief-st...
The Washington Post reviewed 1,000 school book challenges. Here’s what we found.https://www.washingtonpost.com/educat...
The majority of the 1,000-plus book challenges analyzed by The Post were filed by just 11 people.
Each of these people brought 10 or more challenges against books in their school district; one man filed 92 challenges. Together, these serial filers constituted 6 percent of all book challengers — but were responsible for 60 percent of all filings.
The Post profiled one such serial book challenger —Jennifer Petersen in Virginia
Of the 499 challengers who gave an identification, 21 percent said they were parents, 15 percent said they were filing on behalf of a group of concerned parents and/or residents, and 14 percent said they were filing on behalf of a Moms for Liberty chapter.
Challenges from teachers are comparatively rare, but they happen. Just eight challenges in The Post’s database were brought by self-identified school staffers — and two by self-identified students.
Half of challenged books return to schools. LGBTQ books are banned most.
After parents object, books with LGBTQ themes and characters are most likely to go
https://www.washingtonpost.com/educat...
The New York Times takes a look at 9 picture books being challengedThese children’s picture books have been banned. To some, the topics — racism, sexuality, transgender identity and gay relationships — are not appropriate for very young readers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/23/bo...
Finally, a chilling story from Russia. This is happening here in America too, folks. Fascism!‘No, that’s fascism’: the librarian who defied Russia’s purge of LGBTQ+ books
https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...
hero: Vladimir Kosarevsky, a gay man from Russia and manager of Moscow’s Anna Akhmatova library, received orders late last year to destroy books referencing same-sex relationships... knew it was a line he wouldn’t cross. He decided to ignore the orders. Instead, he began hiding books, loading them into boxes that he tucked away at the library. When pushed for proof that the books had been destroyed, he handed over falsified documents.
He went one step further, leaking the list of the more than 50 books he had been told to purge to independent media.
“I had been discriminated against many times. Now I had to be the one who censors things? And destroys books? No, that’s fascism.”
He worried that the law – which rights groups say functionally outlaws any act or public mention of same-sex relationships – was a slippery slope. “They’re banning LGBTIQ literature today. What comes tomorrow – they take away our right to live?”
After media published the list, the spotlight landed on Kosarevsky. Each institution had received a slightly different list, allowing the leak to be traced back to his library, he said. Given his history of LGBTQ+ activism, his superiors swiftly pieced together what happened, he added.
“They started to cast me as a traitor,” said Kosarevsky. “I realised that they were going to send me to war or throw me in prison.”
He slipped out of Russia in early January, eventually making his way to the Spanish region of Galicia [where he must rebuild his life, learn a new language and support his late brother's family.]
Soon after, he went on the record with Novaya Gazeta, an independent news outlet covering Russia, outing himself as the source of the leaked list.
Shortly after the interview was published, Kosarevsky was fired from the library where he had worked for 14 years. His days are now spent navigating the bureaucracy of applying for asylum in Spain while wrestling with the reality of rebuilding his life from scratch. “My whole life collapsed, I lost everything,” he said. “But I feel safe here, I’m getting a lot of support from the local community.”
Months on, he had no regrets about what he had done, arguing that the revelations helped force authorities to backtrack on their plans. “I have to say that I’m proud of myself for sending the list to journalists,” he said. “Because the general population could actually see what was happening.”
he is also exploring the idea of launching an NGO that could serve as a repository for endangered books, such as those that contain LGBTQ+ themes or characters.
The collection would include books from Russia but also span countries far beyond, with the aim of making them as accessible as possible to shine a light on lives that are all too often rendered invisible. “This is not just happening in Russia,” he said. “The hope would be that people would be able to read them and learn something. Learn the truth, maybe.”
Mod
‘No, that’s fascism’: the librarian who defied Russia’s purge of LGBTQ+ books
https://www.theguardian..."
Why are we at all surprised here. Vladimir Putin is a huge fan of Josef Stalin (and Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler were basically interchangeable). And let's face it, Trump, DeSantis, Abbott and company and in fact and really sadly very many Republicans are for some warped and vile reason (and always seemingly have been) pretty supportive of Vladimir Putin's invasion of the Ukraine, have blocked aid to and support of the Ukraine and also seem to actively support Putin's homophobia, and thus sadly would also consider Vladimir Kosarevsky not a hero but a villain.
Yes Trump openly admires Putin and the ACLU continues to fight discrimination and the erasure of LGBTQ+ people. The extremists who ban books want to ban people too. The same laws that ban books in school apply to what pronouns kids can use, what names they can go by and what bathrooms they are allowed to use. A friend told me a friend's son in a southern state came home from school with a permission slip to be allowed to use a nickname. I had to explain to my parents that this is code for outing queer kids who may not be out to their parents. It's designed to shame, degrade and erase the child's very essence of who they are. They make excuses like the focus should be on academics but fail to see the larger picture like getting along with your peers and being happy, well adjusted students who can then thrive and do well in school.
Here's a story about how Texas school boards are more interested in promoting dirty energy than teaching science. I reported on this in November but it's a new story recapping the news.https://news.yahoo.com/texas-school-b...
Mod
And Trump was also oohing and waxing poetic over the leader of North Korea a few years ago.
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Out of the Blue (other topics)The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink (other topics)
My Rainbow (other topics)
Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts (other topics)
The Day the Books Disappeared (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
Ellen Hopkins (other topics)
Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Scott Stuart (other topics)
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censors object to the penguin book, And Tango Makes Three and sweet trans boy Aidan, “When Aidan Became a Brother"
City Councilor Steve Dillard who thinks these books are explicit!..."
So what is next for Steve Dullard (sic, and I really could not resist)? Will he start demanding that birds in same sex relationships in zoos (and in the wild) be culled because it is explicit and dangerous?