Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
>
Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
The good news, predictably, comes from New England. Our governor is supposed to give a State of the State address tonight and he probably will not address book banning but our governors usually do follow Massachusetts.What if police want to search your classroom? A union letter to Great Barrington teachers lays out the protocol
If a teacher is questioned by police, and they do not have a warrant, Roy wrote, “you should ask for a union rep to be present. If they do have a warrant, you should ask for a lawyer or a union rep to be present.
“In any situation, ask for representation,” he added.
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/s...
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/s...
And also from... New Mexico?!https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
New Mexico has joined states like Massachusetts in proposing new anti-book ban legislation this session.
House Bill 123, the Prohibit Library Book Banning bill, is sponsored by Representative Kathleen Cates and Senator Herald Pope. It is modeled similarly to the new law in Illinois which ties state funding to library policies about book banning. In order for public libraries in New Mexico to receive state funding, they would need to do the following:
adopt and follow the American Library Association's (ALA) Library Bill of Rights
adopt or create a policy that explicitly prohibits the removal of materials from the public library based on "partisan or doctrinal disapproval"–in other words, no banning on the basis of gender, race, sexuality, political, or religious views.
The bill also would make it against the law for any political division of the state to reduce a library's funding for not engaging in book banning. It would still be permissible for people to challenge books at their library–that's a First Amendment Right–but the parameters for what can be removed are much stricter.
As of writing, the bill would apply only to public libraries.
One of the most interesting pieces of this legislation is that it clearly defines the word "ban." One of the consistent arguments made by book banners is that they are not banning books but are simply removing them. The state would define a ban precisely as it is: the act of removing or prohibiting the addition of materials in public libraries."
Trauma, Book Bans, and LibrariesA resource guide for library workers, library supporters, and beyond
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
This is very sad for the community and for all the people who lost their jobs.Jonesboro, Arkansas
What Happened When One Community Defunded Its Library
A Pride display at a local library spurred community backlash — and now its staff is dealing with the repercussions.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jonesb...
BAD BAD IdahoIdaho bill on ‘harmful’ library books moves forward after most public testimony opposed it
https://www.eastidahonews.com/2024/01...
More than 100 people attended a legislative committee’s hearing on House Bill 384, and 18 testified, most of them against it. All 11 Republicans on the legislative committee voted in favor of the bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa. Both Democrats voted against it.
The bill would let parents seek damages from libraries if their children are exposed to “harmful” materials, as defined in Idaho’s 1972 obscenity law. That definition includes “homosexuality,” nudity, (view spoiler)
Library and school staffers testified at Monday’s hearing and said the bill would be unworkable for libraries in the state with tight budgets. One Meridian librarian said the law would prevent teenage library employees from shelving books in adult sections, creating a burden for adult employees. Others said it would expose them to lawsuits and require them to hire attorneys.
“We cannot afford to have a separate area for adults,” said Robert Wright, the director of the Idaho Falls Public Library. He said his library, if the bill becomes law, would close off the entire second floor of the library to people under 18 and may need to hire a staff member to check for IDs.
Shane Reichert, the general counsel for the Idaho Education Association, testified against the bill, noting that “broad and vague language” in the bill could result in frivolous lawsuits.
At the hearing, Crane said the bill would not result in any “banned books” but would rather require for objectionable books to be removed from children’s sections.
Crane told the committee a “national legal counsel group” called his bill “the best library bill in the country.” He did not immediately respond to a question about which organization he had consulted.
A majority of the testimony at Monday’s hearing was opposed to the bill, with members of the public citing homophobia and subjectivity in the state’s obscenity law.
Jacquelyn Davidson, a Republican precinct committeewoman for the Ada County GOP, said she supported the bill and had found books at the Boise Public Library “promoting homosexuality and gender dysphoria.”
“Homosexuality does not equate to obscenity,” said Isabella Burgess, an associate librarian at the Meridian Library District. “It is your choice to sexualize children’s books.”
“Gay people will not go away,” she added. “There will always be families with two moms or two dads seeking out literature that represents them.”
Wright, the Idaho Falls library director, on the brink of tears said that he thought s---l content in books could potentially help children who have been s--ually abused or molested to find the language to describe the physical abuse they have suffered.
One testifier, from Kootenai County, claimed that obscene materials at libraries increases the risk of “rape, murder and child molestation.” Another resident, from Twin Falls, said obscene materials at libraries could increase children’s vulnerability to sexual predators and “condition” them for sexual trafficking.
Zach Borman, president of the West Ada Education Association, a local advocacy group, said he thought lawmakers were trying to “shelter” children and were “legislating a very particular parenting philosophy and pulling the rest of us along with you.”
He said he thinks children should be educated to trust their instincts as they grow and experience greater levels of autonomy.
“Human sexuality is strange at times,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we need to pretend it doesn’t exist until they are an adult.”
Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, who chairs the committee, said policies libraries already have to deal with “harmful” materials have been insufficient.
“These books still are coming up,” he said. “Last year, we had books that were in Meridian libraries that had no business being in the hands of minors.”
Paige Beach, a children’s librarian in Meridian, said she has worked at a library for eight years and said she has “never” encountered a parent who found a book that they thought was “objectionable.”
There are pockets of Massachusetts that ban books. This can not be allowed to happen. Unsurprisingly, the banned books follow the trend. I don't understand why these people don't have anything better to do that sit on social media, look at images they think are pr0n and dream up dirty thoughts and then proceed to try to helicopter parent the entire country.North Attleboro and Wrentham are close to here. My SIL grew up in Wrentham and her parents were the opposite of helicopter parents.
___________________________
From the Boston Globe
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/1...
School districts received challenges to at least 70 different books, Globe reporting shows, but a handful of books represent almost a third of those contested.
The frequently-challenged books mostly deal with gender and sexuality, and multiple are graphic novels that critics have called p___
All American Boys (2)
Flamer (2)
Lawn Boy (2)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2)
Beyond Magenta: Transgender and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out (3)
Gender Queer (5)
This Book Is Gay (5)
All Boys Aren't Blue (6)
Most districts reported no challenges, but parents, residents and others attempted to get dozens of books banned or restricted in other districts. Restrictions include adding a warning label, requiring parental permission to check a book out, or removing it from the stacks so students have to make a request to a librarian.
In most cases, districts reviewed complaints and opted not to make any changes, but there were a handful of exceptions. Ten districts said they either removed or restricted access to at least one book. Often, that meant moving the books to libraries geared toward older readers, but a couple of books were removed entirely.
The 10 districts that removed or restricted access to books are Abington, Ludlow, Marblehead, Medfield, Melrose, North Attleborough, Sandwich, Westwood, Wrentham, and Wilmington.
10 districts said they have removed or restricted access to certain books
In Westwood, the woke police showed up.
"A concern about Dr. Seuss books that were no longer being published but still in circulation was raised by a parent. Books were pulled from circulation while the parent initiated a formal process for reconsideration. In the meantime, our librarians made the decision to weed the books from the collection as part of their ongoing process to keep our school libraries current. Essentially, the parent request simply sped up a process that is already in place."
Records obtained by the Globe show that in some cases, campus and district leaders respond to parental challenges on a case-by-case basis. But in recent years, many Massachusetts districts have also put formal policies in place to respond to challenges, sometimes following rancorous School Committee meetings about classroom materials.
The formal processes usually have the district or school leader appoint a review committee to assess the complaint and the district’s reasons for using the materials. But in many cases, the review processes have not seen any use, district leaders said.
Bad news in Georgia 25 books banned from Marietta City Schools reading center
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/mari...
Last month, the district voted to ban 23 books. Since then, parents have filed appeals to keep every single one of those books on the shelves.
These 23 books are in addition to two books that were removed back in the fall, "Flamer and Me" and "Earl and the Dying Girl."
Tuesday night, the school board rejected the appeal by a vote of 6-1.
Karla Jacobs is with Marietta in the Middle, a group of parents that wrote the appeals.
"We're disappointed in what happened tonight. The biggest losers in this whole book ban debacle are the students who have lost important books from their media center that speak to their lives and experiences," said Jacobs.
Becky Simmons is pleased children will no longer have access to these books in the school library.
"I am so grateful for a school board and having Dr. Grant Rivera for having a set standard of what should be allowed in our school system," said Simmons.
North Carolina4 books removed
https://www.thepilot.com/news/ed-boar...
After six months, numerous discussions, several delays and nearly $14,000 spent on the review process, the Board of Education has decided to remove four books from district libraries.
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 that initial decision.
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 sexually explicit content, mentions of drug and alcohol use, depictions of rape, 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.
Before voting, Deputy Superintendent Mike Metcalf took the opportunity to highlight the current school location of each book and their respective committee’s recommendation.
The board had the opportunity to approve each book’s committee recommendation, reject the committee’s recommendation, or generally accept the recommendation, albeit with a deviation from the prescribed restrictions.
The four books that will no longer be available in Moore County School libraries are “The Bluest Eye,” “Eleanor and Park,” “Looking for Alaska,” and “Crank.”
Good news and bad news today. Fifth Circuit Court Calls Texas READER Act Unconstitutional; Stays Law
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
The Act would ban "s---ually explicit" books from schools in the state and require all book vendors in the state to rate the content of materials they sell and submit a list to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). TEA would have the authority to determine whether or not materials could be purchased from those vendors. The law would go into effect September 1, with ratings due to the state by April 1, 2024.
In July 2023, several book vendors, including Austin's BookPeople bookstore and Houston's Blue Willow Bookshop, filed a lawsuit against the act. The lawsuit noted that the READER Act’s vagueness made it impossible to follow and more, its overreaching nature violated both the First and Fourteenth Amendment.
The initial hearings led to the law being enjoined, meaning that it could not go into effect while the suit was being tried. The state appealed the decision immediately, claiming a "government speech" clause that was also recently used in an attempt to end a book banning lawsuit in Escambia County, Florida. The court found that the ratings portion of the law would not constitute government speech but vendor speech, as ratings would be determined by book sellers and not the state itself (even if TEA has authority over the vendors schools may or may not patronize).
One of the key takeaways of the decision yesterday is the Court's belief that the READER Act is a violation of the First Amendment.
"It also emphasizes that what the State claims the purpose of the ratings system is is not actually what it is:
"According to the State, Zauderer applies here because the librarymaterial ratings are 'purely factual and uncontroversial' like a nutrition label; they simply tell the buyer what they are receiving rather than pass judgment or express a view on the material’s appropriateness for children. We disagree. The ratings READER requires are neither factual nor uncontroversial. The statute requires vendors to undertake contextual analyses, weighing and balancing many factors to determine a rating for each book. Balancing a myriad of factors that depend on community standards is anything but the mere disclosure of factual information. And it has already proven controversial.
We conclude that neither exception applies. Plaintiffs are thus likely to succeed on their compelled speech claim.'"
j/https://storage.courtlistener.com/rec...
Conclusion: Over and over judges are ruling in favor of the First Amendment.
The bad newsProposed bill would require Utah schools to display 'Ten Commandments'
(Again violation of First Amendment. The groundbreaking lawsuit happened in my state, the place where the oldest Jewish congregation in America wrote George Washington asking if they would be denied the freedom to practice their religion in the new country's Constitution and he replied YES freedom of worship is guaranteed.)
Rep. Michael Petersen, R-Cache County, is the sponsor.
The bill text calls for “a poster or framed copy” of the Ten Commandments in schools that “is at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall.”
If a school does not have a copy of the Ten Commandments, it would have to accept a “privately donated” poster or framed copy and display it.
https://kutv.com/news/politics/bill-p...
tried and failed in Texas
https://kutv.com/news/nation-world/te...
See also Alquist vs. Cranston West
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahlquis...
Sadly a win for M4L. They accomplished their goal in South Carolina.Moms for Liberty activists launch taxpayer-funded charter school in South Carolina
https://www.msnbc.com/11th-hour/watch...
Better news in Minnesotahttps://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/01...
A Minnesota administrative law judge on Tuesday OK’d much of the state’s plan to revamp state social studies standards, including new language requiring ethnic studies. The ruling lets the new standards move forward with some small modifications.
Judge Eric Lipman recommended the state Education Department adopt the entirety of the proposed standards but make changes to the wording of a requirement that stipulates students “use ethnic and Indigenous studies methods and sources in order to understand the roots of contemporary systems of oppression and apply lessons from the past in order to eliminate historical and contemporary injustices.”
Lipman wrote: “A plain reading of the text suggests that each student must eliminate a historical and contemporary injustice to satisfy the academic standard. This expectation is unduly vague, because those who are subject to the standard cannot know what is needed to meet the requirements and strict compliance is unreasonable and implausible.”
The report suggests several remedies to fix the issue.
The proposed standards, which have been working their way through the rules-making process since 2020, lay out parameters in the study of economics, geography, citizenship and government, including requirements that students be able to explain rights and responsibilities in a democratic society, and the unique status of tribal nations.
The ethnic studies addition to the standard requires that students analyze social identities of race, gender, religion, geography and ethnicity.
The new language in the ethnic studies component, however, has drawn scrutiny from one conservative group that’s questioned the value and approach of what would be required statewide public school standards.
The Center of the American Experiment has warned the proposal could generate fear and resentment in students belonging to some racial and ethnic groups and embed “themes of critical race theory” in Minnesota curricula.
Catrin Wigfall, a policy fellow with the group, called the judge’s decision on Tuesday “disappointing” and raised concerns that the standards would “at best confuse teachers and students and at worst force them to endorse a divisive and conflict-based ideology.”
Today's news from CaliforniaStory Time Fallout: Coronado Public Library staff faces onslaught of harassment
The library has received dozens of hateful emails since the holidays.
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/loca...
Coronado Public Library workers say the situation began in July 2023 when someone read a book during children's story time about a family attending a Pride parade.
Carl Luna, president of the Friends of the Coronado Public Library, said staff got backlash from people who didn’t think the book was appropriate for kids.
“All of the books referenced have to meet National Standards Library of Congress publisher requirements to be age-appropriate,” Luna said.
This issue snowballed in December when a Navy SEAL's wife proposed a kid’s story time called Tiny Patriots, during which she would read patriotic and Christmas-themed books.
“They were told, under library policy: If it's an official event, you have to go through background checks,” Luna said. “You have to get a Live Scan [background check] just like what teachers like myself have to do to be able to be in there. That takes time. And also; You don't get to choose the books that are going to be read, those are going to be curated by the library staff.”
Days later, and after the matter got national media attention, library staff inboxes were flooded with dozens of hateful and threatening emails. One of them said, “Will the staff please pour gasoline on their bodies and torch themselves?’
Luna said staff has been able to trace down the messages and determined they aren’t local.
Carol Pastor is local, however. She's lived in Coronado for 50 years.
“I wouldn't have their job if my life depended on it, because they're supposed to keep a stiff upper lip, keep smiling long and let these people come in and yell at them or scream at them or threaten them,” Pastor told NBC 7.
Luna said the backlash deters people from joining an industry that helps hold communities together.
“You start to look at, ‘How about that Penasquitos library?’ Or ‘How about going to work for, you know, work for McDonald's at about the same rate?' " Luna said. "You know, we don't usually get threats like that over a Big Mac.’”
The Friends of the Library have publicly asked the Coronado City Council to speak out against the hate and defend the library staff.
More from BookRiot's surveyhttps://literaryactivism.substack.com...
Parents are split on what they think about library workers and politics. A full 35% believe that public librarians have political agendas and that they should. An additional 9% believe that public librarians do not have a political agenda but should. That is 44% of parents stating that public library workers should have a political agenda. On the other side, only 12% believe public librarians have an agenda and should not, while 44% believe public librarians do not have a political agenda and should not have one.
North Hunterdon-Voordees School District in New Jersey freedom to read on Tuesday, January 23.Support the library!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T...
At the November NH-V BOE meeting, failed BOE candidate Eric Licwinko stumbled through a performance of manufactured outrage, reading out-of-context passages from Let's Talk About It, a sex education book presented in graphic novel format. This was likely just the opening salvo in a broader attack on an as-yet-unnamed list of more than 50 books that Licwinko's associate Christopher Stadulis (husband of new board member Cynthia Reyes-Stadulis), claims to have targeted for removal from the library. Licwinko, Stadulis, and Reyes-Stadulis were all involved in the unsuccessful 2021-2022 attempt to ban five LGBTQ+ books from district libraries.
On Jan. 13, 2024, Christopher Stadulis, husband of BOE member Cynthia Reyes-Stadulis, posted an online attack on the librarian. Stadulis' post has generated numerous hateful comments and incited a hateful, harassing email to the librarian's school account. The sender of the email is a commenter on Stadulis’ Facebook post and is associated with a company that distributes tactical shooting gear. The librarian has notified the district of harassment by Stadulis three times in the last year; the district has taken no action.
On Jan. 17, 2024, Stadulis posted a second harassing video to the same Facebook pages. In the video, he targets the NHHS librarian, a supportive community member, and every BOE member – past and present – who refused to ban books.
Bruce Friedman, who submits book ban requests in Clay County, Florida, schools by the dozens, just submitted a new round. Don't Call Me Crazy by anti-censorship activist Kelly Jensen is targeted because she calls him out on his s[tuff].
The school board will be hosting an open forum on the topic of book bans now since Bruce doesn't get to be the district librarian.
https://www.claytodayonline.com/stori...?
In MissouriA city councilwoman’s talk-radio campaign to remove a book she finds offensive from the Rolla Public Library shelves led to a call for her resignation—or censure—at Tuesday night’s Rolla City Council meeting.
No action was taken after Mayor Lou Magdits said this is a controversy to be dealt with by the library board, not the city council.
https://www.phelpscountyfocus.com/art...
In Maine Roger Moulton of Livermore Falls shared concerns with Regional School Unit 73 board of directors on Thursday about the appropriateness of some books in school libraries and bullying in the schools.https://www.sunjournal.com/2024/01/12...
He indicated he will seek a seat on the school board and will share images and situations of concern, such as the parent survey on masks being ignored, with those in the community while campaigning for election.
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Roger Moulton of Livermore Falls addresses Regional School Unit 73 directors in November 2022 at Spruce Mountain High School in Jay, pointing out his shirt with explicit images from the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir.” At Thursday’s board meeting at the school, Moulton shared his concerns about some reading materials at the school library. The board voted in November 2022 to allow the book and another on racism titled “White Fragility” to stay in the library, denying appeals from some residents to ban the books. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal file photo
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JAY — Roger Moulton of Livermore Falls shared his concerns about the appropriateness of reading materials at the high school and elementary school libraries during Thursday’s meeting of Regional School Unit 73 directors at Spruce Mountain High School.
“I haven’t been back here since the ‘Gender Queer’ debate and vote,” he said. “After leaving, I discovered the most shocking image yet.” He showed an image depicting what he said was an act of pedophilia.
“If it were a photograph as opposed to an illustration, two people would be going to prison,” he said. “Why is this acceptable as a drawing in an academic institution?”
The 2019 publication, “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” written and illustrated by Maia Kobabe, recounts Kobabe’s journey from adolescence to adulthood and the author’s exploration of gender identity and sexuality, according to multiple online sources.
The board voted in November 2022 to keep the book on the high school library’s shelves, denying appeals from some residents who wanted it banned.
RELATED
Controversial books to stay in Spruce Mountain High School library
Moulton said he brought the illustration to a board member and couldn’t believe changes hadn’t been made since then to prevent such things going forward.
“Now we found out there is a book, possibly several with inappropriate wording and situations available at the elementary school for 8-year-olds,” Moulton said. “We are well aware of the response we will get from some board members, staff and community that will call this an attack on the LGBTQ community. If there are cis or straight books … that have similar materials for 8-year-olds we would beg and plead you to remove those from the library as well.”
On Friday, board Chairman Robert Staples of Jay confirmed that Moulton was referring to the book “Rick” at Spruce Mountain Elementary School in Jay.
Superintendent Scott Albert said later in the meeting that the book was challenged at the elementary school. The district will follow policy for challenges to remove library books, he said.
According to Goodreads.com, the book by Alex Gino is “a young middle grade novel about a boy named Rick who is just entering middle school and is questioning his sexual identity.”
After the meeting, Albert distributed copies of the book for board members to read.
Moulton said parents were asking for the board and a parent group to read the books mentioned and possibly others.
“I don’t think that is an unusual request as ultimately parents should decide what their children are viewing anyway,” he said. There are LGBTQ-related books without such images, he said, and wondered why those books weren’t being used to support those students.
“Spruce Mountain has the (Gay Straight Alliance), which we are told is our largest extra-curricular group,” Moulton said. “We have more rainbows than any other symbols on the grounds with the exception of the Phoenix. I’m honestly not sure if we have more Phoenix symbols in this building.”
Moulton said LGBTQ students are well represented in the district, nobody is asking to change that. He said he is glad those students have a voice and resources available. As a parent, he thought chess club, math club and basketball would look better on a college application than four years of GSA.
Another concern he raised is bullying.
“For the last three or four years I have heard many stories of bullying at the middle school with no results or punishment of students,” he said. “The vast majority of parents are saying it is not being handled or changed.”
“With the amount of energy spent on welcoming all people, why are we still having these bullying issues and how do we stop it?” he asked.
He indicated he will seek a seat on the school board and will share images and situations of concern, such as the parent survey on masks being ignored, with those in the community while campaigning for election.
A districtwide survey in August 2021 found most parents favored having a choice on masking when students returned to school later that month. However, the board voted 6-5 to require everyone to wear masks in Spruce Mountain buildings.
“This is your notice to shape up and start respecting parents’ wishes,” Moulton said. “Have some actual adult discernment for what is and is not appropriate or we will have you all unseated one by one until there is at least a majority of board members with common sense and decency.”
Director Chantelle Woodcock of Jay said she knows bullying has been seen in all schools. “The thing we don’t talk about is we are seeing (bullying) with adults on social media,” she said. “We are seeing it toward our teachers, toward our administrators.
“When we think about where are the kids getting the audacity to be bullies, we need to remember they learn from the adults around them,” Woodcock said.
In Maine Roger Moulton of Livermore Falls shared concerns with Regional School Unit 73 board of directors on Thursday about the appropriateness of some books in school libraries and bullying in the schools.https://www.sunjournal.com/2024/01/12...
He indicated he will seek a seat on the school board and will share images and situations of concern, such as the parent survey on masks being ignored, with those in the community while campaigning for election.
Resize Font
Font size +
Gift article
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Roger Moulton of Livermore Falls addresses Regional School Unit 73 directors in November 2022 at Spruce Mountain High School in Jay, pointing out his shirt with explicit images from the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir.” At Thursday’s board meeting at the school, Moulton shared his concerns about some reading materials at the school library. The board voted in November 2022 to allow the book and another on racism titled “White Fragility” to stay in the library, denying appeals from some residents to ban the books. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal file photo
Buy Image
JAY — Roger Moulton of Livermore Falls shared his concerns about the appropriateness of reading materials at the high school and elementary school libraries during Thursday’s meeting of Regional School Unit 73 directors at Spruce Mountain High School.
“I haven’t been back here since the ‘Gender Queer’ debate and vote,” he said. “After leaving, I discovered the most shocking image yet.” He showed an image depicting what he said was an act of pedophilia.
“If it were a photograph as opposed to an illustration, two people would be going to prison,” he said. “Why is this acceptable as a drawing in an academic institution?”
The 2019 publication, “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” written and illustrated by Maia Kobabe, recounts Kobabe’s journey from adolescence to adulthood and the author’s exploration of gender identity and sexuality, according to multiple online sources.
The board voted in November 2022 to keep the book on the high school library’s shelves, denying appeals from some residents who wanted it banned.
RELATED
Controversial books to stay in Spruce Mountain High School library
Moulton said he brought the illustration to a board member and couldn’t believe changes hadn’t been made since then to prevent such things going forward.
“Now we found out there is a book, possibly several with inappropriate wording and situations available at the elementary school for 8-year-olds,” Moulton said. “We are well aware of the response we will get from some board members, staff and community that will call this an attack on the LGBTQ community. If there are cis or straight books … that have similar materials for 8-year-olds we would beg and plead you to remove those from the library as well.”
On Friday, board Chairman Robert Staples of Jay confirmed that Moulton was referring to the book “Rick” at Spruce Mountain Elementary School in Jay.
Superintendent Scott Albert said later in the meeting that the book was challenged at the elementary school. The district will follow policy for challenges to remove library books, he said.
According to Goodreads.com, the book by Alex Gino is “a young middle grade novel about a boy named Rick who is just entering middle school and is questioning his sexual identity.”
After the meeting, Albert distributed copies of the book for board members to read.
Moulton said parents were asking for the board and a parent group to read the books mentioned and possibly others.
“I don’t think that is an unusual request as ultimately parents should decide what their children are viewing anyway,” he said. There are LGBTQ-related books without such images, he said, and wondered why those books weren’t being used to support those students.
“Spruce Mountain has the (Gay Straight Alliance), which we are told is our largest extra-curricular group,” Moulton said. “We have more rainbows than any other symbols on the grounds with the exception of the Phoenix. I’m honestly not sure if we have more Phoenix symbols in this building.”
Moulton said LGBTQ students are well represented in the district, nobody is asking to change that. He said he is glad those students have a voice and resources available. As a parent, he thought chess club, math club and basketball would look better on a college application than four years of GSA.
Another concern he raised is bullying.
“For the last three or four years I have heard many stories of bullying at the middle school with no results or punishment of students,” he said. “The vast majority of parents are saying it is not being handled or changed.”
“With the amount of energy spent on welcoming all people, why are we still having these bullying issues and how do we stop it?” he asked.
He indicated he will seek a seat on the school board and will share images and situations of concern, such as the parent survey on masks being ignored, with those in the community while campaigning for election.
A districtwide survey in August 2021 found most parents favored having a choice on masking when students returned to school later that month. However, the board voted 6-5 to require everyone to wear masks in Spruce Mountain buildings.
“This is your notice to shape up and start respecting parents’ wishes,” Moulton said. “Have some actual adult discernment for what is and is not appropriate or we will have you all unseated one by one until there is at least a majority of board members with common sense and decency.”
Director Chantelle Woodcock of Jay said she knows bullying has been seen in all schools. “The thing we don’t talk about is we are seeing (bullying) with adults on social media,” she said. “We are seeing it toward our teachers, toward our administrators.
“When we think about where are the kids getting the audacity to be bullies, we need to remember they learn from the adults around them,” Woodcock said.
Paula Mimnaugh a staple M4L criis actor at Iredell School Board (NC) meetings for years (the one who broke into the school to take photos of "naughty books) is now being investigated for reading vulgar passages at board meetings by the police.https://www.iredellfreenews.com/news-...
“The next step is that it will be assigned to an investigator. The investigator will then take the findings to the district attorney,” Watson said.
Mimnaugh, a former teacher in Montgomery County, has been a frequent speaker at I-SS meetings over the past two years. She has repeatedly urged the district to remove books from school libraries, including those with LGBTQ characters and sexual content.
During Monday’s meeting, she indicated she was doing God’s work. “Jesus is my strength and shield,” she said.
Mimnaugh then criticized the district for its partnership with the Iredell County Public Library, which is called StudentAccess.
“It allows every public-school student to use their student ID as a library card. Students have access to both print and digital books, and can use their ID at any library in the county,” she explained.
Mimnaugh accused the school district of signing up kids to have public library cards. According to I-SS officials, a student has to have a parent’s consent to have a library card, and the school system doesn’t take any students to the public library to get a card.
For the remainder of her allotted three minutes, Mimnaugh read from two books, “A Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah Maas and “Identical” by Ellen Hopkins. The passages described (view spoiler)
The books are not available in I-SS school libraries.
But Mimnaugh said that I-SS high school students can access both books via their StudentAccess account.
District officials pushed back and said her information was not correct.
Board Chairman Bill Howell made it clear that there wouldn’t be any repeat performances during the next public comment period.
“State Law 143-318.17 talks about vulgar comments in a public place. These officers can arrest you — if you’re not careful,” Howell warned.
“To make it clear and publicly known, I have received staff complaints and public complaints. We have filed a complaint with the police. I am personally upset that this occurred,” I-SS Superintendent Jeff James said.
Iowa- The Danville and West Burlington school districts (IA) plan to follow the state book ban law that the courts have currently halted.https://www.mississippivalleypublishi...
On Dec. 29, U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Locher issued an injunction halting the enforcement of Senate File 496, a law passed by the Iowa Legislature during the 2023 session that bans books depicting sex acts from school libraries and classrooms and prevents teachers from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation issues with students until they are in junior high.
Locher’s ruling came from separate injunction requests brought forth by the GLBT Youth In Iowa Task Force, Penguin Random House Books, and the Iowa State Education Association.
The portion of the law’s enforcement provisions that issue penalties against schools that violated the law were set to take effect on Jan. 1.
It is unclear at this time when the issue will be resolved in the courts, but the superintendents of the Danville and West Burlington School Districts both recently told The Hawk Eye that they intend to abide by the state law until further notice.
“Danville is still operating under guidance from our school board policies and local legal guidance,” Danville Superintendent Pat Wallace told The Hawk Eye. “We follow state law and additionally have multiple school board policies that guide this.”
Wallace said his district screens books when they are purchased and that the library catalog is analyzed on a regular basis to ensure appropriateness and that any inappropriate books are not purchased or get removed.
Wallace also says Danville staff are updated regularly on changes to board policy and state laws.
“We had training at the start of the school year regarding legal updates, so everyone is aware and operates according to policy and law,” he said, adding that the State of Iowa did provide guidance on the new laws to the district prior to the current school year and that Danville also received guidance from its legal counsel on implementation of the new law.
But Danville has not had to remove any books since the new law was passed, nor has it had any issues regarding any banned books or prohibited instruction this year, according to Wallace.
“The Danville Community School District has always operated efficiently and effectively within the guidance of local school board policy and state law,” Wallace said. “We have not had any issues with these laws and don’t anticipate any issues moving forward.
“We want families to be assured their students are getting a high-quality education that prepares our students for their futures. We will continue to prioritize high academic standards, social-emotional learning, and character education to foster a strong foundation for lifelong success.” s
In West Burlington, Superintendent Lisa Beames says the West Burlington School District will not make any policy changes until a final determination on the fate of Senate File 496 is made.
Since Senate File 496 became law, Beames says all West Burlington buildings and classroom libraries have been reviewed and those book collections were adjusted to adhere to the new law.
Beams said some books were removed but didn’t have a specific number of books or titles readily available when she replied to The Hawk Eye’s inquiry.
Billings School District's book review committee (MT) is recommending a ban on Assassination Classroom because they can't imagine a work of fiction that "glorifies" teacher killings being on shelves. (go figure?!)https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/...
A panel appointed by the Billings school board recommended Monday that the book "Assassination Classroom" be banned from school classrooms and libraries.
The panel included three board members, Jennifer Hoffman, Andrea Nemitz and Brooke Wagner. The three discussed the graphic novel at a meeting at the Lincoln Center and concerns brought forward by a parent. The book by Yusei Matsui was challenged and reviewed by Billings School District 2 following a complaint about violent content.
"I just have a difficult time in our current climate in having a series of books, whether it’s fictitious, science fiction, manga, whatever it is that depicts and glorifies killing our teachers," said Hoffman. "We love our teachers and want nothing but our teachers to be safe, and I know that there’s a lot of people that see it differently and see that this book is purely entertainment."
At the meeting, members of the public were allowed to comment on whether it should be banned from the district. One attendee, Darrell James, a former educator and substitute teacher for the district, spoke against the ban and said the popular book can be a positive for some students.
"Some students are awkward. Some students are unpopular, and they’re afraid to play sports. They’re not good at academics. They just don’t fit in. And instead of letting them slip through the cracks, those are the students who find books like this and it can save them," said James. "They find books, books chosen by experts in the field, teachers and librarians with master’s degrees in library science. That’s who’s choosing these books and what they find in a book like this that they can’t find in the hallways of a high school, is acceptance."
James disagreed that the book was violent in its messaging and felt that many of those who favored the ban did not read or understand the true meaning of the book in its entirety.
“They didn’t read this book. They found a sensational graphic and they cherry-picked something that they found offensive without understanding it in context at all. This book is what we call a modern allegory. ‘Assassination Classroom’ is an allegory about an oppressive and rigid educational system that lets the misfits slide," said James.
Overall, he felt disappointed by the result of the meeting and does not believe banning books is the way to resolve issues seen in schools.
"There’s a reason other states are jealous of Montana and other countries are jealous of the United States. We have strong personal freedoms and personal responsibilities. If you ban books, you take our right to exercise both of those away from us. No more personal freedom and no more personal responsibility. I don’t need and I don’t want students to be parented by the government. Let’s leave it to the experts,” said James.
"Kids do not have a First Amendment right to read absolutely anything an adult wants to provide them," wrote Jessie Browning, the parent who initially requested the ban, in a statement on Monday. "It's against MT law to provide s--ually explicit material to kids, and MT law HB 234 makes it clear that teachers and librarians are not exempt from that law."
Browning also felt that taxpayers should not have to pay for books that contain material determined inappropriate.
ArizonaArizona school district considering policy that would allow the public to ‘challenge’ books
The district is considering adopting a policy that lets people challenge books in the high school's library.
https://www.12news.com/article/news/l...
COTTONWOOD, Ariz. — The Mingus Union High School District is considering a policy that would let anyone challenge whether a book in the school's library should be out in the open or placed in what amounts to a "back room."
According to a draft of the policy, anyone can fill out a challenge form alleging a book violates ARS 15-120.03 which prohibits "sexually explicit" material in schools.
That law was signed in 2022 and prohibits schools from referring to or using any sexually explicit material. It lays out definitions of what "s--ually explicit" means.
The school superintendent would have the final word on whether a book violates state law. In that case, the draft policy for Mingus Union High School says the book would be placed inside a "closed shelf" and not available in the general library collection.
There are some exceptions written into the law. One of those exceptions is if the book has "serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value," but does not provide definitions for those.
The law also creates an exception in the form of a permission slip. Parents can sign a consent form allowing their child to have a book that's been placed out of public view.
Dozens of people filled the school library during the last school board meeting to protest the proposed policy, many calling it a book ban.
"I think some of that on both sides was maybe based on some misconceptions and perhaps not a full understanding of the policy," said Mingus Union High School District Superintendent Mike Westcott.
Westcott said district lawyers proposed the policy because the 2022 law exists. He said the district is considering the policy to let the board know what to do in case of a challenge to a book.
"I think it's a good idea to have a policy behind a challenge," Westcott said.
"I guess we feel better about the policy that it's got statutory backing," he said.
The policy is still in draft form. Westcott said if the board approves it, it would probably go into effect near the end of the current school year.
IdahoStudents, librarians push back against West Ada book removal policy
https://www.idahoednews.org/top-news/...
West Ada librarians and students say they’re frustrated and disheartened after district leaders removed the books without considering their perspectives, under an unusual policy that gives the superintendent, or an otherwise designated district administrator, wide latitude to remove books.
“It leaves a very bad taste in my mouth,” Annabelle Jenkins, a senior at Idaho Fine Arts Academy, said. “We need to feel heard, we need to feel involved.”
West Ada leaders held another closed-door meeting last week to consider removing more books from a list of 44 that are under fire based on ratings created by a group of “concerned parents” in Brevard County, Florida
Niki Scheppers, the district’s spokesperson, said no decisions were made.
Stakeholders in West Ada schools say the book removal policy goes too far, and fear that not just books — but libraries and free-thinking — are under attack. District leaders say the policy is an effort to proactively get inappropriate materials off of shelves, and to do so as quickly as possible. They also say they’re listening to concerns and reviewing procedures.
Statewide, school leaders are paying attention; West Ada’s policies often set a precedent.
Pushback against the book removals in Idaho’s largest school district comes as legislators have introduced multiple bills that would impose harsh consequences — including closure and fines — for libraries that allow minors to access books deemed “objectionable” or “harmful.”
“More than just books are under attack, libraries themselves are under attack,” Lanzara said.
West Ada’s book removal policy includes an unusual clause that allows for a “district administrative review,” which essentially gives Superintendent Derek Bub (or another designee) the ultimate say over which books are kept or removed.
He can decide to review a book, facilitate a meeting about it, then pull it from every library in the district. While the policy permits stakeholders to voice concerns with Bub’s choices, he is not required to respond or take any action.
“You could say it’s a dead end,” said Jonathan Schoenfelder, a former library aide at Renaissance High who felt comfortable speaking on the record because he resigned last month.
When a West Ada parent or patron complains about a book, the district’s policy is similar to that of its peers. But the administrative review clause sidesteps most of those procedures in order to expedite the removal of books with content deemed illicit or inappropriate, Scheppers said. Plus, the policy means district leaders don’t have to wait for patrons to request a book’s removal, and can proactively start the process themselves
Bad news again in PAWest Shore School District (PA). The newly appointed conservative board is looking to fire the school's lawyer relating to LGBTQ+ issues
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2024/01...
Vice President Kelly Brent — refused to say last week where she had gotten the RFP document, who had written it, or what would necessitate a change of counsel — generating several confrontational exchanges between herself and other board members.
But speaking to PennLive this week, Brent said there was “nothing nefarious” about seeking legal services bids, and that the issue was being portrayed as more than what it is.
“I don’t necessarily want to do any replacing, but we have to do our due diligence,” Brent said Tuesday, particularly given that Stock & Leader’s contract rolls over later this year.
“It’s normal practice to seek bids when something is coming up for a contract renewal, and that’s really all we’re doing,” Brent continued, adding that she declined to identify who had advised her on the RFP to avoid dragging them into the conflict between the board’s dueling factions.
During last week’s meeting, the board’s majority floated the idea of immediately voting to issue the RFP, but ultimately backed off. The matter is not expected to be voted on at this Thursday’s meeting, Brent said, but will be resolved before Stock & Leader’s contract is up for renewal.
The 2023 election created a 5-to-4 split on West Shore’s board, with the majority consisting of candidates who received endorsements and/or financial support from hardline conservative groups - including those affiliated with Moms for Liberty, which has become known for attacks on books and other school materials, particularly with regard to gender identity.
The other four board members indicated during last week’s meeting that they have been left largely in the dark — a divide so stark that it is even evident in the board’s new seating arrangement, with the majority members at the table most directly facing the public, and the others at tables to the side.
“I’m not going to tell you who wrote it just because I don’t have to, it’s not necessary,” Brent said during last week’s meeting when questioned about the RFP document’s origins. “It’s irrelevant who wrote it, there are thousands of them out there for legal services.”
Brent told board members that the document had “been pulled together by a legal team to protect this board and hire [a] new solicitor.” She declined to provide a copy of the document to PennLive after the board meeting, but said Tuesday that it is not substantively different from legal bid specifications that can be found online, and that the RFP “was created from several templates formerly used by other school districts to search for new solicitors.”
The board’s minority membership received the document from Brent roughly an hour before last week’s meeting, those members said at the time, describing the RFP as vague and with limited language on how legal bids would be scored, and a structure that suggested it had been hastily adapted from another document
“In this document, you have references to sections that are mis-referenced, there’s several errors in the document that are confusing on what you’re asking for,” said board member Brian Guistwhite, leading him to question the origin of Brent’s document and its true purpose.
Guistwhite also said the RFP he received from Brent anticipated new legal counsel being in place by March — an extraordinarily tight timeline given the months-long interview process conducted during the board’s last solicitor search in 2012.
In bringing up the RFP last week, Board President Heidi Thomas said “under the premise of a new board and a new direction, I felt it was a great opportunity” to explore new counsel.
The nature of that new direction was questioned repeatedly2, with board member Abigail Tierney asking Brent if the new RFP had any relation to the Independence Law Center or the Pennsylvania Family Institute — organizations that have been involved in crafting right-wing policies on gender and sexuality for other school boards in the commonwealth.
Brent said those organizations were not involved, adding this week that her RFP was “absolutely not” designed to hire a legal firm that would help the board enact far-right policies as was seen in Central Bucks School District and other Pennsylvania districts where hardline candidates won a majority.
“We do not want to follow that playbook at all,” Brent told PennLive. The voters who elected the new majority, particularly parents, were “unhappy about the direction since COVID, so we’re there to try to listen to the parents,” Brent said.
The board’s majority now consists of Thomas — an incumbent who won re-election last year — and four newcomers: Brent, Mandy Davis, Brenda Cox, and David Brinton, all of them Republicans.
All five received support from at least one of two political action committees that heavily influenced school board races in 2023, the first being The 1776 Project PAC, which spent thousands of dollars in central Pennsylvania to campaign for what it described as “un-woke” candidates, including Davis, Cox, Brinton, and Thomas.
Brent was endorsed and promoted by Take Back Our Schools PAC, run by the former Pennsylvania director of Moms for Liberty; the PAC’s materials focus on students’ use of gender pronouns and the idea that schools teach “critical race theory” in order to “achieve a new Godless global society.”
In Florida, where they don't trust librarians to do their jobs,Polk County Public Schools seeking volunteers to review challenged library books
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/re...
Keep publicly shaming the censors and bringing on the lawsuits! The tactics are working (sort of).After national backlash, Florida lawmakers eye changes to book restrictions
It’s a tacit acknowledgement they went too far.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01...
Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature wanted to keep obscene books out of the hands of kids. But some are now acknowledging they created a “logistical nightmare” that lawmakers are trying to rein in.
Legislators this month introduced a new idea to curb frivolous challenges to books — one of the first admissions the law, which tightened scrutiny around books with s---ual content in K-12 schools, may have gone too far. The potential solution: allowing local schools to charge some people a $100 fee if they want to object to more than five books.
“I’m happy that we are digging in and trying to remove reading material that is inappropriate for our children,” said state Rep. Dana Trabulsy, a Republican from Fort Pierce who is sponsoring the legislation. “But I think [book challengers] really need to be respectful of the amount of books that they are pouring into schools at one time.”
State officials including DeSantis, however, have downplayed accusations that the state is “banning” books and labeled the claims as a “hoax.” DeSantis and other conservatives argue the law is meant to target books that broach sensitive topics like sexuality and gender orientation — such as “Gender Queer: A Memoir” for showing s-x acts and “Flamer,” which depicts (view spoiler)
The proposal from Trabulsy, tucked into a larger effort seeking to deregulate rules in public schools [That's the scary part], authorizes local districts to collect a $100 fee for each book objection that comes from anyone without a student in the district. The fee would kick in only after the complainant challenged five books and the money must be returned if the objection is ultimately withheld.
House legislators have advanced the bill through two committees, though the Florida Senate doesn’t have similar legislation. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said this week that the upper chamber has “not yet looked into” the idea.
Andres Malave, spokesperson for Speaker Paul Renner, said the original law is necessary to ensure kids aren’t exposed to inappropriate books and helped keep obscene material off shelves. But he added that this year’s proposal will hopefully “weed out the possibility of abuse in the process, encouraging only legitimate claims to be brought forward for review.”
The potential book challenge fee, which received bipartisan support from House members, is still facing resistance from inside the Statehouse and beyond. One conservative group that has been active in book challenges, the Florida Citizens Alliance, has “major opposition” to the proposal and believes it will “backtrack” the state’s policies.
And state Rep. Mike Beltran, a Republican from Apollo Beach, voted against the overarching bill during its introductory hearing, saying it would be a “real tough vote” to consider it on the floor.
“I’m afraid that this fee would potentially chill those challenges,” Beltran said during a hearing earlier this month. “I’m not aware that there are any frivolous challenges. There’s been no evidence before this committee that there have been people who are abusing the system or making frivolous complaints.”
Other lawmakers disagreed with Beltran.
“If you say that you haven’t seen abuses of this provision, and books challenged that had nothing to do with obscenities, then I don’t think you’re really paying attention to the issue,” state Rep. Christopher Benjamin, a Democrat from Miami Gardens.
Keep publicly shaming the censors and bringing on the lawsuits! The tactics are working (sort of).After national backlash, Florida lawmakers eye changes to book restrictions
It’s a tacit acknowledgement they went too far.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01...
Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature wanted to keep obscene books out of the hands of kids. But some are now acknowledging they created a “logistical nightmare” that lawmakers are trying to rein in.
Legislators this month introduced a new idea to curb frivolous challenges to books — one of the first admissions the law, which tightened scrutiny around books with s---ual content in K-12 schools, may have gone too far. The potential solution: allowing local schools to charge some people a $100 fee if they want to object to more than five books.
“I’m happy that we are digging in and trying to remove reading material that is inappropriate for our children,” said state Rep. Dana Trabulsy, a Republican from Fort Pierce who is sponsoring the legislation. “But I think [book challengers] really need to be respectful of the amount of books that they are pouring into schools at one time.”
State officials including DeSantis, however, have downplayed accusations that the state is “banning” books and labeled the claims as a “hoax.” DeSantis and other conservatives argue the law is meant to target books that broach sensitive topics like sexuality and gender orientation — such as “Gender Queer: A Memoir” for showing s-x acts and “Flamer,” which depicts (view spoiler)
The proposal from Trabulsy, tucked into a larger effort seeking to deregulate rules in public schools [That's the scary part], authorizes local districts to collect a $100 fee for each book objection that comes from anyone without a student in the district. The fee would kick in only after the complainant challenged five books and the money must be returned if the objection is ultimately withheld.
House legislators have advanced the bill through two committees, though the Florida Senate doesn’t have similar legislation. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said this week that the upper chamber has “not yet looked into” the idea.
Andres Malave, spokesperson for Speaker Paul Renner, said the original law is necessary to ensure kids aren’t exposed to inappropriate books and helped keep obscene material off shelves. But he added that this year’s proposal will hopefully “weed out the possibility of abuse in the process, encouraging only legitimate claims to be brought forward for review.”
The potential book challenge fee, which received bipartisan support from House members, is still facing resistance from inside the Statehouse and beyond. One conservative group that has been active in book challenges, the Florida Citizens Alliance, has “major opposition” to the proposal and believes it will “backtrack” the state’s policies.
And state Rep. Mike Beltran, a Republican from Apollo Beach, voted against the overarching bill during its introductory hearing, saying it would be a “real tough vote” to consider it on the floor.
“I’m afraid that this fee would potentially chill those challenges,” Beltran said during a hearing earlier this month. “I’m not aware that there are any frivolous challenges. There’s been no evidence before this committee that there have been people who are abusing the system or making frivolous complaints.”
Other lawmakers disagreed with Beltran.
“If you say that you haven’t seen abuses of this provision, and books challenged that had nothing to do with obscenities, then I don’t think you’re really paying attention to the issue,” state Rep. Christopher Benjamin, a Democrat from Miami Gardens.
In UtahDavis school officials retain Book of Mormon as lawmakers mull new rules on pulling library books
https://www.ksl.com/article/50849091/...
Davis School District officials have determined that the Book of Mormon and the Quran — challenged for their appropriateness on school library book shelves — may be retained.
The decision comes some six months after school officials decided the Bible could remain in district libraries and as Utah lawmakers mull changes to the state's 2-year-old "sensitive materials" law, which gave rise to the challenges the religious books faced.
Davis School District officials used largely the same language in explaining the Jan. 8 decisions allowing two versions of the Book of Mormon and the Quran to remain on library book shelves. The religious books, the explanations read, don't contain s--ual content or "sensitive material" in violation of Utah code.
"The passages cited by the person requesting review of this book do not include any s--ual content that would violate the bright line designation or any other definition of sensitive materials in Utah law," reads the responses by the committees involved in each review, posted on the Davis School District website.
Meantime, Utah Rep. Ken Ivory, chief sponsor of HB374, has proposed amendments to the law in the current legislative session, presaging new debate on the issue. Ivory said the new proposal, HB29, aims to clarify provisions of HB374 that had raised questions among some local school district officials around Utah. The measure could get an initial hearing in the House Education Committee as early as next week, he said Thursday.
Among other things, HB29 would give unspecified school district administrators leeway to pull "objective" sensitive material from library shelves when formally challenged without having to first submit it for more in-depth scrutiny by a review committee. "Subjective" sensitive material would face review by a mix of district officials and parents to decide if schools should retain or remove it.
"Objective" sensitive materials, broadly speaking, represent blatantly p___-graphic and indecent literature, as spelled out in state law. "Subjective" sensitive materials, as described by Ivory, reflect less flagrantly p----graphic subject matter that nevertheless may lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value, also as spelled out in state law.
HB374 spurred numerous challenges to books last year and in 2022 in school districts across the state, as well as backlash from critics who viewed moves to remove the literature as book banning. Ivory, R-West Jordan, bristles at the criticism.
"This has nothing to do with a ban. This has to do with age-appropriate limits with material we make available to students," he told KSL.com. Any books pulled, he said, would still be available at public libraries or bookstores.
Sen. Todd Weiler, co-sponsor of HB29, also defended the legislative efforts. When HB374 faced initial debate in the 2022 legislative session, supporters of action presented him with around a dozen books pulled from Davis School District libraries that contained passages that left him "shocked and appalled," he said. One book, he said, included a 500-word description of (view spoiler)
He suspects the challenges last year to the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Quran came from critics of HB374 aiming "to make a mockery" of the legislation. "Sure, you're free to take issue with the books, but they're not p____graphic. They're not X-rated," said Weiler, R-Woods Cross.
Ivory said the debate over the religious books factored in HB29. "I think that was helpful in making sure that we clarified and addressed the standards and procedures," he said.
Aside from distinguishing between "objective" and "subjective" sensitive materials, HB29 states that if three school districts in Utah decide a challenged book should be pulled from school libraries, it must be pulled from all public school libraries across the state.
The outcome of challenges to books, whether to retain or remove, could be appealed to the pertinent school board under the proposed legislation. School boards would have to vote publicly on the appeals and spell out the rationale for whatever action is taken.
Though challenges to religious books across Utah have garnered plenty of attention, they represent only a tiny fraction of the literature challenged by parents and others. Books by noted authors have also faced scrutiny.
New MexicoNew bill would create book banning criteria for libraries
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/new-bi...
“In Sandoval County, we did have a hate group that went to numerous library board meetings and up to the city’s governing body to request six books to be removed, in which they felt were not appropriate for a public use,” said Kathleen Cates.
Even after months of protesters attending library board meetings, calling for six LGBTQ books to be banned, the Rio Rancho Public Library System did not end up removing any books.
They say no one who raised these concerns at meetings followed the libraries reconsideration process or filled out the library’s book reconsideration form.
So now, lawmakers want to make sure all libraries follow this same process.
“It’s stating that the individual public libraries have a criteria to vet their books,” said Cates. “Every public library has an individual process in place on how to vet the books, request books that you want on the shelves and vet the books that you think are no longer being used.”
This new law would also create consequences if libraries do not follow this standardized process.
“If the library overrides their own process, and removes books because of the outside group pressure, they will risk losing state funding,” said Cates.
And a preview of what happens when authoritarian governments take control. And See also Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Florida, South Carolina!Sound familiar? Texas READER Act anyone?
The Taliban's War On Books
https://www.rferl.org/a/azadi-briefin...
The Taliban confiscated at least 50,000 books from publishing houses and bookshops in the Afghan capital this week.
Publishers and bookstore owners said the extremist group has also banned the sale and publication of more than 100 books. Many of the books were written or translated by Afghan authors in Dari and Pashto and focus specifically on the Taliban.
Atiqullah Azizi, a Taliban official, said the books were banned because they violated “national and Islamic values” or promoted disunity among Afghans. [The Islamic version of "Critical Race Theory"]
The move has been criticized by authors and publishers, who said they will incur significant financial losses.
"With such restrictions, the Taliban want to impose their views on people," Mujib Rahimi, an author and former government spokesman whose three books have been banned, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.
Afghan writer, Nazir Ahmad Shahar, said his book, Waziristan: The Last Refuge, which is about the history of the mountainous region in northwestern Pakistan, was also banned.
“The Taliban censors didn’t even read the books and banned them just by looking at the titles,” Shahar told Radio Azadi. [sound familiar?]
The hard-line Islamists have also overhauled the secular curriculum of elementary schools and built hundreds of madrasahs, or Islamic seminaries, across the country in the past two years.
What's Next: The Taliban is likely to widen its book seizures to other parts of Afghanistan and expand its list of banned books.
The groups appears intent on severely limiting Afghans’ access to alternative forms of information and entrenching its extremist ideology in the country. [sound familiar?]
In SC M4L plan a "classical" charter school reportedly using the Hillsdale curriculum, "which has been described as a red MAGA hat in textbook form." Making the school a front for their white, Christian fascist views. Parents are not happy.The Ashley River Classical Academy is set to open in Charleston in the fall, with two members of the Moms for Liberty Charleston County Chapter leadership on its board of directors.
The Ashley River Classical Academy’s Board of Directors Chair, Tom Drummond, said it’s a classical liberal arts education.
https://www.live5news.com/2024/01/19/...
View more about their cirriculum
https://ashleyriverclassical.org/our-...
Remember a teacher at a so-called classical school got punished for showing a picture of Michaelangelo's David?
Mod
I remember my second year at Mount Allison University. I bought a huge picture of Botticelli's The Birth of Venus for my dorm room (from Imaginus), and the dormitory don tried to get me to remove it from my wall because someone (a newly converted Pentecostal) complained. Well, I of course refused and that was that (and the entire complaint was basically dismissed with a huge amount of laughter at the complainant). But honestly, in today's Florida, Alabama, Texas etc., if someone complained about a student's dorm room in college/university showing nude paintings and the like, the student displaying these pictures would probably be mandated to remove the images).
In Florida, at a public college, I'm sure posters of nude paintings are not allowed, however, that violates the First Amendment so student could actually sue the school for forcing them to take it down. By college, most teens know how to find nudity on the internet. By high school most teens know how to find nudity on the internet. The Florida school didn't send an email home to the parents to tell them she was showing pictures of classical art as she had in years past. The principal lost her job because 3 parents complained the image was the p_ word.
a ha... this leads directly to the NEW school... because...
Hillsdale College (in Michigan) no longer affiliates with Tallahassee Classical School. Hillsdale College is a small, Christian classical liberal arts college in southern Michigan.
“This drama around teaching Michelangelo’s ‘David’ sculpture, one of the most important works of art in existence, has become a distraction from, and a parody of, the actual aims of classical education,” Hillsdale spokesperson Emily Stack Davis wrote in a statement. “Of course, Hillsdale’s K-12 art curriculum includes Michelangelo’s ‘David’ and other works of art that depict the human form.”
Tallahassee Classical School was licensed to use Hillsdale's classical education curriculum, but its license was "revoked and will expire at the end of the school year,” Davis said.
Hillsdale provides K-12 curriculum in partnership with dozens of charter schools across the country.
https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/c...
So now what happens? Classical art featuring nude bodies is not allowed in Florida schools so how can they have a classical education without art? What does Hillsdale say now? Can't wait for that follow up and the news that M4L find that not many parents agree with them and choose regular public school.
I have my eye on a few stories but none have come from reliable sources. Waiting to see what LiteraryActivism has to say first. I did find this item of note. Another snitch line does not work as intended. Gee what a surprise!Arizona schools chief said hotline would prompt investigations. What's actually happening?
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/...
"Ten months after launching a hotline for parents to report instruction they believe runs afoul of academic standards, Arizona Department of Education officials said only “about two dozen” of the tens of thousands of reports it has received were “real complaints.” Even fewer related to the hotline’s intended purpose.
When the Empower Hotline launched in March, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne billed it as a means to cut down on “inappropriate” topics like race and social and emotional learning that he said detract from academics, one of his key campaign promises. The department would dispatch an investigator to schools and request teachers cease troublesome lessons or else face potential discipline, Horne said.
But in a reversal, Medina last week said the Education Department is not responsible for investigating hotline complaints at involved schools despite funding a $70,000 to $80,000 hotline investigator position. The investigator functions to verify the credibility of people making reports, not to verify the facts being reported, Medina said. Districts are responsible for conducting their own investigations into hotline matters once the department contacts them about complaints it has deemed legitimate.
Spokespeople with districts that the Education Department identified as having legitimate hotline complaints against them said nobody from the department ever contacted them about investigations, however. The Arizona Education Association, the public school employees union, is not aware of any educators being investigated, either.
“Nearly a year later, the only results are a ton of headlines and 30,000 prank calls — and a deepening of the sense among Arizona's educators that this state is hostile to educators and our work,” said Arizona Education Association President Marisol Garcia. “The impact is real. Arizona loses thousands of educators every year to other states and other professions, and disrespectful political stunts like Horne's tattletale line are a part of the reason why."
By June, the hotline had received more than 30,000 prank calls from out-of-state robots, local critics and even a handful of radio DJs. Medina said calls have mostly trickled off in recent months, though reports do still come in.
The investigator’s job is to sift through those reports and identify which, if any, are legitimate. The investigator might ask complainants to share accompanying documentation or answer further questions to clarify their report.
“We don’t want to be contacting the school district with every crank call that comes down the pike here,” Medina said, adding that corroboration steps might look different depending on the complaint. The process involves “preliminary screening of the complaints so that they can be vetted out and ensure that they are sincere complaints before they are sent to the local school officials.”
The investigator splits time between vetting complaints through the Empower Hotline and those attached to the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts voucher program, which provides families with state tax dollars to spend on private education or home-school expenses.
Once a complaint is deemed legitimate, the department hands it off to the involved school district, which can choose how or if it wants to investigate the matter further, Medina said.
...
Just because you get a small number of complaints, that doesn't mean the complaint hotline isn't worth having," Medina said. "Sometimes, if you're not getting many complaints at a company, that's a good sign. The complaint hotline helps to give you peace of mind that if people were upset, they could be complaining."
AHH! Censorship comes to a community near me. N. Attleboro, Mass. school (NOT a rural, conservative community in the deep south or Midwest) bans Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice
based on ONE parental complaint about the title! One city council member, a Black man temporarily stepped down as a result. Very, very disappointed. I used to hang out at the local mall when I was a teen! I bought many books at B. Dalton and Waldenbooks at that mall. The mall is dying, bookstores are dead and I don't even know where the public library is there.https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/...
Town council members are vehemently opposed to the recent ban of a book in the school system to the point one member has at least temporarily stepped down from the council in protest.
The book, “Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice,” is a collection of poems by Black authors aimed to inspire kids to stay aware of social issues and become a new generation of activists.
Councilor Darius Gregory, who is Black, spoke out strongly against the ban at Monday’s council meeting before walking out of it.
“I can no longer occupy this seat until we have real change. We can start by getting the book back on the shelf,” Gregory said. “My work here is meaningless.”
...
“It completely undermines everything I have been trying to do, trying to bring this town together,” Gregory said of the ban. “It’s just disheartening.”
The development is “all dragging us through the mud,” he said. “It’s embarrassing to me. As an African American male, I don’t feel support.”
Gregory said the decision by school officials on the book — which he noted has on its cover a picture of a Black girl, was “an opportunity we could celebrate diversity and you fumbled. You failed me and everybody else.”
The councilor said he received multiple calls about the book decision.
“It’s crazy, it’s ludicrous,” Gregory said. “It makes no sense. It’s a public relations nightmare.”
A parent at Martin Elementary School asked for the book to be removed from the library shelves last spring.
The decision was made by a committee made up of a principal, librarian, the elementary curriculum coordinator, a teacher and a parent.
The committee found the title was unnecessarily divisive, Superintendent John Antonucci said. The decision was not based on the content of the book, he said.
“Banning books is against everything we stand for,” said Council Vice President John Simmons, who was filling in for council President Justin Pare, who wasn’t able to attend the meeting. “There is a big difference in my opinion from age-appropriate materials and banning ideas. Schools are where we hone the ability to make arguments. It’s a very dangerous road. Content shouldn’t be an issue.”
Councilor John Costello, who had served on the school board, called the ban “completely un-American,” especially if a book is banned “because of the title, not content.”
“I don’t believe in banning books or any art” form, councilwoman Andrea Slobogan said, adding it could have been “an amazing opportunity.” “The idea of taking things away is just disgusting.”
Councilman Daniel Donovan pointed out such freedoms are built into the U.S. Constitution.
‘It’s something we should uphold. That it’s still being debated is indefensible,” Donovan said. “We can’t support it.”
State Rep. Adam Scanlon, D-North Attleboro, said he was taken aback when other legislators informed him of the book ban.
“Your town bans books now huh?” I said no, that would be crazy, that would never happen," Scanlon said. “I am angry....It’s perplexing to me.
"I’ve read the poems collected in Woke. The poems have themes of living with a disability, being black, equality, and being kind to others," Scanlon said.
The legislator pointed out a book ban goes against several guiding principles of the country, including the First Amendment, freedom of speech.
"Now in 2024, we are banning books in Massachusetts, the cradle of liberty, just because administrators don’t like the name," Scanlon said. "We know that this could only be the beginning as we face the threat of people wanting to ban books about students with disabilities or LGBTQ+ youth, or even our ability to speak freely.
"We have to give our young people hope that we will move forward," Scanlon said. "Today as a State Rep, North Attleboro alumnus, resident, queer person, and human living in 2024 I stand with every student at Martin School and the district who wishes to do a simple thing, read a book about being kind to each other."
Simmons had reminded about a dozen residents in the audience “this is not something the town council handles,” that it was a matter for the school department.
Nobody other than councilors or Scanlon spoke about the issue.
Antonucci sent out a message to the school community Monday.
“I know the topic of ‘book bans’ raises a lot of emotions and elicits strong opinions, and it should. Decisions such as these should not be taken lightly, and they warrant a thoughtful and measured response,” Antonucci said. “Most of our actions and decisions in schools are guided by School Committee policy. When we received a request from a community member last year to reconsider a book in our library collection, I consulted our Library Media Center Materials Selection policy.
“The timing of the request posed a unique challenge, since the School Committee is currently in the process of revising and updating its entire policy manual. That work commenced almost two years ago, and is ongoing,” Antonucci said. “I can assure you that the Library Media Center Materials Selection policy will undergo an extensive review and, likely, revision in the near future.”
“In this case we followed the formal procedure, outlined in the existing policy, for when a ‘Request for Reconsideration’ is made. My obligation as Superintendent to abide by School Committee policy is not optional, regardless of my own feelings or opinions on the matter,” Antonucci added. “We followed the required procedures with fidelity, and the outcome was to remove the book from general circulation, but also to make the book available in the teachers’ classroom libraries. Students will also have the opportunity to read the book in consultation with their teacher. We look forward to reviewing the School Committee policy in the near future to ensure it meets the needs of our school district.”
Follow-Up! Embarrass them in the media and you will win!Following outcry by town officials, North Attleboro school superintendent says book will be returned to school library shelves.
https://www.thesunchronicle.com/newsl...
The superintendent says:
First and foremost, I wish to apologize and acknowledge that I misspoke in stating to the Sun Chronicle that the decision regarding Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice was made in response to the book’s title. That was incorrect, and I am truly sorry for this misstep in communication, and I ordinarily pride myself on being a strong communicator.
As superintendent, I do not support the outright banning of books, but I do believe that it is wholly appropriate in an educational environment to have a procedure in place to discuss, challenge, consider and reconsider all materials that may be made available to our students. And, certainly, not every book is appropriate for every age/grade level.
I also want to be clear that Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice was not banned or removed from the school, but I would like to explain the process that took place. Upon receiving a formal challenge, the district earnestly followed its procedure, convened a committee of faculty, administrators, a curriculum coordinator, and a parent, to evaluate the challenge. The policy leaves the final decision to me, however. Based upon the committee’s work and my evaluation of the age-appropriateness of the book in a K-5 environment, and on the publisher’s note that the book was geared toward those age 8-12 (our students are as young as five in the Martin Elementary School) I decided that the book was best approached by students in a facilitated or structured manner and ultimately the decision was made to reassign the book to the teachers’ resource library.
I have been in contact with members of our community. I have met with and spoken to residents, town councilors, and members of our school committee. Based on those discussions, it has become evident that we missed the mark, and it is clear that our policy/procedure in these matters needs to be re-evaluated.
This was the first time in my career, spanning over two decades, that I have dealt with a request to reconsider a book selection. Although we followed the established district process, it has since become clear to me that this matter was not approached or communicated properly. Once again, I am sorry for that lapse.
There are many times in life where the consequences of a decision are irreversible, but this is not one of those times. Upon reflection, and in light of the dialogue that remains ongoing within our community, I have determined that the right course of action is to restore the book’s place in our library.
Our School Committee is already undertaking a comprehensive review of our entire policy manual which includes, re-evaluating and revising our Library Media Center Materials Selection policy, which was last revised in 2004. We pledge to not only be proactive in communicating this process but to ensure that the process is inclusive – involving our faculty, staff, students, families and the community with the goal of modernizing our policies and procedures to reflect the values of North Attleborough.
Now this makes perfect sense for the senseless Florida. Apparently it's only Ok to read books about Black history in February?! But what about women's history in March? Only White women need apply? And when exactly is it a good time to read about voting? When it's too late to register? Why are none of these books on the schedule? Lots of questions here.https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/...
Florida rejects books on voting, Tuskegee airmen for museum’s storytime
Florida’s Department of State tossed out the entire slate of books recommended by the civil-rights Grove Museum for the first six months of its 2024 monthly storytime program for young children, including books on voting rights and Black history.
Originally submitted in October, the books were deemed not appropriate for the time of year they were being offered, they were not age-appropriate or not on the state Department of Education’s pre-approved reading list.
Among the books rejected was “VOTE!” by Eileen Christelow, scheduled for this month. The book was on the state’s pre-approved list and rated for first- through fourth-graders.
“You’re joking,” Christelow said from her home in Vermont. “I’m just speechless. I don’t know what to say.”
Other rejected books included “Wind Flyers” by Amanda Johnson, for February’s Black History Month, about Florida’s connection to the Tuskegee Airmen, and “Drum Dream Girl,” by Margarita Engle for Women’s History Month in March. It’s a poem inspired by a girl of Chinese, African and Cuban heritage who broke Cuba’s taboo against female drummers.
“No books were blocked; only moved to align with more relevant timing,” said Mark Ard, external affairs director for the Department of State, which oversees the state’s museums and historical programs as well as elections and corporations.
But the books don’t appear on any program calendar for the Grove House; in fact, the decision to reject the books has left storytime in limbo with no books approved except for one in February. Grove Museum staff wouldn’t answer questions from the Orlando Sentinel, referring all inquiries to Ard as instructed.
Ard called the situation a big misunderstanding, but couldn’t say when the books would be rescheduled, nor would he say who ultimately decided to reject the books. He said it came about as a result of a group discussion where he was present.
“Approval of events is filtered for marketability, timing, conflicting external dates, etc.,” Ard said. “This is not a new process and is not unique to The Grove Museum.”
He refused to say if Secretary of State Cord Byrd, formerly a Republican lawmaker and ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, was involved in the decision.
“VOTE!” was resubmitted by itself in December for January storytime, but once again it was turned down, Ard said, because it was deemed more topical for another month.
When pushed to explain when would be a good time to discuss voter registration and elections in Florida, Ard switched gears, saying the book was rated for first through fourth graders.
“Storytime programs held during school hours should be geared toward much younger children,” Ard also said, noting the age range for storytime was 3 to 8.
The Grove submitted a book for January in place of “VOTE!” But the event was canceled “out of concern for staff and visitor safety,” because it occurred the day after a January 9 storm hit Tallahassee with high winds, Ard said.
Also unsurprising but sad news from Iowa. M4L wins again. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/sto...
Des Moines Register: Bondurant school board votes to permanently remove books from schools
The Bondurant-Farrar school board voted unanimously Monday to permanently remove 17 book titles from the district and donate them to the city library.
The books include popular romance books and young adult novels that have appeared on lists of challenged or removed books in Iowa as districts work to comply with a sweeping education law that bans books with depictions of s-x acts from schools. Officials said Monday that considerations to remove the books included the adult ages and perspectives of characters in the books, larger amounts of objectionable content and/or lack of interest from students.
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 496 in May 2023. In addition to requiring that school libraries only contain "age appropriate" books, the law forbids curriculum and instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity through sixth grade.
Penalties against teachers and district officials who didn't comply with the book restrictions were to go in effect Jan. 1, but a federal judge blocked enforcement while two lawsuits against the state over SF 496 work their way through the courts.
The state has appealed the judge's decision.
According to district documents, librarians and grades 7-12 teachers in Bondurant have "diligently" reviewed classroom and library books to make sure they comply with the new law. About 80 titles have been removed from libraries or classrooms at the junior high and high school levels.
District officials recommended that the school board approve permanently removing 17 of those books. The rest of the books, a list of which was not disclosed Monday, will remain off the shelves until there is further guidance from the state, documents say.
No books have been removed at the K-6 level, according to information presented at the meeting.
By mid-December, the Des Moines Register had documented hundreds of book titles that have been removed from school shelves in Iowa to comply with Senate File 496. The judge's injunction, however, did not require school districts to restore books they had removed.
What books are being permanently removed from Bondurant schools?
District documents listed the 17 titles the school board voted to permanently remove Monday. It was not immediately clear if the titles labeled "series" included an entire series, or just the novel in a series with that title.
"Another Day" by David Levithan
"An Ember in the Ashes" (series) by Sabaa Tahir
"Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist" by David Levithan
"Numbers" (series) by Rachel Ward
"Purge" by Sarah Darer Littman
"The Cellar" by Natasha Preston
"Throne of Glass" (series) by Sarah J. Maas
"Heart Bones" by Colleen Hoover
"Hopeless" by Colleen Hoover
"Lawn Boy" by Jonathan Evison
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews
"Milk and Honey" by Rupi Kaur
"Regretting You" by Colleen Hoover
"Shine" by Lauren Myracle
"The Carnival at Bray" by Jessie Ann Foley
"The Infinite Moment of Us" by Lauren Myracle
"The Haters" by Jesse Andrews
Some good news for the dayKansas Legislators Introduce Anti-Book Ban Bill
Lawmakers have filed a bill to combat book bans in public schools and libraries.
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
Senate Bill 358 is sponsored by Senator Cindy Holscher and seeks to curb book challenges in school and public libraries. It was inspired by a pair of librarians in Sterling who lost their jobs last year because of a display in the public library that featured rainbow colors. The display promoted autism awareness, but one board member believed it "had connotations of maybe some LGBTQ things.
Senate Bill 358 is sponsored by Senator Cindy Holscher and seeks to curb book challenges in school and public libraries. It was inspired by a pair of librarians in Sterling who lost their jobs last year because of a display in the public library that featured rainbow colors. The display promoted autism awareness, but one board member believed it "had connotations of maybe some LGBTQ things.
The only thing missing from the bill is a note that the points brought up during a book challenge are not plagiarized from Moms For Liberty's BookLooks or from RatedBooks and similar "review" sites.
Literary activism survey results show 85% of parents trust librarians. Librarians, both in schools and in public institutions, are among the top-ranked professionals alongside doctors, nurses, and teachers. There is, however, a difference in trustworthiness between school and public librarians. Where public librarians garner trust from 91% of parents, school librarians garner 80%.The popular discourse certainly impacts perceptions of school librarians, but so, too, does the fact that most parents have never met their school librarian. Only 41% state that they have, even though 96% of parents state that every school should have a school librarian.
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
EveryLibrary maintains a database of all the bad library bills across the country for this legislative session. Among them is a particularly damning bill in Iowa that ties into everything mentioned above — the bill, SF 305, would make it against the law for libraries to use ALA's resources, including sample collection policies. https://www.everylibrary.org/billtrac...
Bizarre news of the week: Katy Independent School District (TX) is requiring parents to sign permission slips for their students to go to the school book fair. “Wouldn't opting out just be not sending your kid with money?” said Katy ISD parent Michelle Thomas. “If you're afraid of books, don't send them with money. Then they can't buy one.”
The move is part of the district’s effort to keep parents involved in their child’s education, said Nicholas Petito, spokesperson for Katy ISD.
Katy ISD board of trustees president and spokesperson Victor Perez did not respond to a request for comment.
“The district always strives to partner with parents in meaningful two-way communication that empowers them to be an active participant in their child’s education,” said Petito. “The opt-in practice supports this partnership and awareness among our parent and guardian groups.”
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/neig...
Why they don't just say no and not give kids money? My nephew came home with stupid stuff. He's not a reader. My other nephew bought books, including one for his cousin the kid who bought stupid stuff.
The fight over funding in the Livingston Parish Louisiana Public Library continues https://12ft.io/proxy
A few short months after Livingston Parish barely approved a tax to keep its library system alive amid controversy over age-appropriate books, the newly installed local government may try to reduce its funding later this year.
The library tax renewal passed by a mere 168 votes in November as tensions over "inappropriate" content in the young adult and children's section have taken center stage in parish and state culture wars.
Last year, the Livingston Parish library director abruptly quit, followed soon after by his assistant director. One Livingston Parish Council member successfully sought to terminate a credentialed library board member he disagreed with.
In the summer of 2022 a library board of control member listed an agenda item titled "book content" for a meeting, then named eight books to consider restricting. Content ranged from a preschool-level picture book about transgender identities to a dating guide for teenage boys with a sexually explicit illustration.
Now, the library fight that sparked that summer and subsided for a time has reignited under a new council and parish president administration.
District 7 Councilman Ricky Goff, who raised the idea of reducing the library's millage rate, said the recent vote showed him there is a need for nuance in how to approach library funding — that it can't be an all-or-nothing approach.
"It was a very tough vote for the people," he said. "I believe that most people want to support the library, but a lot of people feel that they may not have been the absolute best with the funds."
Livingston Parish Library Director Michelle Parrish said she hopes the council will look at every other taxing district too, and not just the library.
"We feel like sometimes we’re being singled out, and that’s exactly how the staff feels," she said. "We hope that they look at the employees and go, 'They’re worth saving, worth keeping this library where it needs to be.'"
Livingston Parish library leaders had argued renewing the standard 10-year, parishwide property tax would decide the fate of the system and whether it could continue to operate in the coming years.
Although voters decided the outcome in November, some on the new Livingston Parish council floated the idea of reassessing the library's 10-millage amount at its first meeting of the new year before a routine vote to accept the recent election results.
Jim Ryan, the parish financial adviser, explained during the agenda item that in August the council will certify the property tax rolls for every district and tax that the local government levies to the parish assessor.
Goff confirmed with Ryan that the council will have the opportunity then, if it chooses, "to lower that 10-mill library tax down to what we feel is just."
"I am 100% behind the library," Goff said. "Let me make that clear. I am not for giving you extra money and just spending [it on] whatever."
This week he clarified that he feels the renewal vote showed that the community wants to support the library system, but not "over-support it." He has requested the past five years of budgets from library leaders and will review them before making a proposal.
"I’m OK with funding them, but I don’t want to overfund them," he said. “If there’s any extra, and we can reduce the millage, that’s what I’m going to ask the council to support me on.”
Parrish, the library director, said in a recent interview her administration hasn't crunched the numbers to determine exactly what millage amount would be appropriate. But she added that "any reduction will reduce services."
"It will be detrimental to the system," she said. "Every dollar we have is allocated to something. We don’t just sit on money.”
Parrish added the library would love to work with the new council, and she hopes to have many conversations before council members take action in August. Since the tax passed, her team has had renewed energy to shift into strategic planning mode to push the library forward, she said.
Amid the discussion over accepting the election results, Lisa Glascock, a community member, spoke during the public hearing to raise specific concerns about a book called "Queerfully and Wonderfully Made." The book is labeled as a nonfiction guide for LGBTQ+ Christian teens.
Glascock said she voted against the library tax because she disagrees with some of the books available to young adults.
“Some of them are just really, really pushing an agenda that’s against what their parents may be raising them to stay away from,” she said.
Glascock found fault with a section of "Queerfully and Wonderfully Made" that she says pits children against pastors over sermons regarding "the sin of homosexuality."
“I just don’t think we should be giving [the library] that much money to be ruining our children’s lives when that is the parent’s responsibility. If a parent wants their child to read this, use their own money, go out and buy it for their own child. Let them read it,” she said. “The library is not standing on a good thing when it comes to our children."
She has filed a challenge to have "Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: A Guide for LGBTQ+ Christian Teens" reviewed. The challenge is pending, according to Parrish.
After a challenge, a committee must be formed, then each member must read the book and assess it before a final decision is made. Glascock can also appeal that decision and send it to the library board. The whole process usually takes about a month.
For the entire year of 2023, only five books out of the roughly 300,000 materials available have been challenged, according to Parrish. Of those, one, a young adult book called "Out of Darkness" was relocated to the adult section over intense subject matter.
Parrish added the book Glascock found fault with is in a 13-to-18 age group and will stop anyone with a tiered card system from checking it out. The library system launched the tiered card system last year, requiring parent or guardian approval of what level of book a child can access.
“That book also says it’s a guide for the LGBT Christian teen," Parrish said. "It’s a nonfiction book; it’s someone else’s opinion. Not everybody’s opinions are the same … that book has nothing sexually explicit in it. It is just totally LGBTQ and helping guide a teen through that part of their life.”
Despite Parrish's reassurances, the council requested she ask the library board of control to pull the book from the shelf until the review was finalized.
Larry Davis, a library board of control member, spoke during the meeting to commend Glascock on her concern and reminded the council the board must "represent the community standards" in its oversight of the library system. He emphasized they must listen "to the people who pay taxes," and that the majority of Livingston Parish — and indeed the state — are conservative.
“We represent the community. The LGBTQ part of the community is not a majority. We have to get back to representative government. That is what we were elected to do. We cannot have a minority deciding what the library stands for,” Davis said, to applause. "They cannot come in, in the minority, and decide what is best for the majority, and that’s what’s happening.”
Others on the council continued to question Parrish about comparable content in the children's section and different rules about removing books from the shelf. District 5 Councilwoman Erin Sandefur, who previously served on the library board of control, noted her own concern about children accessing some of the materials.
But another community member, Marla Elsea, had the final word before the council ultimately voted to accept the library tax election results.
“You represent everyone. You don’t just represent the majority," she said. “You can’t just pick and choose who you represent.”
Missouri - Camden County Library District censorship over you know what in the libraries rears its ugly head.CAMDENTON, Mo. — At a packed board meeting Jan. 12, the Camden County Library District was presented with three solutions regarding age-inappropriate books in the Children's Library being available to children who have a library card.
https://www.lakeexpo.com/community/co...
"The board will not participate in any discussion today," Simbro informed the crowd. "We will take it all into consideration. The board and the new library director will get together, and if we have to have another meeting, we will let you know."
According to library policy, any minor (17 & under) with a parent/guardian approved library card can have access to all of the library's materials, physical and digital.
The Missouri Secretary of State's office enacted the Library Certification Requirement for the Protection of Minors on May 30, 2023. That rule requires libraries to adopt written policies determining what materials are age appropriate. Libraries are also required to honor a parent’s decision as to what material their child has access to in the library.
Simbro said the January meeting was about reconciling materials in the library that were deemed inappropriate, which she reviewed. Two of the books brought up last month were Flamer and It Feels Good To Be Yourself.
"I have taken them off the shelf for now," Simbro said. "Until we hear from the community to get your ideas, they will not be put back until this matter comes to a conclusion."
After over an hour of public comment, three options were presented to the CCLD board:
1. Remove the age-inappropriate books from the library.
2. Remove the age-inappropriate books from the children's library and place them in a special section where children can only have access to them when accompanied by their parents.
3. Keep the books in the children's library.
Jim Pasley, the new CCLD Director, gave the citizens a promise to address the issue with enough time.
"I don't know the staff, the process of how books are bought, where they are stored, or for how long," Pasley said. "I don't have an opinion either way. I agree with respect, and I agree libraries are for education."
Both Daniel Ousley and Ann Currier said this issue is about protecting children, not banning books. (i.e protecting children from knowing LGBTQ+ people exist and have the right to be themselves)
Currier was concerned that kids could walk across the street from school and pick up books without their parents' knowledge.
Victoria Howard argued that it is the parents' right to teach their children about s-x, not the library.
Teetering between two solutions was Juli Purvis, who stated the situation is primarily a moral issue and about attacks on children.
"They are going to lose their childhood if they get into this stuff too soon," Purvis said. "This gets imprinted in their brains. Any p___aphic books should go, but educational ones should be put in a special section."
Steve D. simply suggested that there should be a section that says those books require a conversation.
Roma Long agreed, saying, "I teach my students to be respectful and not bully, regardless of race, sex, and religion. There are books in the library that are too graphic even for adults. Don't ban the books, but set up a clear section."
Camden County Presiding Commissioner Ike Skelton was also in attendance, and proposed that the board reconsider who has access to certain books in the 12 to 18-year-old section.
"No one person in this room is into banning books," Skelton said. "But there are some books that are absolutely inappropriate for little children."
Skelton read a passage from The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom to help explain his stance. He argued that adults should be the ones trusted to carry knowledge that is too heavy for children.
"Let's look at a way to get the books into an area where the access does exist, but it is very highly regulated," Skelton said.
[Several others support the library and diverse books]
More from UtahA new law in Utah would require schools to ban books from their shelves if at least three other schools in the state have done so.
Utah committee gives OK to new rules guiding removal of books from school libraries
https://www.ksl.com/article/50853500/...
The House Education Committee voted 10-2 on Tuesday, recommending approval of HB29, meant to clarify and update "sensitive materials" legislation Utah lawmakers approved in 2022, HB374. It now goes to the full House for consideration.
Notably, the proposed change would require removal of material from public school libraries across the state if officials in three school districts deem it violates Utah code outlining p___graphic or indecent material. That provision seemed to spark the most debate, spurring concern about loss of local control in gauging the appropriateness of books.
"It isn't banning books or book burning," said Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, who supports the measure. "We're removing criminal p___graphy that shouldn't be in our schools and (school districts)."
The bill sponsor, Rep. Ken Ivory, started to read challenged material that has been found in school libraries during Tuesday's hearing and was stopped by Pierucci, chairwoman of the education committee. That, he argued, underscores his point that the changes in HB29 are needed to more efficiently allow for the removal of materials deemed s----ly explicit.
"It's not 'Catcher in the Rye,'" he said, alluding to the J.D. Salinger coming-of-age novel about a teen. "This is horrific material that we can't even bear to hear in a meeting of adults, understandably. Please, let's get this out of the presence of our children."
The measure doesn't create new standards in the judging of books, which HB374 aimed to specify. Rather, it creates new mechanisms to deal with material found to be inappropriate, said Rep. Joseph Elison, R-Toquerville, a committee member. State law, he said, "clearly specifies what defines sensitive material. This bill, in my opinion, just simply says this is how we're going to unify our state in complying with statute."
Some school officials, Ivory said, didn't think HB374 was clear enough in spelling out the process to review and pull books. HB29, he went on, aims to clarify the parameters.
Per HB29's provisions, school district administrators would have leeway to unilaterally remove from schools "objective sensitive material," books found to contain "p----graphic or indecent" material as defined in state law. A review committee wouldn't review such material.
Review committees would be formed, per the bill's provisions, to review "subjective sensitive material," books containing less flagrantly s--ual matter. The committees would determine whether the books in question should remain on school shelves, gauging them for their literary, artistic, political or scientific value, as spelled out in state law.
Books deemed to violate "sensitive materials" guidelines in three separate school districts, whether through the "objective" or "subjective" review process, would be pulled from school shelves across the state. Likewise, books deemed in violation of the guidelines in two school districts and in five charter schools would also have to be removed from schools across Utah.
Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Salt Lake City, voted against recommending HB29. She worries it would result in a loss of local control in scrutinizing school books. Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, also voted "no."
Several HB29 foes addressing the committee also expressed concern about the provision allowing for removal of books statewide, including Sara Jones of the Utah Education Association.
"So literally, a couple of individuals in just a couple of communities can usurp the ability of locally elected school boards to represent their own constituents. ... More importantly, a couple of individuals making these complaints can usurp the ability of every other parent in the state to make choices for their child through their representation at their local school board level," Jones said.
HB374 has resulted in a flurry of challenges to books in schools across Utah and removal of many of them. But Brooke Stephens, who helped create a website that she says identifies questionable books in districts around Utah, ratedbooks.org, says many remain. "Explicit content exists in every district that we have listed," said Stephens, who also addressed Tuesday's committee meeting.
AlabamaOrange Beach City Schools is considering whether eight books, most featuring LGBTQ characters, should be kept in libraries.
https://www.al.com/news/2024/01/orang...
Five books feature LGBTQ+ characters. Several of the books are available in the teen or juvenile sections of the Baldwin County Library Cooperative’s public libraries. “Just Like Mother” is classified as an “adult fiction” novel in Publisher’s Weekly but isn’t in the Baldwin County catalog. AL.com reached out to the books’ authors or publishers for comment.
When AL.com asked the school district for comment about the book challenge, an official responded, “Please know that our board policy defines the process for challenged materials and we are adhering to that process.”
According to the “challenged materials” policy in the Orange Beach City Schools board manual, school or community citizens can register concerns with a principal.
“A committee of teachers, educational media specialists, parents, and other qualified personnel shall be appointed by the principal to evaluate the challenged materials and to make recommendations for any changes,” the policy stated. The books are read and evaluated but only removed when the committee makes a final decision.
“The committee’s review shall be treated objectively and in a business-like manner and shall be conducted in the best interests of students, the schools, and the community,” the policy continued. “Efforts shall be made to meet with citizens who register concerns to consider their objection.”
West VirginiaWest Virginia schools, libraries could face charges for books deemed controversial
https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/...
Lawmakers could open another front in the culture wars by lifting criminal liability protections for schools and libraries for carrying books some consider obscene.
House Judiciary Committee was set to take up House Bill 4654 Monday afternoon, but the legislation was removed from the agenda. Instead, the committee hosted a public hearing Wednesday morning in the House chamber to hear from supporters and opponents.
The bill would lift criminal liability exemptions from schools in the presentation of local or state-approved curriculum or public libraries and museums displaying obscene matter to a minor when the child is accompanied by a parent/guardian.
State Code defines obscene matter as (view spoiler) or anything a reasonable person would find lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value. According to State Code 61-8A-2, any adult who knowingly and intentionally displays obscene matter to a minor could be charged with a felony, fined up to $25,000 and face up to five years in prison if convicted.
Supporters of the bill read experts from books they deemed to be obscene to committee members Wednesday. Wood County resident Jessica Rowley held up the book “Let’s Talk About It” by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan as an example of an obscene book in local schools and libraries. The book is a graphic novel aimed at young people talking in detail about sex and relationships.
“We have a responsibility to protect our children; a God-given responsibility,” Daniel Curry, a minister at the Camden Avenue Church of Christ in Parkersburg. “I would ask what is the need for obscene matter in schools and libraries?”
Committee members heard Wednesday from a number of representatives from the West Virginia Library Association and library officials from around the state. They argued libraries serve their communities and that parents should be the ones to police what their children read, not libraries.
“We protect your freedom; your freedom to read,” said Brian Raitz, director of the Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library. “We believe we should not be that gatekeeper. In order to best serve our community and protect the children there, we believe that the parents have the best ability to do so. In our library, our policies reflect that.”
“We have no p---graphy available to the minors; our board wants to keep it that way,” said Mike Turner, a board member of the Paden City Public Library. “For our collection, we have a policy in place that goes from cradle to the grave. We take care of it. We don’t need a new law … please don’t do it.”
Other opponents of such legislation believe bills like HB 4654 are aimed at blocking access by children to books and materials talking about LGBTQ issues.
"LGBTQ+ people are not obscene,” said Andrew Schneider, executive director or Fairness West Virginia. “The stories and books about our lives are not obscene. Nothing in HB 4654 changes that. Let’s be clear: This is a bad bill.”
The heads of West Virginia’s two teachers’ unions — Fred Albert with the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia and Dale Lee with the West Virginia Education Association — also opposed the bill.
“My fear is people won’t want to be part of libraries anymore. People will not want to go, and people will not want to work in libraries,” Lee said. “What are we doing? We’re playing to fear. We’re pushing an agenda that wants to make you afraid of what is going on.”
“Is this happening so frequently that it requires legislation? Is this really a problem in our schools, libraries and museums? Because I don’t hear anything from our teachers and school service personnel who are there every day that this is a frequent issue,” Albert said.
Steve Radabaugh, who spoke in favor of the bill, disagreed with PEN America’s report, accusing the group and media of fabricating a narrative.
“We found (that) while some parents have objected to books about race, school districts seldom oblige that objection,” he said. “Are school libraries banning thousands of books? This is why you shouldn’t trust the left’s narrative.”
In Broward County Schools (FL), one board member challenged two books, Forever and Choke. Forever will remain only on high school shelves while nothing will happen to the book Choke–it was never available or in the library at all.https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/t...
A Broward County Public Schools board meeting got heated Tuesday night as board member Brenda Fam objected to Blume's "Forever" and "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk — both of which vividly detail (view spoiler)Fam said. "You cannot have age-inappropriate books on the school premises. You cannot have obscene books on the school premises. You cannot have p___ographic books on school premises."
But the district said in a statement to NBC6 that "Choke" was never on the shelves at Cypress Bay High School, where Fam claimed the book was available.
“The book 'Choke' was not part of the collection at Cypress Bay High School," the statement read. "It was listed in the system, but the book was not available in either print or digital. The record has since been removed."
The district also said "Forever" was challenged through its book challenge process.
"The Superintendent's Review Committee recommended that it be limited to high school access only," the district said.
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Hundreds — including locals — attend Boise hearing on library bill
https://www.eastidahonews.com/2024/01...
Librarians told the House State Affairs Committee on Monday that a bill requiring them to relocate “harmful” books would be impractical and expensive to implement.
The committee voted along party lines to advance the legislation during a crammed hearing that needed overflow rooms to hold attendees. Rep. Jaron Crane’s bill is the latest among a string of proposals to restrict material available to underage library patrons.
House Bill 384 requires that libraries implement a process through which patrons can ask for material to be moved to an adults-only section. If library officials don’t relocate the book, they could face a civil lawsuit that includes statutory penalties.
“There’s no book banning, and there’s no book burning,” Crane, R-Nampa, told the committee. “We’re simply codifying a relocation policy that creates a fair process for both parties that are involved.”
State Affairs Chairman and Nampa Rep. Brent Crane, Jaron Crane’s brother, allowed for about an hour and a half of public testimony on the bill. Hundreds of people attended the meeting, which fell on the same day as a teachers union event at the capitol.
Most testimony strongly opposed the proposal. Libraries already have policies for challenging material in circulation, and the Legislature should allow those processes to be controlled locally, several librarians said. And the threat of a lawsuit would compel costly renovations and additional staff to create adults-only sections and guard them, said Idaho Falls Public Library Director Robert Wright.
“We’re one of the largest libraries in eastern Idaho,” he said. “We can’t afford to do this.”
Others criticized the standards that would determine whether content is “harmful” to minors.
“The homophobia in this bill is blatant,” said Isabella Burgess, a college student and associate librarian in Meridian. “It’s absolutely essential that we have books that represent every member of our community that are accessible to every age range.”
The hearing showed diverging opinions over whether libraries should be responsible for supervising content that children access. Mary Ruckh, a Boise grandmother of two elementary schoolers who opposes the bill, urged lawmakers to “trust and allow parents to care for their children.”
Jennifer Holmes of Post Falls had a different view. Holmes said she asked officials from her local library to relocate a DVD that showed two men kissing on the cover. The request was denied and Holmes was told “it’s my responsibility as the parent to monitor my children,” she recalled for the committee.
“Needless to say, I stopped going to that library,” Holmes said.
Others who support House Bill 384 said they’ve struggled to change library policies locally. Children are “frequently being harmed and corrupted” by library content, said Rachelle Ottosen, a public library trustee in Rathdrum. The board has tried since last year to tighten library policies, but has been stymied by threats of lawsuits, Ottosen said.
“It’s mind-boggling that adults demand children have access to sexually explicit materials,” she said.
There was little discussion among committee members before a vote to advance the bill to the full House with a “do-pass” recommendation. Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, moved to delay a vote and allow those who didn’t testify in the allotted time an opportunity to submit written comments to the committee. The motion failed on a party-line vote.