Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Some news at the end of this weekOklahoma superintendent calls for emergency suspension of school employee's teacher's certificate
Buried in this story is the news for months, Walters has been trying to oust the principal of John Glenn Elementary in Western Heights because he performs as a drag queen, which is not a crime. His teaching certificate and the district's accreditation have both been threatened.
Also the fact, some online "watchdog" group apparently recorded a teacher's conversation with a student?! What? How? Is that legal?
"An online group called Oklahoma Predator Prevention posted a one-hour video with the man, accusing him of inappropriately chatting with a teen and confronting him with transcripts of the chat.
The man allegedly planned to meet the boy but backed out. Oklahoma City police were called d to the home after the confrontation, but as of Friday, there were no court records of charges being filed in the case."
https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma...
Berkshire Eagle: Massachusetts Teachers Association speaks out on book search at Great Barrington classroomhttps://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/s...
Librarian and Anti-Censorship Activist Amanda Jones Tells Her Story
That Librarian
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
Who complained to police about 'Gender Queer' and the Great Barrington teacher? The teacher's lawyer wants to knowhttps://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/s...
I want to know too. Berkshire Hills Regional School District Superintendent Peter Dillon believes the teacher was deliberately targeted because of her sexual orientation and race.
Dillon said revealing who the complainant is seems fair given the impact of the Dec. 8 complaint on the school community. He said he finds the complainant's continued anonymity "dangerous or problematic" especially given the teacher's name was entered into the police incident report that was released to the press. Dillon thinks there's a "very strong possibility" that the teacher was targeted for her sexual orientation. Last week, he told parents at a meeting about the incident that it was a "racist and homophobic attack." Dillon said he didn't know that at the outset.
The lawyer is considering states: "“Among other things, these actions raise numerous and serious legal issues with regard to the lack of any reasonable suspicion, let alone probable cause, to interrogate our client,” Cooper wrote.
Also problematic, he said, is the shrouding of the identity of the complainant “upon whose word a criminal investigation was opened."
And so is the fact, Cooper added, that police did not send that person back to the schools to follow existing book challenge procedures."
More than 1600 books are banned in Escambia County schools (Florida). Among them iographies of Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Nicki Minaj, and Thurgood Marshall are on the list, alongside The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Black Panther comics by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The Feminism Book was banned along with The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider’s Guide to Careers in Fashion. The list obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project also includes Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl, The Adventures and the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile. The Princess Diaries and 14 other books by Meg Cabot have been taken from libraries, alongside books by David Baldacci, Lee Child, Michael Crichton, Carl Hiassen, Jonathan Franzen, John Green, John Grisham, Stephen King (23 of them), Dean Koontz, Cormac McCarthy, Celeste Ng, James Patterson, Jodi Picoult, and Nicholas Sparks. Conservative pundit Bill O’Reilly’s two books, Killing Jesus and Killing Reagan, were also banned pending investigation.
https://pen.org/escambia-county-flori...
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https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/s......"
Maybe the complainant is a police officer or has friends amongst the police.
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I guess if a student were to present a book report on Anne Frank's Diary (even if he or she had read this at home), suspension/expulsion would likely be considered, sigh.
Manybooks wrote: "I guess if a student were to present a book report on Anne Frank's Diary (even if he or she had read this at home), suspension/expulsion would likely be considered, sigh.."
No. The teacher wouldn't be allowed to assign it and if the teacher allowed it, the teacher would probably lose their job. No students have yet to be punished.
In NYS teachers are considered guilty until proven innocent. Isn't that unconstitutional?
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Wow, I think it should be unconstitutional but ...
Shanley wrote: "In NYS teachers are considered guilty until proven innocent. Isn't that unconstitutional?"It should be but the extremists don't believe in the Constitution. God's law is supreme in their minds. They only use the Constitution when they believe it's in their best interests but from things they say, I don't believe they've ever read or studied the Constitution. The stories they tell themselves matter more than the actual facts.
Teachers should and are fighting back, along with librarians and concerned parents and citizens. The news today is slightly encouraging.
Paywalled but the headline speaks volumes about the value of librariansLibrarian faced spate of insults. Thousands of people came to his defense.
Librarian Mychal Threets said sometimes the best way to respond to people who level insults is with empathy.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifest...
He was attacked by M4L, unsurprisingly, and Josh Lekach
His insta
https://www.instagram.com/mychal3ts/?...
Interview on NPR
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2024/...
Federal lawsuit against Florida school district that banned books can move forward, judge rulesThe lawsuit alleges a Panhandle school district and its school board
are violating the First Amendment through the removal of 10 books.
U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II, based in Pensacola, ruled that the writers’ group PEN America, publisher Penguin Random House, banned authors and parents have standing to pursue their claims under the First Amendment’s free speech protections, while denying a claim under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
“We are gratified that the Judge recognized that books cannot be removed from school library shelves simply because of the views they espouse, and are looking forward to moving forward with this case to protect the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs,” attorney Lynn Oberlander said in a statement.
The federal lawsuit alleges the Escambia County School District and its school board are violating the First Amendment through the removal of 10 books.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
Manybooks wrote: "https://nationalpost.com/feature/toro...How frigging stupid!!"
Agreed. That's been going on since the 1870s when Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn! He used that word deliberately and carefully in context of his character's life and times. A good teacher will know how to teach this and keep their students from using that word conversationally. My teachers managed to do that back in the 90s!
Ruling on Iowa book ban exposes falsity of backers’ claims.Federal judge points to an alternative the governor and Legislature didn’t take.
Commentary piece
https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/...
Not so good news in UtahUtah leaders to discuss repealing policy that provides educational equity in schools
https://kutv.com/news/crisis-in-the-c...
The board members who want it repealed said it conflicts with a recently passed state law that prohibits educators from teaching materials that are “inconsistent with certain principles.”
However, the public comment has been overwhelmingly in favor of keeping the policy in place, and teachers said repealing it would cause more harm than good.
What does this policy actually do? According to the definition, it acknowledges all students are capable of learning and that resources need to be divvied out so each student has an equal chance to learn.
Utah Education Association President Renée Pinkney said the policy also offers teachers training on how to handle discussions about diversity, equity and inclusion.
“A lot of educators, they wonder, ‘What if I say something that could cost me my job?’ That is something that this rule is protecting them from," Pinkney said.
Some parents may worry that the rule would open the door for controversial topics, like critical race theory, to be taught in class. However, Pinkney said the policy doesn’t change the core curriculum.
Three members of the Utah State School Board are supporting the repeal: Emily Green, Joseph Kerry and Christina Boggess.
In FloridaLast year, Republicans heralded parental rights as they pushed voucher expansion, book challenges and DeSantis' "war on woke." Legislation that expanded the law dubbed "Don't Say Gay" by critics passed along party lines and headed swiftly to the governor's desk.
"Thanks to the Legislature, we have protected our children from indoctrination and sexualization of the curriculum, and we stood up for parents against the woke mob," DeSantis said during his State of the State address Tuesday at the Florida Capitol.
This year is more of the same, with some of 2023's top legislators still leading the GOP, the state's majority party, and carrying priority bills affecting education:
School Chaplains (SB 1044/HB 931): Sen. Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce, is sponsoring a bill that would allow public school districts and public charter schools to allow volunteer school chaplains, with the chaplains' duties to be determined by the district's school board or the charter school's governing board by Jan. 1, 2025.
Schools would be required to inform parents of the services the chaplain provides, and a student must obtain parental consent before participating in any services or programs with the chaplain, who can be affiliated with any religion. The chaplains must pass a level 2 background check.
Video Cameras in Public School Classrooms (SB 1472): Grall also is sponsoring a bill that would require video cameras in certain public school classrooms. Schools would be able to record "self-contained" classrooms, which include at least one "nonverbal" student who attends special education classes and is assigned to one or more such classrooms for at least 50 percent of the instructional day.
Last year, lawmakers passed a bill that allows cameras in self-contained classrooms if a teacher or a student requested one. This bill would require the district to provide one video camera to each self-contained classroom, and the video would also record audio.
The recordings would be kept for three months, and the district must allow a review of a recorded incident that results in neglect or abuse of a student, within seven days, when requested. The state is not allowed to continuously monitor a classroom or use the video for teacher evaluations. All those in the recorded classroom, including the parents of the students, would be notified of the camera.
Deregulation of Public Schools/Assessment and Accountability, Instruction, and Education Choice(SB 7004): Senate Republicans are walking back some decades-old regulations, with Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, calling them "burdensome" on public schools. In this bill, one of the most striking repeals would put parents' rights over test scores for third graders.
"A student must be promoted to grade 4 if the parent determines promotion is in the best interest of the student," the bill says. Other deregulations include removing the requirements for students to pass the Algebra 1 and Grade 10 English Language Arts assessments for graduation.
Bills the Democrats want:
Required Instruction in the History of African Americans (SB 344/HB 1521): This bill is a direct response to the state's African American history curriculum, released last spring, that spurred criticism and opposition due to the instructional material. Critics blasted the curriculum benchmarks, which included instruction about "how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit." The bill, filed by Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, says that the "instruction required under ... state academic standards may not indicate or imply that an enslaved person benefited from slavery or the enslavement experience in any way."
Education (HB 1355): Sponsored by Rep. Michele Rayner, D-St. Petersburg, this bill would would undo legislation enacted in 2023 through HB 1069, which restricted the use of preferred pronouns, laid out an objection process for books in public schools and restricted discussions of gender identity and sexuality in classrooms. With the adoption of the bill, public schools would be required to teach LGBTQ history and school districts would be prevented from adopting policies that require personnel to share certain information with parents in the case that a "reasonably prudent person would believe that disclosure would result in harm to the student." A similar bill was filed Jan. 5 in the Senate by Sen. Tracie Davis.
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/new...
Another Round of Public Library Bomb ThreatsMinnesota public libraries have had a wave of bomb threats called in over the last week, closing institutions early & increasing fear.
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskat...
Manybooks wrote: "Sorry, Premier Scott Moe and your stupid lawyer mouthpieces, claiming that children changing their pronouns without parental consent is harmful is at best ignorant and at worst dangerous, for gener..."Sorry the ignorant people of the United States have infected Premier Scott Moe and others like him. My friend told me a friend's kid in Georgia came home with a permission slip to use a nickname in school. (I.e. outing of trans kids)! More censorship news in a minute.
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...55 books were pulled "temporarily" from shelves in Rockingham County (NC) schools while the board develops a book review policy. (AND an invocation to start the school board meeting!)
With three new highly political members and board member Matt Cross as the newly elected chair, the Rockingham County School Board voted to “temporarily remove” a list of library books and adopt the example guidelines as is from the 2023 Model Policies.
https://www.dnronline.com/news/rockin...
The changes from the board started early on in the meeting, with an invocation replacing the normally held moment of silence. The moment of silence has been in place since at least 2018, according to agendas from previous years, although Cross said the board used to hold invocations to open meetings.
“As the chair of the board, I have decided we will follow suit with our local elected officials such as the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors,” Cross said before giving the invocation “I believe the majority of our community would agree with me — we need God’s help the days that we’re living in.”
In a 4-1 vote, the Rockingham County School Board voted to “temporarily remove” a list of 57 books, including books like "Beloved," "Looking for Alaska," and "All Boys Aren’t Blue" while the board adopts new processes to review books included in school libraries. The majority of books on the list are in high schools.
Cross said the board will schedule work sessions open to the public, faculty and staff to discuss how the division handles controversial books. Cross said there have been concerns over books with s---ually explicit material, violence and profanity.
Cave, Horst and Cross commented at length that reading some books on the list deeply troubled them. Cave’s speech received some claps, while other audience members shook their heads in disagreement as she spoke.
Some books on the list provided by the board on Monday night, include notes that the books were included in parent complaints or inquiries, while others simply state “see image” or have noted that the books include difficult topics like violence and drug use. Some books also list schools that carry the books, while others have question marks, making it unclear if they are included in any Rockingham County school libraries.
Prior to the meeting, there was no additional information on the library books agenda item, and the list of books was absent from the RCPS board website. Following the meeting, a full list of the books was uploaded although it didn't include the additional notes in the list initially provided by the board.
Board member Cave, who originated the list according to Cross, said she wouldn’t answer any questions following the board meeting. Cave has consistently not responded to or answered questions from the Daily News-Record throughout her campaign for the school board seat.
Cross said the board discussed these changes with librarians within the division and said the conversations weren’t “all bad, they were good, those who wanted to talk.” The removal of books wasn’t an attack on librarians, Cross said, and that the board wanted more community input on the books that were included in school libraries. The work sessions, Cross said, would gain perspectives from all community members.
Cross said Superintendent Larry Shifflett would coordinate with librarians to remove the books from libraries or classrooms, and the books would be taken to a secure location in the central office.
Many community members spoke out against banning books, opening meetings with prayer, prohibiting signs at meetings and adopting the model policies. Many speakers said they felt that their First Amendment rights were being violated by establishing a religious invocation at the beginning of the meeting.
Also censored
signs of any kind at school board meetings
obscenity, vulgarity or other comments that violate board policy
The list
/https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townn...
Laurel Public Schools (MT) school board just banned six books: Assassination Classroom, The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes, Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao, Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk, A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow, and Crumbs by Danie StirlingBooks with multicultural themes, LGBTQ issues, sexual content and violence
Three of the books were removed by unanimous, 7-0 votes and three by 5-2 votes.
"We have them," said Matt Torix, Laurel Public Schools superintendent. "They've been processed, being they've been stamped. And then they're not able to be returned."
The Laurel School District is going to have to pay for the books.
So the board's action was whether or not to put the books on the shelves.
One of the books, "Assassination Classroom Vol. 4" by Yusei Matsui, is a part of a manga series that was also recently challenged and reviewed by Billings School District 2 following a complaint from a parent.
During public comment, it was brought up that in 2023 the Montana Legislature passed House Bill 234 which deals with the public display or dissemination of obscene material to minors.
high school library
Laurel School Board keeps books out of library
Screenshot 2024-01-09 at 12.23.49 AM.png
By: David JayPosted at 12:50 AM, Jan 09, 2024 and last updated 11:25 AM, Jan 09, 2024
LAUREL - The Laurel School Board voted Monday evening to not allow six books that have been purchased into the high school library.
Some on the board have concerns about recently purchased books.
The board meeting provided a chance to review those books and the process of how the school district chooses books for the libraries.
The board wanted to review the books as to whether or not they're appropriate for young readers.
The books deal with LGBTQ issues, sexual content and violence.
Three of the books were removed by unanimous, 7-0 votes and three by 5-2 votes.
"We have them," said Matt Torix, Laurel Public Schools superintendent. "They've been processed, being they've been stamped. And then they're not able to be returned."
The Laurel School District is going to have to pay for the books.
So the board's action was whether or not to put the books on the shelves.
One of the books, "Assassination Classroom Vol. 4" by Yusei Matsui, is a part of a manga series that was also recently challenged and reviewed by Billings School District 2 following a complaint from a parent.
The other five titles all relate to the LGBTQ+ community and some have multi-cultural themes. The five titles include: "The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School" by Sonora Reyes, "Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American" by Laura Gao, "Nothing Burns as Bright as You" by Ashley Woodfolk, "A Million Quiet Revolutions" by Robin Gow, and "Crumbs" by Danie Stirling.
During public comment, it was brought up that in 2023 the Montana Legislature passed House Bill 234 which deals with the public display or dissemination of obscene material to minors.
"Public school districts may not sell, deliver or provide any sexually explicit material including written pictured or recorded to anyone under 18 years of age," one woman told the board.
Others also had concerns with the six books.
"Is this ultimately good or bad for my life?" one man said about what students should ask about the books. "Is this reality?"
Another group commented in favor of putting the books in the library.
"Imposing suggested restrictions on books in our school would be a mistake," a Laurel High School student said.
"If parents don't want their kids reading a certain genre or a book, then that is their conversation to be had with their child at home," another student said.
Before the vote, the librarians went over the process of choosing books.
"The researching takes weeks," a librarian told the board. "And then we submit to our school secretary who then takes the list to the principal and gets it approved and then goes to the district order clerk who then places the order."
The board talked about wanting to study that process.
"Are we going to remedy the situation with them coming to us before the purchase?" one trustee asked.
[No, not your job, not your background. The librarian spent years learning how to do this. Trust the process, trust your kids.]
https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/...
GeorgiaFolks in Monroe County challenge library books that mention LGBTQ+ plots
The board voted unanimously to keep both books in the young adult section. They encourage people to reach out with their concerns, so these conversations can continue happen.
https://www.13wmaz.com/article/life/p...
The Monroe County Public Library Board held a special meeting to address book challenges from people in the community.
Stranger Than Fan Fiction and My Most Excellent Year are the books that were in the spotlight. Over a 11-day period, the library received five submissions to relocate the books.
Rod Callahan was one that sent in a challenge. He did not want the books removed. He wanted them to be more protection in place.
The books were shelved in the young adult section on the other side of the library away from the kids section. Kimberly Smothers-Clayton has been the librarian for over six years.
"At the same time there's the choice for you to walk into the library and choose what you want to read," Kimberly Smothers-Clayton said.
During the special meeting, Callahan wanted to make a compromise with fairness at the heart, and she wanted to allow both viewpoints to be available.
“I just feel like that there needs to be a book or two that disagrees with that because we talk about fairness and we live in a federal republic or democracy if you prefer," Callahan said.
Smothers-Clayton said the library does not pick sides. It just provides resources.
"Our collection is based on the totality of the community not just the majority. We also try to represent the perspectives and experiences of the underrepresented and marginalized because everyone whether they are majority, minority, or underrepresented are part of the community," Kimberly Smothers-Clayton said.
Joan Whitehead-Freeman believes the LGBTQ selections in the library are not a threat to children since there are 37,000 titles at the public library.
“58 of those titles have the LGBTQ sticker. That is probably less than one-hundredth of a percent. It makes no sense for folks to be worried about that and if you are that concerned about what your children are reading, you wouldn’t drop them off at the public library," Whitehead-Freeman said.
In Alabama where they don't quit lyingAlabama's Moms For Liberty wrote and sent a letter to government officials demanding an end to the p___graphic books in public libraries, where they originally claimed it was okay to have these supposed "p____graphic books." No such thing exists.
In Tennessee where they don't stop trying to ignore the existence of LGBTQ+ people and anyone other than male, white, Christians
A Tennessee lawmaker is seeking to expand who can file challenges under a controversial bill that requires public schools to identify books and other materials deemed 'harmful to minors' — and potentially in the future help more people like one of the House member's private legal clients." It would allow parents of eligible students to file challenges, meaning that the kids don't need to be students but *could* be.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news...
Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood,introduced HB 1632 to allow “a parent of a child who attends, or who is eligible to attend” a public or charter school to file a lawsuit against a school district over enforcement of the Age Appropriate Materials Act.
The move would mark a change from current law, which only allows employees, students or parents of students enrolled in the public school district to challenge the content in that school system, with no specific mention of filing lawsuits.
But in an interview with The Tennessean, Bulso argued current law is "clear" that a parent of a child "who is eligible to attend school" has standing to bring an action against the local school board. He said his bill clarifies the law.
The change in scope could help like one of the clients of Bulso, who in his capacity as a private attorney is representing a group of parents in an ongoing lawsuit against the Williamson County Board of Education for allegedly not abiding by aspects of the Age Appropriate Materials Act and voting to keep five challenged books on the shelves.
The lawsuit was filed in August on behalf of four anonymous Franklin parents and two named plaintiffs: Franklin resident John Ciorra, who has three children in the Williamson County School System, and Aundrea Gomez, a Franklin resident and state director of Citizens for Renewing America, a conservative Christian grassroots organization.
According to the lawsuit, Gomez does not have any children in the Williamson County School System, but has children “eligible” to be in the system.
Williamson County Schools filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in November due to lack of standing. A judge has not yet ruled in the case.
Bulso said that he does not see any conflict of interest between his ongoing litigation and the bill.
Should Bulso’s bill become law, residents with no children in the public school district would have codified legal standing to file a civil action and challenge enforcement of the Age Appropriate Materials Act.
KansasTwo Kansas substitute teachers spoke out against book bans and other school district policies at board meetings...and got fired for doing so. Now they're suing the district.
Vera Daniels and Celeste Hoins, substitute teachers in the Lansing school district near Kansas City, are suing the district. They say they were fired for speaking out against school district policies.
WICHITA, Kansas — A pair of substitute teachers is suing the Lansing school district near Kansas City, alleging they were barred from working as subs because they spoke out against school policies.
Vera Daniels and Celeste Hoins claim in the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, that Lansing school board members violated their First Amendment right to free speech.
The Lansing superintendent, school board president and vice-president could not be reached for comment Thursday.
https://www.kcur.org/education/2024-0...
Over the past year, Daniels and Hoins addressed the board several times during the public forum portion of its regular meetings. They advocated for higher teacher salaries and building improvements and against the district’s Parents’ Bill of Rights, according to the lawsuit.
At a board meeting last August, the teachers spoke about what they said was the board’s lack of transparency, book banning, and “the need for the school district to help non-white students feel welcome,” the lawsuit says.
They also urged board members to exceed the district’s so-called “revenue neutral” tax rate, which would allow schools to collect more money from higher property valuations.
After a closed-door session during that meeting, the board removed Daniels and Hoins from a list of approved substitute teachers and barred them from working in the district.
Arthur Benson, the teachers’ attorney, said their firing was unconstitutional, and that the board — led at the time by a conservative majority — retaliated against the teachers for voicing their opinions.
In Lansing, a district of about 2,500 students northwest of Kansas City, a conservative board majority elected in 2021 instituted several new policies, including removing a social justice unit from a high school English course.
Lansing board member Amy Cawvey told Fox News in 2021 that she and other conservative candidates won the election by opposing critical race theory in schools.
Since then, community support for those policies has waned, and voters installed a more moderate majority in November.
One of the newly elected board members is Kerry Brungardt, a former principal who hired Daniels to teach at Lansing Middle School in 2012.
A new bill in Oklahoma would waste so much taxpayer money and library worker time and energy — the point, of course — in that it would require every district to submit its entire list of books to the state annually.https://okcfox.com/news/local/oklahom...
Senator Warren Hamilton's idea worries Erin Brewer with the Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee (OKPLAC), a nonpartisan group.
"We have two serious concerns: we want our kids to succeed academically, and we want them to have a caring, qualified teacher in every classroom," Brewer said. "This bill does nothing to address either of those problems."
SB 1208 would allow state education leaders to remove what they believe is p---graphic or s----alized content from schools.
Brewer says those categories are irrelevant to the state's public education system.
"Since 2011, I've had a child in Oklahoma public schools. Not once have ever come across material that's inappropriate for them, or is in any way p----graphic. I think a majority of parents would share the same experience. The second issue, though, is that to hyperfocus on a problem that doesn't really exist prevents us from looking at the problems that do exist."
I the bill passes, schools who violate SB 1208 would receive a 5% reduction in state funding the following fiscal year.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters shared the following statement with Fox 25:
We’ve seen countless books that are not age appropriate. Parents are demanding checks and balances to keep p___n out of schools.
Brewer claims elected officials often say parents are the best check and balance.
Caroll County Maryland Schools will be determining what "s----ally explicit" means this week after Moms For Liberty challenged dozens of books in the district, and one person, had his challenge of The Bible dismissed. The district considers The Bible above criticism because of "Constitutional considerations."https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/ed...
On Oct. 11, board member Steve Whisler suggested, and the rest of the board agreed, that school system staff tighten the book selection policy and suggest a definition for “s---ally explicit content.” He said the alterations would help educators understand if a book is appropriate for students.
Marsha Herbert, the board president, did not respond to an interview request.
“Instructional materials, including supplemental materials, shall not contain sexually explicit content,” the proposed policy change states. “S---ually explicit content is defined as (view spoiler)
It would apply to instructional materials, like textbooks, and supplemental materials, like library books, but not materials related to the health curriculum. Members of the public can now give their opinions on the policy.
“If we had an educator or staff member say these very words that are on some of these pages to a student, that educator or that staff member probably be dismissed or terminated,” said Whisler, speaking for himself and not the board, in an interview.
Jessica Garland, vice president of Carroll’s Moms for Liberty chapter, said their mission is pretty much accomplished.
“We forced the school system to look at their policy,” she said. “We’re hoping that the policy can eliminate that this happens in the future.”
Anyone who wants a book removed from a Carroll County school has to fill out a form. A 12-person committee decides on whether the book should be removed, but the challenger can appeal the decision to the superintendent and then the school board.
So far, the committee has made a decision on 23 books that were mostly in high schools. Nine of those decisions were to remove the books and 15 were to retain (those are back on the shelves). One of the books, “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut, was removed from middle schools and kept in high schools.
Thirty-seven books are still awaiting review, and most of them have been off school library shelves for months.
Parents appealed to the superintendent 11 times, disagreeing with the committee’s decision to keep the books. McCabe agreed to retain four books. In one case, she reversed the committee’s decision and had “Sex is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU” by Corey Silverberg and Fiona Smyth permanently removed from West Middle School, and she agreed that “Slaughterhouse-Five” should only be available in high schools. The rest required high school students to have parent permission before checking out a book.
The Bible was never removed from the shelves “due to constitutional considerations from our legal counsel,” Bruce Lesh, supervisor of elementary social studies, wrote in an email to Goldberg reviewed by The Banner.
Whisler has said many of the challenged books are inappropriate and should be removed, he isn’t happy with how many books are in the queue. It’s distracting from academic goals, he said, and time-consuming for committee members who can only evaluate five books a month. The policy change is meant to “fast track” the evaluation process.
In response to the book removals, Tony Kunz, a recent Westminster High School graduate, submitted a statement to the board saying he benefited from reading books that have been banned or challenged. It was crucial to his academic and social development.
“I worry that current Carroll County students will not enjoy these same freedoms,” he wrote. “As more books are suppressed and censored, school leaders are limiting students’ freedom and overstepping the 1st amendment itself.”
In another submitted statement about the book removals, Lloyd Jansen said it’s “disheartening” and insulting for the school system to restrict access to books.
“Please stop catering to the demands of a vocal minority and treat your library employees, students, and their parents with the respect they deserve by trusting them to make decisions for themselves,” Jansen wrote.
Follow-up to that M4L win BOOO!!!
No sex ed books either.
Carroll County approves controversial book ban policy
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/carrol...#
The Carroll County Board of Education voted unanimously in favor Wednesday of a policy stating that instructional and supplemental materials shall not contain s---ally explicit content.
The rule defines s----ally explicit content as (view spoiler)
"There is no academic value in providing children access to books with explicit s---ual content that goes into graphic and textual detail of [said] activity," school board member Stephen Whisler said.
Whisler said it's a parent's job to decide what is appropriate for their child.
"It merely provides our educators with guidance on what is not appropriate for our students. This policy does not ban books. Instead, it provides responsible standards that our superintendent should consider," he said.
Some parents think otherwise.
"There's been a lot of testimony and comment from students, parents and other community members about the power that some of the books that would be banned have had on them. By purging those, we would be doing harm to those community members and to those students," parent Jessica Bronson said.
She thinks the wording of the policy is too broad and is concerned that it will cover classical books. She said she has already discussed the policy with her two children.
"Their first thought is, 'Why are they treating us like we're babies?' They're both high schoolers. They both know what s-x is. They know about the things that are talked about in these books, and they think that it's really silly and ludicrous to try to purge any materials from the libraries," Bronson said.
The policy goes into effect immediately, but it will be reviewed again in three years or sooner if the board chooses.
The policy also exempts materials related to "family life and human development."
Ketchikan library’s advisory board will vote on more book challenges in 2024They must decide whether to move Red Hood and Flamer from the teen section.
https://www.krbd.org/2024/01/05/ketch...
Deborah Simon, a member of the library advisory board, is responsible for the new challenges. Simon also voted in favor of removing the book Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human from the library’s teen section last April. Her vote was the only one in favor of the challenge. The library’s decision was later overturned by the city council, which pulled the book in July.
During the citizen comment section of a recent Ketchikan Gateway Borough assembly meeting, Simon paraphed language from what she said was “vulgar and unacceptable language” in the book Flamer. [words kids use every day like G-d and F-]
Caitlan Jacobsen has been a librarian since 1991 and is the current high school librarian. She said the recent nationwide trend towards book challenges has been the greatest difficulty posed to her profession.
“I urge you to follow the constitution. Which supports the freedom to read. Which supports freedom of information. It is not my job to tell anyone what to read,” she told the assembly
Simon also challenged the book’s inclusion in the Ketchikan High School’s library last fall. Her challenge was denied. The library review committee said at the time that the book supports ethical standards, emotional needs, and promotes students’ ability to think critically about what they read. Simon said she plans to appeal the ruling.
Assembly member Cathy Bolling disagreed with Simon’s analysis of Flamer.
“I see this as an anti-parental choice movement and that concerns me,” Bolling said. “I encourage everyone to read the book Flamer because I found it kind of spiritually lifting.”
Follow-up in IowaWith the state's book ban law currently on hold, Iowa City Public Schools (IA) won't be removing 68 books from shelves yet.
https://dailyiowan.com/2024/01/05/iow...
Iowa City schools Superintendent Matt Degner said in an email to students, parents, and staff on Friday afternoon that the district will pause all measures being enacted to comply with the law except for the portion of the law that remains in effect. This includes returning all books previously set to be removed to school library shelves and resuming any instruction regarding LGBTQ+ topics in kindergarten through sixth grades.
“While we navigate the legal landscape surrounding Senate File 496, the federal lawsuit, and the newly issued injunction, our primary focus remains on maintaining a safe, welcoming, and respectful space for every student,” Degner wrote. “Please rest assured that the well-being and inclusivity of our community continue to be our top priorities.”
Several Iowa City High School students shared their concerns on the book removals at a Nov. 14 school board meeting.
“SF 496 is a very scary bill because it can harm our teachers because the teachers being most threatened by this bill are the teachers, I know are most important to keep in our schools,” Iowa City schools senior Reyna Roach said.
Augusta County Schools, VirginiaOne resident in particular, Jeremy Nance, challenged several books.
https://www.newsleader.com/story/news...
Nance told the board in December that he would email them about his concerns over a book by author Ellen Hopkins, "Identical." The young adult book, which has appeared on several "best of" lists, deals with mature subject matters, including s---ual abuse and drug use.
At the December meeting another resident, Bill Shirleyspoke during delegations, telling the board members that he was there to speak against all "s--ually explicit and p---graphic materials in our school libraries," saying those materials "corrupt and pervert our thought processes." He offered no proof that any s---ally explicit books were in school libraries.
The new chair of the Augusta County School Board, David Shiflett, said Thursday night he wants to address that topic this year, possibly as soon as next month.
"We need to do something with our libraries and make sure that the materials that are in our libraries are age appropriate for the students that have access to them," Shiflett said.
He wants the school board to review the policies and process of reviewing books. He requested that, at the February meeting, the discussion to be part of the agenda. He asked Superintendent Eric Bond to provide the board with the policies that are in place.
Mike Lawson is part of a more conservative movement on the board, along with Pastures District representative Tim Simmons and newly elected North River representative Sharon Griffin. All three campaigned on parental rights, the same issue Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin campaigned on during his 2021 victory.
First Focus on Children is a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families the priority in federal policy and budget decisions
"Book bans involve overriding choices made by teachers or librarians about books," the group wrote on its website.
Some GOOD news for a changeThe Infinite Moment of Us, Tilt, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Empire of Storms, Kingdom of Ash, and Re-Thinking Normal will all remain on shelves at the New Prairie Indiana Middle School
https://www.abc57.com/news/new-prairi...
AND
Bozeman School District (MT) will not be removing The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian from its curriculum
https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/boz....
On Monday, the Bozeman School District voted unanimously to keep Sherman Alexie’s novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” as part of the ninth grade curriculum at Gallatin High School.
Debate over the book first began when parent Heather Higgs raised concerns in September 2022 objecting to the book on the grounds it’s vulgar, sexual, anti-white and anti-Catholic.
Monday’s meeting was the last step in the appeal process, after both the principal of the high school, Erica Schnee, and the district superintendent, Casey Bertram, denied Higgs’ request to remove the material.
Each member of the board of trustees read the book prior to Monday’s meeting, and though some agreed there was foul language and s----al content present in the text, ultimately, they thought the main ideas were powerful ones that fit the goals of the high school’s core curriculum.
Bozeman School Board Chair Greg Neil said to the board, “I thought it was a good book. I wasn't really excited about the language and the s---al content. But the book itself, the story, I saw value in it. I enjoyed the book.”
While the board of trustees did not ban the book, they did make it clear to parents that students will not be forced to read any book, and if material does go against their values, parents may request an alternate assignment.
More good(ish) newsPlattsmouth, Nebraska, the school board member who crafted and pushed for a book banning friendly policy in the school district has been recalled by voters.
Terri Cunningham-Swanson was under fire for crafting a book removal policy which KETV NewsWatch 7 reported on last year.
A committee reviewed 52 library books but only recommended removing one of them. Cunningham-Swanson was the only board member to vote against those recommendations.
Results posted on Cass County Election Commission's website showed just over 2,600 people voted in Tuesday's recall election.
Sixty-two percent voted to recall Cunningham-Swanson.
https://www.ketv.com/article/plattsmo...#
Wyoming, on the other hand,Citing the First Amendment, three Campbell County family members who complained for months against s---ally graphic children’s books in the public library are asking a federal court to dismiss the former library director’s defamation lawsuit against them."
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/01/...
Saying their complaints against former Campbell County Library Director Terri Lesley were protected speech, three members of the Bennett family of Gillette are asking a federal court to dismiss Lesley's defamation lawsuit against them.
Hugh and Susan Bennett and their adult son Kevin on Monday filed their motion to dismiss the September 2023 lawsuit by Terri Lesley, the former Campbell County Public Library director.
The library board fired Lesley in July 2023, after she refused to remove controversial books from the children’s section of the Gillette library.
“Ultimately, Ms. Lesley was terminated by the government officials that controlled her job – not Defendants – for her failure to perform in the role as they wished her to perform,” says the Bennetts’ filing in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming. “In retaliation for Defendants’ exercising their First Amendment rights, Ms. Lesley has filed this lawsuit against Defendants attempting to lay the blame for the results of her actions at Defendants’ feet.”
Lesley defended the inclusion of controversial books in the library’s children and teen sections. Some in the community — including the Bennetts — said the books were s----ally explicit and inappropriate for children. They included such titles as “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson, “How Do You Make A Baby” by Anna Fiske and “Sex is a Funny Word” by Cory Silverberg.
The Bennetts spoke out against the books and Lesley’s actions at Campbell County Commission meetings and elsewhere.
Then Hugh and Susan Bennett reportedly filed a criminal complaint against Lesley so that a prosecutor had to review the books in question and decide if Lesley had provided obscene materials to children. The prosecutor decided the books were not criminally obscene. But even if they had been, Wyoming exempts librarians and educators from being charged criminally for promoting obscenity to minors or adults.
A handful of Wyoming lawmakers tried to remove that exemption from state law last year, but they failed.
Lesley sued the Bennetts for alleged defamation and other claims about two months after her firing.
The Bennetts’ motion says Lesley has failed to demonstrate any defamation because it’s harder for public figures to sue people for defamation under civil law.
The filing also claims Lesley raised her defamation claims after the statute of limitations ran out, failed to establish that she occupies a special class under the federal discrimination claim she brought, and failed to show that the Bennetts abused the legal process when reporting her to the Campbell County Sheriff.
The filing also claims the Bennetts’ complaints against Lesley and the books in the children’s section were protected under the First Amendment.
Lesley brought six civil claims in her lawsuit, as follows:
That the Bennetts marginalized LGBTQ people or their allies and therefore violated the federal Ku Klux Klan Act,
That the Bennetts conspired to deny the LGBTQ community “equal privileges and immunities of citizenship,”
That Hugh and Susan Bennett defamed Lesley by reporting her to the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office,
That the Bennetts defamed Lesley by accusing her of committing crimes and propagating p----graphy,
That the Bennetts inflicted emotional distress on Lesley with a barrage of toxic and threatening statements,
That the Bennetts abused the legal process by reporting Lesley to the sheriff’s office.
Firstly, the Bennetts argue that Lesley doesn’t have a case against them under the Ku Klux Klan Act because she’s failed, allegedly, to show that she was mistreated based on racial or social class.
Lesley cited an episode in which the Bennetts opposed the library hosting a transgender magician and the act was cancelled.
Courts have held that a person suing under the statute in question, 42 USC 1985(3), must show that they were injured by multiple people who had race- or class-based discriminatory animus, the filing says.
Lesley’s complaint says she’s associated with the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
The Bennetts argue in their filing that such associations aren’t enough to safeguard Lesley as a member of a protected class under the KKK Act.
The Bennetts’ filing says Lesley failed to show they conspired to deprive protected people of rights.
Lesley’s complaint accuses the Bennetts of denying the LGBTQ community “the equal privileges and immunities of citizenship” by railing against the controversial books in the library.
Many of the graphic books involved in the Campbell County library controversies either revolve around or reference LGBTQ themes.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/01/...
Moore County Board of Education (NC) made recommendations about 9 books being challenged in the district. Final vote is still to come, but the books that were still in the collection — some had already been removed via "weeding".https://www.thepilot.com/news/school-...
Last July, board member Philip Holmes proposed reviewing a series of books for possible removal from school libraries based on their standards of appropriateness. In a 5-2 majority vote, the board approved the review. Board members David Hensley and Stacey Caldwell voted against the proposal.
Schools Superintendent Tim Locklair convened five committees, each comprising a building-level administrator, media specialist, district leader and parent representative, all overseen by Donna Gephart, the district’s director for curriculum and instruction.
The committees, following training developed by board attorney Richard Schwartz, were charged with reviewing each book based on s----ally explicit content, mentions of drug and alcohol use, depictions of r---e, profanity and racially charged language.
In October and again in December, board member Pauline Bruno asked the board to delay action until she and other board members had time to finish reading the entire selection.
On Monday, with books and notes in tow, Bruno and the board discussed each book.
The recommendations for each book and their current locations:
* “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, at Union Pines and Pinecrest. Limited to grades 9-12 with no restrictions;
* “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, at Union Pines. Limited to grades 9-12 with no restrictions;
* “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell, at Union Pines. Limited to grades 9-12 with no restrictions;
* “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie, at Union Pines and Crain’s Creek. Limited to grades 9-12 with no restrictions;
* “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher, at Union Pines and West Pine Middle. No restrictions for grades 9-12, access for grades 6-8 with parent permission;
* “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson, Union Pines. Access for grades 8-12 with no restrictions;
* “Looking for Alaska” by John Green, Union Pines and Crain’s Creek. No restrictions for grades 9-12, access for grades 7-8 with parent permission;
* “Crank” by Ellen Hopkins, Union Pines and Highfalls K-8. No restrictions for grades 9-12, access for grade 8 with parent permission;
* “City of Heavenly Fire: The Mortal Instruments” by Cassandra Clare, Union Pines, North Moore, New Century and Crain’s Creek. No restrictions for grades 6-12.
Four other books, “l8r, g8r,” “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” “The 57 Bus” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” were initially slated for review but were removed from the recommended list because they are no longer part of the Moore County Schools collection. Additionally, “George,” also originally included, was not requested for review.
Caldwell, who opposed the review initially, told board members that she intentionally did not read any of the books up for removal.
“I did not read these, and that’s because, in my opinion, my opinion doesn’t matter. What matters is the process that they did, the facts about it, and the process that they just went over earlier; that’s what matters.
“I can totally think of it in a different way, and I may not like some of the stuff that’s in these books, but that’s just my opinion; it shouldn’t be for the whole entire county,” Caldwell said.
“So, I stand by what the committee proposes on each and every one of these books because I trust in the educators and what they believe and what they said.”
Hensley, too, expressed his perspective on the entire book review process.
“I think that it really doesn’t matter — the content of the book. I think that what matters is, as I stated when I started this process, is that, under current case law, and everybody who was on the board prior to this last election — so Holmes, Caldwell, myself and Levy — all knew, because we went through this with “George,” that it is impossible to ban a book at the high school level,” Hensley stated.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what this passage says, or that passage says, we are going to vote to comply with the law, a and it is impossible to ban a book, to get rid of a book, at the high school level.”
But Bruno challenged that view.
“David, excuse me, but I disagree with what you are saying. We could ban these books. There are a lot of things in here that don’t belong in a school,” Bruno said. “We actually could, and I think we owe it to the public; I mean, the public was screaming about these books.”
Reading a book before challenging it is still a hot topic for the Brainerd School Board [MN]. As board members continue working on a new policy that outlines how school library materials are chosen and can be challenged, D.J. Dondelinger remains vehemently opposed to asking anyone who challenges a book to read it in its entirety first."“I think it’s condescending. I think it’s ridiculous,” he said during the board’s meeting Monday, Jan. 8, noting the district doesn’t demand librarians and principals to read every book that goes into the library.
“It’s over the top. Why?” he asked. “What are we talking about? I don’t understand. Is it to show them who’s boss? What is the purpose?”
Sarah Speer began to restate her position, noting that someone who challenges a book would be asking a review committee to spend hundreds of combined hours reading the book.
D.J. Dondelinger said the policy also calls for a person to read the entire book before talking with a building principal as well. The policy lays out an informal challenge process, in which a person first meets with the principal of the building where the book is housed to see if the issue can be resolved without a formal challenge.
As far as librarians reading every book that comes into the library, Board Chair Kevin Boyles said the books are ordered based on recommended lists and are already placed in thousands of school libraries across the country.
Boyles and Superintendent Heidi Hahn noted reading the whole book is not required for an informal discussion with a principal. That process only requires the complainant to fill out a form. Reading the entire book is only required for the formal process, Hahn noted.
“I’m just telling you how I’m gonna vote,” Dondelinger responded. “And I think it’s condescending, and I think it’s kind of an insult to people. How would you know if they read the entire book? Why do we know they didn’t read the book? … This is why people are sick and tired of government because you treat them like they aren’t honest. You treat them like they’re not smart.”
Hahn said she was just clarifying how the policy was written, and in response to knowing if people read the book or not, Speer said it’s an expectation that they would, as a literary work needs to be taken as a whole and not one sentence at a time, and Dondelinger again responded that it’s a slap in the face.
Board members also discussed the time frame laid out in the policy for the district to respond to a formal challenge. As written, the district must establish a date for a public meeting to discuss the request no later than 25 school days from receipt of the request.
Board member Michelle Brekken asked if there was a way for the district to protect itself if that time frame is not met due to a multitude of challenges at the same time.
Hahn and board member John Ward, who attended the meeting virtually from Florida, suggested amending the policy to say re-evaluations would be taken in the order received, and one would not be started before the previous one is complete.
Board members agreed to that change, along with some rewording to reduce redundancy that board member Randy Heidmann pointed out in the policy.
https://12ft.io/proxy
Why are you challenging a book you haven't even read? That doesn't make sense and shouldn't be allowed.
Back to Alabamaa new bill would allow city officials to kick library board members out of their positions whenever they feel like it.
https://www.alreporter.com/2024/01/10...
At the Ozark-Dale County Public Library Board, a member can currently only be removed if the other four members vote in favor of expunging that individual. How library board members can be removed varies across the state.
A bill pre-filed by State Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Decatur, seeks to change that—allowing city councils and county commissions to remove library board members at will.
The amendment of current state code is pretty straightforward. It sets out that library board members serve at the pleasure of their appointing authorities and that members can be removed by a majority vote of said authority.
Elizabeth Delaney, chair of the Ozark-Dale library board, told APR Tuesday that the legislation erases a layer of political insulation for public libraries.
“They should just appoint themselves—there’s no need for boards if we have no decision-making powers,” Delaney said.
Delaney voiced concern that the change would chill library board member’s ability to do what they fee is in the best interest of the library for fear of running afoul of the local governing body.
Elliott has also proposed giving state officials and lawmakers direct control over the board for the Alabama Department of Archives and History in response to a spat between the department and some lawmakers after a lunchtime program on LGBTQ history in the state,
The Ozark-Dale library board has been one such board facing challenges, with the biggest coming not from citizens, but from Mayor Mark Blankenship. Blankenship threatened to defund the library if it did not move LGBTQ books out of the young adult section.
Delaney said that the local governments have also begun ignoring the library’s recommendations for new library board candidates despite that being the typical process in years past.
Another change made in the bill would remove language that staggers the initial appointments when a library board is formed, meaning all appointments would be appointed at once every four years. It is unclear whether that change would affect the staggered terms of currently established library boards.
This is the first bill filed in apparent response to the ongoing debate over libraries, but could just be the beginning as several lawmakers have expressed concern as well as Gov. Kay Ivey.
https://www.alreporter.com/2024/01/10...
Back to Alabamaa new bill would allow city officials to kick library board members out of their positions whenever they feel like it.
https://www.alreporter.com/2024/01/10...
At the Ozark-Dale County Public Library Board, a member can currently only be removed if the other four members vote in favor of expunging that individual. How library board members can be removed varies across the state.
A bill pre-filed by State Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Decatur, seeks to change that—allowing city councils and county commissions to remove library board members at will.
The amendment of current state code is pretty straightforward. It sets out that library board members serve at the pleasure of their appointing authorities and that members can be removed by a majority vote of said authority.
Elizabeth Delaney, chair of the Ozark-Dale library board, told APR Tuesday that the legislation erases a layer of political insulation for public libraries.
“They should just appoint themselves—there’s no need for boards if we have no decision-making powers,” Delaney said.
Delaney voiced concern that the change would chill library board member’s ability to do what they fee is in the best interest of the library for fear of running afoul of the local governing body.
Elliott has also proposed giving state officials and lawmakers direct control over the board for the Alabama Department of Archives and History in response to a spat between the department and some lawmakers after a lunchtime program on LGBTQ history in the state,
The Ozark-Dale library board has been one such board facing challenges, with the biggest coming not from citizens, but from Mayor Mark Blankenship. Blankenship threatened to defund the library if it did not move LGBTQ books out of the young adult section.
Delaney said that the local governments have also begun ignoring the library’s recommendations for new library board candidates despite that being the typical process in years past.
Another change made in the bill would remove language that staggers the initial appointments when a library board is formed, meaning all appointments would be appointed at once every four years. It is unclear whether that change would affect the staggered terms of currently established library boards.
This is the first bill filed in apparent response to the ongoing debate over libraries, but could just be the beginning as several lawmakers have expressed concern as well as Gov. Kay Ivey.
https://www.alreporter.com/2024/01/10...
Good news in Escambia FLBook publishers, authors and Escambia parents get 'major win' in book ban lawsuit
A federal judge rejected a motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the Escambia County school district violated free speech rights through its removal and restriction of school library books.
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/educat...
The lawsuit, filed by PEN America, Penguin Random House, five authors and seven Escambia County parents, asks that all challenged and banned library books be returned to library shelves.
In a hearing Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Pensacola, U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II heard oral arguments from both sides on why the case should or should not be dismissed. Wetherell, explaining his decision to let the case to move forward, said that while the school board reserves the power to remove books from the district for legitimate reasons, they cannot remove them because they do not align with their moral beliefs. While the school library should be diverse in the "marketplace of ideas," it is ultimately up to the parents to decide what is appropriate for their own family, he said.
Escambia County Public Schools and the Escambia County School Board have 28 days to file a response to the judge's ruling.
Wetherell's ruling means the case can proceed toward a potential jury trial. The plaintiff's have requested injunctive relief requiring the school district to restore the removed books to libraries and to prevent it from removingand/or restricting access to the "targeted books."
Escambia County Public Schools and the Escambia County School Board have 28 days to file a response to the judge's ruling.
Wetherell's ruling means the case can proceed toward a potential jury trial. The plaintiff's have requested injunctive relief requiring the school district to restore the removed books to libraries and to prevent it from removing and/or restricting access to the "targeted books."
The 14th Amendment prohibits a government from denying any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law. Wetherell said PEN America can move forward with the First Amendment claim, but said the 14th Amendment claim is not applicable.
In a press conference held after the judge's ruling, Katie Blankenship, director of PEN America Florida, said, "All in all, for the case in Escambia County today, this is a major win. This is a major win for the students in Escambia County. This is a major win for the professionals that are hired and the media specialists to determine what books are age appropriate and best for our children, and it is a good day for the Constitution and democracy. So we are really thrilled to see that our complaint is going to continue as it should be."
One Escambia County teacher regularly mentioned by name in the lawsuit is Vicki Baggett, who is responsible for the first 100-plus book challenges in 2022. Baggett's critiques are quoted in the lawsuit, including her requests for books to be removed because on the basis of their “LGBTQ introduction," "LGBTQ agenda," "LGBTQ content" and "anti-whiteness."
Part of what gave PEN America the green light to move forward with the case was its claim that there were children interested in checking out some of the restricted titles that were denied access. However, as the case progresses, Wetherell warned that the children alleged in the lawsuit will need to, under oath, support those claims.
Wetherell said he is skeptical that when a 7-year-old takes the stand, they will be able to say that they were looking to read a book about nontraditional family arrangements – as opposed to their parents suggesting they read it – as the lawsuit claims.
PEN America attorneys said that parent plaintiffs were made “fully aware” that they would need to prove that their children are actually interested in reading the books before they signed on.
Wetherell said that the only books that should be restricted from student access while they undergo review are those that have s---al content, and the school district has not been following its own policies. The rest of the books that aren't pornographic but fall into the “woke” category, should still be available for students to check out while they undergo their evaluation, he said.
Since the review process timeframe is not specified in school board policy, books pulled for review end up in “purgatory.”
Wetherell said his hope is that the two parties can work together to return the non-s--ual books back to the schools shelves and students.
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/educat...
Good news in Oconee County Public Library (GA). Different Kind Of Fruit, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, Tomboy, and Man O’ War will all remain where they are in the YA section.
https://www.classiccitynews.com/post/...
Stephen Aleshire had asked the Board to move the book Different Kind Of Fruit by Kyle Linkoff from the Juvenile to the Adult Section of the Library.
Laura King wanted the Board to reclassify from the Young Adult to the Adult section Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell.
Victoria Cruz requested that the Board move Man O’ War by Cory McCarthy from the Young Adult section to the Adult section of the library.
Joyce Reifstech filed a request that the Board move Tomboy by Liz Prince from the Young Adult to the Adult section as well.
Those wishing to address the Board of Trustees had been asked to sign in as they came into the room and indicate if they were an Oconee County resident. All but one said they were Oconee residents.
Additional crisis actor Suzannah Heimel
Comments from the crisis actors who are blowing smoke and have no idea what they're talking about.
(view spoiler)
Additional crisis actor Mary Walters, who said she does not live in Oconee County said she wanted to applaud Aleshire and then Cruz.
Valerie Bell, Executive Director of the Athens Regional Library System, which includes Oconee County’s two libraries, told Rebecca Billings that “right now we can only accept five challenges per quarter for the entire region.”
Bell said Billings’ request will be on the agenda for the next meeting in April.
Billings said more books are being ordered for the library “that have this kind of content for children that is inappropriate...So we’re kind of not making headway in trying to get these reclassified or removed from the children’s section.”
“It’s not about LGBTQ,” she said. “It’s not about people not feeling safe or feeling included. It is age appropriate, and these are not age appropriate.”
“We have received four today from Oconee County,” Bell said of the reconsideration requests when Billings had finished. “We’re doing five total for the region.”
“We have staff that read the books, that actually go through and read the books and review and do research on the books and the reviews of the books and all of that,” Bell said. “And that takes time. We don’t have an unlimited number of staff to do that for an unlimited number of books.”
Paul Keck followed Billings and said “I do think that we should just respect the decisions of the library personnel on where things are shelved.”
And one more Julie Mauck
Sadly Florida does not listen or care about First Amendment rightsManatee County cuts ties with national library organization
In a 6-0 vote on Tuesday, members of the Manatee County Commission decided to end the county's membership to the American Library Association.
https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/loc...
,In a statement to Newsweek, Escambia County Public Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard said: "I want to clarify that our district has not imposed a 'ban' on over 1600 books. Additionally, the dictionary has not been banned in our district. Any claims suggesting otherwise are inaccurate and should be disregarded."In a further statement to the Pensacola News Journal, a district spokesperson clarified that the books included on the list obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project "have not been banned or removed from the school district; rather, they have simply been pulled for further review to ensure compliance with the new legislation."
"House Bill 1069, signed by Governor DeSantis on May 17, 2023, and effective July 1, 2023, continues Florida's efforts to require school districts to be transparent in the selection of instructional materials and library and reading materials," the Florida Department of Education said in a letter to school districts, obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project.
https://www.newsweek.com/former-fox-n...
Look on the bright side: They also banned Bill O'Reilley! (former Fox news host).
Indiana is coming to its senses. Great news.Micah Beckwith, pastor who led book removal policy in HamCo, resigns from library board
An ultra-conservative pastor instrumental in passing a controversial book relocation policy at the Hamilton East Public Library has resigned from its board of directors.
Micah Beckwith submitted his letter of resignation to the Hamilton County Council on Wednesday, Council President Amy Massillamany said. The council appointed Beckwith to the library board in September 2022 and will replace him.
Beckwith, a pastor at Noblesville Campus of Life Church and self-described Christian Nationalist, led the charge for a since-rescinded policy that moved books from the teen to the adult section.
He is the last to leave the board of the four conservative members who voted for the policy in December 2022.
[However, the bad news is] He is running as a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor and previously was a candidate for congress in the 5th district.
In his letter, Beckwith said he was resigning to concentrate on his campaign.
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/l...
Kentucky good newsElementary school book ban appeal struck down by Boone County Board of Education
A Northern Kentucky school board voted Thursday to strike down a request to ban an elementary school book.
Amy Yates, a Boone County Schools parent, raised the issue in October over the book "Endlessly Ever After."
She claimed it exposes children to p____philia and promotes same-sex kissing.
Then, in November, Longbranch Elementary School voted to keep the book in circulation.
So, the mom took it to the school board, filing a "harmful to minors" complaint.
That forces Kentucky boards of education to hear an appeal.
"Endlessly Ever After" is a choose-your-own-adventure narrative.
It follows Little Red Riding Hood, named "Rosie," through multiple scenarios.
Yates says it sexualizes the "Sleeping Beauty" storyline by giving the reader the option to have Rosie kiss the princess.
https://local12.com/news/local/elemen...
Good news for the day, at least in terms of education.Let's state again that equity and inclusion is not bad and critical race theory has never been taught outside of law school!
Utah public schools’ ‘educational equity’ rule survives repeal attempt after state school board vote
Opponents argued that the rule didn’t comport with state law, but a majority of board members and their legal counsel disagreed.
https://www.sltrib.com/news/education...
A Utah rule that promises equal educational opportunities for all students, no matter their background, will remain intact after state board members on Thursday narrowly rejected a proposal to repeal the rule.
The vote failed 8-7, with chairman James Moss, Joseph Kerry, Natalie Cline, Emily Green, Christina Boggess, Matt Hymas and Jennie Earl voting in favor of its repeal. The board plans to revisit the rule next month to make possible amendments.
The administrative rule, R277-328, defines “educational equity” as the recognition that all students can learn, and requires schools to provide the resources students need for equal educational opportunities. Those resources include funding, programs, policies and other supports.
The rule also requires districts to provide equity training for staff and teachers, and guarantees the protection and inclusion of all students with diverse identities and backgrounds.
Members Boggess, Green and Kerry, made the repeal request, saying the 2021 rule was “in conflict” with HB427, passed in 2023. The state law requires all classroom instruction to align with the principles of “inalienable rights, equal opportunity and individual merit.”
Boggess said while the equity rule and HB427 are similar, they are at odds, and USBE should bring it into compliance with state law.
“We have found ourselves in a place where the existence of both creates confusion and conflict,” Boggess said. “I believe that a vote to repeal this is a vote to send the message that this board is committed to fostering an educational environment focused on learning and critical thinking, free from constraints of any singular ideology.”
Prior to the vote, HB427′s sponsor Rep. Tim Jimenez, R-Tooele, told board members that it was the “House’s will” that the equity rule be repealed in full with no amendments. He had sent a letter to chairman Moss in September regarding the board’s “lack of meaningful action” to become in compliance after HB427 passed.
Jimenez said that while he was grateful USBE considered the motion to repeal, he was “disappointed” it didn’t pass.
Despite opponents’ arguments that the rule didn’t comply with HB427, several board members on Thursday cited an email from the board’s legal counsel that said the rule did comply with HB427, although it didn’t include two components of the law, which lawyers noted could be added.
Board members passed the equity rule in 2021 after intense deliberation and debate among members and the public. At the time, opponents feared the rules were a “backdoor” to teaching critical race theory, the graduate-level concept that analyzes how social and political laws and media shape social conceptions of race and ethnicity and which considers racism to be systemic and inherent in Western society. Critical race theory has never been taught in Utah’s K-12 schools.
Still, some board members on Thursday asserted the rule was being used to discriminate.
“[The rule] has been used all over the state as a permission slip, basically, to institute discriminatory practices and programs,” Cline said. “It actually is used to tip the scales in favor of certain groups and it puts equity over merit and personal responsibility.”
Board member Hymas agreed with Cline.
“I was actually excited to see this rule because I was tired of seeing some students told that they were inherently racist because of their skin color,” Hymas said. “I thought this rule [would say] all students, all people are equal. It has not had the effect that I thought it would have.”
The equity rule, however, specifically prohibits teaching concepts that would position students or teachers as inherently racist due to their skin color.
It also prohibits teaching that a student or educator belonging to a certain group bears responsibility for the past actions of individuals of that same group; that any race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other protected class is inherently superior or inferior; that a student or educator’s identity within a certain group determines their character or values; and that a student or educator should be discriminated against based on their race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other protected class.
Those opposed to the repeal included many of the state’s most prominent education organizations, such as the Utah Education Association, Utah’s largest teachers union.
The Utah School Boards Association, The Utah School Superintendents Association and the Utah Association of School Business Officials also opposed the repeal.
Lexi Cunningham, executive director for the Utah School Superintendents Association and the associate executive director for Utah School Boards Association, told board members during the public comment period Thursday that she and others in her organizations were “surprised” that USBE “made no attempt” to consult with education leaders prior to the vote. She said that repealing the equity rule would impact every school and educator in Utah.
“Educational equity in schools is important because it individualizes learning, ensures equal access (and) creates safe learning environments,” Cunningham said.
Curtis Linton, a white father of two adopted Black children who attend Salt Lake City schools, told The Salt Lake Tribune prior to Thursday’s meeting that he realized how important educational equity is soon after his son started school.
“As early as preschool, my son comes home and says someone won’t play with him because he’s ‘dirty,’” Linton said. “The reality of racial differences came very early to us.”
He said the educational equity rule gives educators “guardrails” for navigating difficult conversations and teaches them how to identify unique student needs that extend beyond racial inequities, like learning disabilities.
McDonald, the Utah Democratic Party member, said equity is not about equal outcomes or taking away from one student to give to another, it’s about creating equal opportunities.
“This is not just about race,” she said. “Educational equity in schools ensures that every [child] exercises their inalienable right to learn, which is in pursuit of their happiness.”
From Iowa to Florida, national lawsuits against local book bans begin to gain tractionhttps://www.latimes.com/entertainment...
Today's GOOD news (on a day of very bad news)Read EveryLibrary's 2023 Impact Report
https://www.everylibrary.org/r?u=fk3q...
And from my birth state
Proposed Anti-Book Ban Bills Presented in Massachusetts
Bills would affirm the expertise of librarians in book challenges, make banning more difficult
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
THIS is what happens when you ban books/ideas. Former library employees raise concerns about work environment
They say new anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Florida have only made things worse
https://www.wcjb.com/2024/01/15/forme...
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Former Alachua County library employees are coming forward with concerns about the mistreatment of LGBTQ+ staff.
Debbie Lewis retired in 2019 after 15 years at the Alachua County Library.
She says by the time she left, morale was low and the environment was becoming toxic.
She says new laws have only made it worse for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I always felt that it was a friendly place for queer people to be,” said Lewis, “and there were a lot of us there. I’m also on the board of directors at the pride community center and library staff reached out to us to let us know that the library had pulled an LGBTQ+ book from a program they were running for teens.”
Lewis is part of a group--along with the Alachua County Labor Coalition--that is trying to force change in library leadership structure.
“We’re concerned about anti-LGBTQ+ censorship,” said the ACLC’s coordinator, Bobby Mermer, “we’re also concerned about overly-aggressive enforcement of anti-trans laws, as well a general lack of workplace democracy in the library and just a poor working environment for librarians.”
“They told the managers at a public-service managers meeting if you see a patron walk into a bathroom that looks like it’s not the bathroom that aligns with their sex assigned at birth to just call the police,” said Lewis.
Lewis said staff were were told they would be charged with unauthorized use of library property if they were suspected of using the wrong bathroom, and that mistreatment of employees goes well beyond just staff that is part of the LGBTQ+ community.”
THIS is disgusting, hateful, despicable and openly homophobic. Two men/women holding hands or kissing is NOT obscene. Kids need to see that to normalize it in order to increase tolerance and acceptance and decrease bullying and hate. Nudity in and of itself is not obscene. We're all born naked.They persist in their lies and spreading those lies. This bill MUST NOT be allowed to pass. There are laws and Constitutional amendments protecting people yet they blatantly ignore said laws and are even willing to overthrow the Constitution and place God above country. Which is exactly what they feared about Catholics up through JFK! SO why is it OK when it's THEIR version of God?
https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/01/1...
Idaho bill to ban books that feature ‘homosexual acts’ – such as holding hands
House Bill 384.
The bill, which was voted to be sent to the House floor, is a tweaked version of last year’s House Bill 314, which was ultimately vetoed by the Republican governor, Brad Little.
In response to the veto, a proposed fine mentioned in the legislation has been reduced from $2,500 to just $250
When HB314 was first tabled, the Human Rights Campaign labelled it the “latest salvo by extremist politicians who want to prevent equitable access to library services, by banning so-called ‘obscene’ books and materials”.
The latest version of the bill aims to prevent school and public libraries giving or making available any materials to minors that (view spoiler)
The passage could ban books that contain gay characters, which would be seen as automatically sexually explicit. The bill’s definition of “sexual conduct” includes “homosexuality”.
Republican representative Julianne Young claimed that the proposed law wouldn’t ban gay characters, but “acts” of homosexuality, which could extend to characters simply holding hands.
The hearing was told that the bill was needed to prevent minors reading about “two men kissing”, and LGBTQ-inclusive works were referred to as “grooming books”.
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Out of the Blue (other topics)The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink (other topics)
My Rainbow (other topics)
Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts (other topics)
The Day the Books Disappeared (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
Ellen Hopkins (other topics)
Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Scott Stuart (other topics)
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https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2024/01/...