Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Sad news up northParents showed up to Regional School Unit 73 (ME) to continue complaining about books, and one suggested that the district implement "Universal Book Ratings". (M4L's system)
https://12ft.io/proxy
JAY — Several residents of Jay and Livermore Falls shared concerns about books and bullying with Regional School Unit 73 board of directors Thursday night.
Former board member Shari Ouellette of Jay said some library materials are inappropriate and asked that parents be allowed to determine the appropriate time to discuss s-x with their children. As good as intentions at schools are, children can’t be prevented from checking out books they are not allowed to see or sharing them with classmates on the bus or at recess, she said.
John Benedetto of Livermore Falls suggested using the Universal Book Content rating system.
Brooke Gray of Livermore Falls thought the book “Rick” was sexualizing children and wouldn’t want her young children to have access to it.
Steve Bien of Jay said “Rick” is about a middle schooler exploring questions of sexuality, choosing to be different and how to confront bullying in school. Those who deal with children daily know they are not all the same, he said.
“I think we have to draw the line and make it clear that we trust our teachers and their process to make decisions about appropriate curriculum for our students,” he said. “Unless the school community can make a clear stand on the issue of censorship and book bans, this will be a never ending issue that will bedevil every aspect of education year after year.”
Ouellette also spoke about adults in the community being bullied. “This is happening on both sides and it needs to stop,” she said. “This is the reason I got off the school board years ago. They came after my family. This is beneath our community because I believe that we all have our kids’ best interests at heart. So please, disagree if you would like, but stop with the targeting of family and businesses.”
...
Rob Taylor, a Spruce Mountain High School teacher from Jay, referred to the district’s policy regarding instructional and library media selection and said it was important to follow it.
According to the policy, the person with a complaint is to speak to one who provided the material. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, the school principal is contacted. A challenge form must be completed with a copy sent to the superintendent.
Next, a committee is formed to review the material, write a recommendation on whether it should remain or be removed, send it to the superintendent, who notifies the complainant. During that process no materials shall be removed.
The complainant may appeal the decision to directors, who may take it up during a regular meeting or call a special meeting. Board members review the material prior to that meeting and announce their decision in writing no later than the conclusion of the next regular board meeting.
Well, I will NOT be visiting family in NH if this passes. It didn't in Texas so I doubt it will fly in New England. New Hampshire introduced a bill that would regulate the books allowed on shelves.
The bill would ban books considered “harmful to minors”.
Companies that sell books to school libraries would be required to create a rating system to determine which books are inappropriate.
The bill’s sponsor said parents want a system that allows them to block books they don’t think their kids should be reading, while critics of the bill say those parents would be making decisions for children that aren’t their own.
https://whdh.com/news/bill-proposed-i...
Laramie County School District 1 (WY) currently has 18 books under review for potential banning.Multiple titles are winners or nominees of an award given out annually by the Young Adult Library Services Association.
A list of library titles that may contain “sexually explicit content” or “sexual conduct” is currently available on the LCSD1 website. This is because since Dec. 11, Cheyenne and Laramie County residents have been “nominating” books deemed to contain the criteria for “sexually explicit content.” The list’s 18 current titles include novels that explore teenage sexuality, stories that revolve around LGBTQ+ individuals, a story set in the “Wizard of Oz” universe and several award-winning young adult fiction books.
All books will be reviewed by a District Library Material Review Committee, which will determine if the books meet the criteria for “sexually explicit” content. The committee will make a recommendation based on its findings. The school superintendent will then decide whether the book should be flagged as “sexually explicit” or not. As of the time of reporting, no books have been added to the district’s “identified” books list.
Nearly all nominated books are only available at Cheyenne high schools, though one title is at a junior high school.
https://capcity.news/community/educat...
To be fair, there are some explicit scenes in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, one in particular anyway. The musical was sanitized, abridged and made family friendly. I'm sure the movie will be PG or PG-13 at most. The book was really popular when the musical first came out 20 years ago and I saw 17 year old girls really respond to Elphaba. If I were the librarian I would just say to the student "You probably won't like this very much but you might enjoy the original Oz books and the musical. The first part of the movie will be released in November!"
I flipped through the two sex ed books and thought they were informative and well done.
Huntsville Public Library (AL) is now dealing with nonsense over "inappropriate books" available in its collection.Parents representing Moms for Liberty and Read Freely Alabama presented arguments regarding library books to the Huntsville library board Tuesday night.
On one side, parents wished to have more say in what a child can check out.
“Books that I read in children’s literature class and young adult classes are not what’s being pushed today,” Carissa Callan with Moms for Liberty said.
On the other side, parents felt limiting access to one book will lead to limiting many.
“If they’re not where they’re supposed to be, then what’s happening there is people are losing access to them,” Dr. Marisa Allison with Read Freely Alabama said.
Parents representing Moms for Liberty asked the library board to move any books they deem as sexual content from the children’s section, to the adult section. They’re also asked for the library to keep children from checking out certain books without a parent’s permission.
“It’s just like if you go to Publix and you send a kid or a young adult through the check out line to buy beer, it’s going to alert someone to check their ID,” Callan said. “There needs to be some kind of alert so a child can’t go the adult section and get one of these books.”
Opponents on the other side representing Read Freely Alabama, felt like these actions open the door for baseless censorship.
“If we want our democracy to thrive, we have to be able to access these materials,” Allison said. “It’s a public library, so every person should have a book that they don’t like in it, and they should have one that they like in it.”
Some parents felt the focus on s--ually explicit books actually targets books representing LGBTQ+ ideas.
“When we first got here, we were able to browse the children’s bins where you can sort through the books,” Allison said. “Our child could just pick out the ones he wanted. We saw our family reflected in those materials, and if those things aren’t there, it’s at a loss for him.”
Others said the push back is solely focused on s--ual content.
“Don’t’ include the s--ual acts,” Callan said. “Just have your story about a family that has two dads, and let the eight-year-olds read the chapter book. You have to leave the s-x out of the books, and it doesn’t matter if it’s heterosexual or homosexual.”
https://www.waff.com/2024/01/31/paren...
The parents are very stupid. Every book I've read about kids with two moms or two dads does NOT INCLUDE s-e-x! Do books about kids with one mom and one dad include that? No. So why do they assume books about LGBTQ+ parents include it? THUS proving they aren't reading the books they object to and it's not about protecting the kids from adult content, it's targeting the LGBTQ+ community saying their lives don't matter, their stories don't matter, kids don't deserve to see their families represented.
Catching up with Katy, TX's book reviews to see where they stand now. https://www.txftrp.org/a_look_at_inte...
Katy ISD, under the watchful eye of three trustees (who are themselves, notorious proponents of banning books they deem “unsuitable” "harmful" "CRT" "pornography" or "obscene") agreed to accept weekly lists of books from this parent, that they have been funneling to their “internal review” cue.
This parent's “audit” appears to consist of searching the Destiny Follett library catalog for keywords that she finds objectionable- like “pronoun” “gender” “lgbt” “sex” “race” “racism” and then looking up books on Moms for Liberty preferred review site, BookLooks, and Amazon.
The books cover an expanse of topics but include MANY titles that center and affirm BIPOC & LGBTQ+ stories & identities.
Over 60 books later, 15 of the titles this one individual parent submitted for “internal review” have been restricted or removed (ie banned).
Be Amazing: A History of Pride, What are Your Words- A Book About Pronouns, and It Feels Good to be Yourself. All 3 books are picture books, written for elementary aged readers, as well as You Be You! initially banned by Katy ISD before the winter break, have apparently been re-designated “Parent & Counselor Resource.” No one has informed [the writer] how [they or their] children can access these books if our family would like to borrow them. They are for practically speaking, banned.
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Follow-up to the ongoing saga of the police invading a Massachusetts classroom for Gender Queer.
Great Barrington will hire an investigator to probe police action on 'Gender Queer' bo..."
A good PI should be able to find out the name of who complained and then the name should be immediately made public.
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SB 1780 would make it defamation to accuse someone of homophobia, transphobia, racism or sexism and punishable by fine of..."
So basically, if I were to call someone who insults me by giving me a Nazi salute a NAZI or even call him or her a bigot in Florida, I would be the one getting punished. Thank you so so so much Ron DSantis/Adolf Hitler (and ANYONE supporting him) for catering to NAZISM.
Manybooks wrote: "So basically, if I were to call someone who insults me by giving me a Nazi salute a NAZI or even call him or her a bigot in Florida, I would be the one getting punished. Thank you so so so much Ron DSantis/Adolf Hitler (and ANYONE supporting him) for catering to NAZISM.."If the law passes and if you're a journalist or someone records you and the person sues. I think that would violate the First Amendment to punish someone for free speech. Those who use hate speech should be punished but they are protected by the First Amendment.
Today's newsFlorida bookshop owner aims to draw attention to harms of censorship with 'Banned Books' display
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. —
Once you walk through the doors of Family Book Shop in DeLand, you'll find a display dressed with yellow caution tape and a sign that reads "Banned Books."
"We have done this for years and years just to let people know what's out there," said Kaaren Johnson, Family Book shop owner.
Every year, at the end of September, Johnson sets up a display for Banned Book Week, and it's usually only up for seven days.
This year, she decided to keep it up permanently. Each title has a post-it note explaining why it was taken off the shelf.
https://www.wesh.com/article/deland-b...
The New York Times: Fighting Book Bans, Librarians Rally to Their Own Defense
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/03/us...
Just keep scrolling to read it.
On the other side of the coin, ultra LEFT wing censors want to do the EXACT same thing the ultra RIGHT does. We can not ban all books we disagree with. I do not know why the library ordered this book but maybe someone wanted to read it. Nor should anyone harass or harm the librarian and staff.https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/03/us...
Rich Boulet, the director of the Blue Hill Public Library, was working in his office when a regular patron stopped by to ask how to donate a book to the library. “You just hand it over,” Mr. Boulet said.
The book was “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters,” by the journalist Abigail Shrier. The book posits that gender dysphoria is [hateful rhetoric/not real] (view spoiler)
Many transgender people and their advocates say the book is harmful to trans youth, and some have tried to suppress its distribution.
“I want the library to be there for everybody, not just people who share my voting record,” said Rich Boulet, the director of the Blue Hill Public Library.
Moms for Liberty faces new challenges and growing pushback over its conservative education agenda(view spoiler)
A lone Moms for Liberty supporter sat by herself at the January 23 meeting, where opponents of the book ban outnumbered her.
Nearly 20 speakers voiced opposition to removing the novels from school libraries. One compared the book-banning effort to Nazi Germany. Another accused Moms for Liberty of waging war on teachers. No one spoke in favor of the ban. About three hours into the meeting, the board voted quickly to keep the two books on the shelves of high schools.
“Why are we banning books?” asked Mindy McKenzie, a mom and nurse who is a member of Stop Moms for Liberty, which was formed to counter what it calls a far-right extremist group “pushing for book banning and destroying public education.”
“Why are we letting Moms for Liberty infiltrate our school system?”
[M4L still plans to attack public education by infiltrating school boards.]
More on that at People for the American Way soon.
I copied the email in the spoilers tag below in case you want to read it sooner
(view spoiler)
Moms for Liberty faces new challenges and growing pushback over its conservative education agenda(view spoiler)
A lone Moms for Liberty supporter sat by herself at the January 23 meeting, where opponents of the book ban outnumbered her.
Nearly 20 speakers voiced opposition to removing the novels from school libraries. One compared the book-banning effort to Nazi Germany. Another accused Moms for Liberty of waging war on teachers. No one spoke in favor of the ban. About three hours into the meeting, the board voted quickly to keep the two books on the shelves of high schools.
“Why are we banning books?” asked Mindy McKenzie, a mom and nurse who is a member of Stop Moms for Liberty, which was formed to counter what it calls a far-right extremist group “pushing for book banning and destroying public education.”
“Why are we letting Moms for Liberty infiltrate our school system?”
[M4L still plans to attack public education by infiltrating school boards.]
More on that at People for the American Way soon.
I copied the email in the spoilers tag below in case you want to read it sooner
(view spoiler)
Mod
[spoilers removed]
A lone Moms for Liberty supporter sat by herself at the January 23 meeting, wh..."
That sex scandal is kind of hilarious. Apparently Bridget Ziegler and her hubby enjoy threesomes.
Found the story about Maine on Yahoo if anyone wants to read the entire thing.https://www.yahoo.com/news/heart-sank...
And one more from New England, Puritanical ConnecticutCT town officials accused of anti-LGBTQ agenda at library
https://www.courant.com/2024/02/05/an...
paywalled but I got a summary
For years, KML library, its commission and the board of selectmen have been embroiled in tensions that, according to some, largely center on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, namely those involving the LGBTQ+ community. Others contend that hostile attitudes and power struggles serve as the main source.
*sigh* The censors do not quit. I don't know what goes on inside their brains but they sure are twisted individuals seeing p___ where it is not. I don't think they understand the definition actually or have encountered anything that does meet the definition. They also need to learn how librarians choose books and what books teens actually do what to read. Sorry but the classics I read and loved did not appeal to my peers 30 years ago and certainly not today. South Carolina-
Dorchester District Two book complainant comes forward, others share concerns
https://www.live5news.com/2024/02/05/...
DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The original complainant who submitted more than 100 books for review says she’s worried about how these books got on shelves in Dorchester School District Two libraries in the first place.
Previously, the district addressed a list of 673 books that was sent by one community member to the Dorchester School District Two superintendent and board members, who noted that only 170 of those were actually in school libraries.
Now, complainant and Dorchester County resident Nancy Warner comes forward saying there are actually 155 books in libraries provided on her list. She adds that the quantity of books with inappropriate or p___graphic content in the district is unreasonable.
“I felt that South Carolina law was potentially being breached,” Warner said. “And so, I think it was important to put it back in the responsibility of the school board.”
The school district says because the list was not submitted as a formal challenge through policy IJL, which was unable to be filed as such because Warner is not a Dorchester School District Two parent, they would only allow the media specialists to take a second look instead of a formal committee.
“I thought that was kind of disregarding their responsibility in terms of making sure that obscene content didn’t end up in the library from the beginning,” Warner said.
Other Dorchester County citizens in the grassroots group, Concerned Citizens for Education, which follows what districts are teaching across the state, agree.
“If someone in their own free time provided you with something that’s wrong in the school system and you take no action, say, ‘Well, go fill out this form,’” concerned citizen Joe Cali said. “You know, it’s like your house is on fire, you call 911, stand outside and watch it burn down without throwing a bucket of water on it.”
Dorchester School District Two parent Bruce Budnik says he’s been following these content concerns since October.
“No one’s banning any books,” Budnik said. “When you write a book, publish it and distribute it, that’s not banning it. It’s just age appropriation and I think that’s the issue.”
Warner says she developed this list from two websites called BookLooks and RatedBooks [M4L endorsed sites] and cross-referenced what Dorchester School District Two schools had. She then narrowed it down to those rated 3-5 on their rating system, which are the ones with the most minor-restricted ratings.
“The reason I have time to do this is because I’m retired and most parents aren’t going to have time to be able to do this,” Warner said, adding that she didn’t want to place the responsibility of this on another parent to submit a formal challenge under IJL.
She says some of the summaries she reads are very p___graphic, with some even including incest.
Cali says media specialists need to be doing their job.
“Something’s wrong because how could you be a media specialist and then allow books like that to be in the library?” Cali said.
The group references State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver’s goal of stopping s--ually explicit materials from entering South Carolina schools, who discontinued the state’s partnership with the S.C. Association of School Librarians back in Aug. 2023.
Budnik says he has similar ideas.
“I’d be interested in calling the sheriff’s department and giving them that information because if they can arrest people in town for giving that material out to children, they should be doing the same thing at the school,” Budnik said.
All three say as Dorchester County taxpayers, they should have a say in what’s in the public schools. Warner believes the district is already working to remove the books, as she believes they should be.
“My home value is directly impacted by the quality of our schools,” Warner said. “...I want to make sure to that kids get the proper education and all and they aren’t influenced by people who kind of want to indoctrinate kids.”
Superintendent Dr. Shane Robbins says the district is and will continue to follow board policy IJL.
Good for teacher but why would you share that with the media?Texas Librarian Keeps Secret Shelf Of Banned Books For High School Students To Read
https://www.yourtango.com/self/texas-...
The librarian told NPR, "The books that make you uncomfortable are the books that make you think. "Isn't that what school is supposed to do? It's supposed to make you think?"
The secret bookshelf serves as a place for students to access material that reflects their lives.
As one student explained, "Having these books, having these stories out there meant a lot to me, because I felt seen.”
While the fight against book banning isn’t close to being over, the librarian noted that she’s not backing down anytime soon.
“I intend for this library to just keep growing,” she shared.
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/29/122253...
Obscene, or just objectionable? Here's how Indiana schools are tackling library book complaints.https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2...
In May 2023, a Rome City resident filed a complaint with the East Noble School Corporation, telling administrators that Sherman Alexie’s, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” didn’t belong on library shelves.
“Garbage in, garbage out.” That’s what a Rome City resident thought of Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.”
The complaint filed with the East Noble School Corporation told administrators the book didn’t belong on library shelves but in the trash can.
“The material is persistently racist, encourages ‘white guilt’, contains many unhealthy over-generalizations, glorifies masturbation, uses offensive gay slurs, uses the word n*gger [sic], is repeatedly s--ual — including attraction to school staff, portrays Christianity in a negative light, openly mocks Jesus Christ, and thanks God for self-gratification,” the May 2023 complaint read.
But East Noble’s school board disagreed and denied the request and subsequent appeal to keep the award-winning book in the curriculum. Public records from East Noble did not say why the board opted to keep Alexie’s book.
A new law — House Enrolled Act 1447 — opens the door to more public scrutiny of school library catalogs and has districts anticipating more challenges to what books students can read.
“I’ve heard from some parents locally that there has been some reviews and that there is some frustration with the processes some schools have created,” said Rep. Martin Carbaugh, R-Fort Wayne, who authored the legislation. “The end goal is transparency for parents and ensuring kids aren’t exposed to materials that aren’t age appropriate.”
Republican Sen. Jim Tomes, of Wadesville — who has tried to pass some version of the new law for years — authored the initial bill that the language appeared in. He declined to comment for this story.
Much of the outrage has come from conservative groups like Moms for Liberty and the Indiana chapter of Purple for Parents. A few loud fights in key cities caused the issue seem like a statewide “crisis.”
dvocates for schools and libraries contend the issue goes beyond claims about pornography in libraries or legal defenses available in state statute. More broadly, they say the issue stems from “fundamental differences” in values and opinions over what material is “appropriate” for Hoosier youth.
Effective Jan. 1, HEA 1447 requires Indiana school districts to establish procedures for responding to complaints about library material alleged to be “obscene” or “harmful to minors.” Districts must review requests at public meetings and hear appeals if necessary. Schools must also maintain public catalogs of library materials.
Beneath the surface of the school library discourse is contention from Hoosier parents who say their local school boards have rejected their challenges of certain materials, leaving books some deem to be “obscene” and “objectionable” accessible to kids in school libraries.
Still, obscene material is already illegal under Indiana code and federal law, and material harmful to minors is unlawful for people under 18 to access. Those terms have very specific definitions in state law — with a high bar to meet.
Outlawed materials must, as a whole:
(view spoiler)
or
be patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable matter for or performance before minors
lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors
Librarians and other opponents of the new law maintain such materials are not — and haven’t been — present in school libraries, given that librarians already have a duty to vet what’s appropriate.
Critics have said, too, the new law will have a “chilling effect,” particularly because school librarians found in violation could be charged with a felony.
Diane Rogers, a librarian at Ben Davis Ninth Grade Center in Indianapolis and president of the Indiana Library Federation, said for the most part, the law didn’t change much for school libraries. Many Hoosier districts already had public-facing catalogues, as well as processes in place for parents to request review of books and other educational materials.
Even so, she said “it wasn’t necessary to have this bill,” noting that a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirmed school personnel have discretion over the content of their libraries, but can not remove books because they dislike the ideas contained in those titles.
“It’s been illegal to have those materials in libraries,” Rogers said. “Most of our decisions, we’re not really thinking in terms of obscenity because most of us were not even considering those books to begin with.”
“It seems to me that the bill has caused that chilling effect to happen already, which is what many of us were afraid of,” she continued. “By further specifying criminal charges and taking away defenses from teachers … you’re putting fear into people.”
Superintendent Derek Arrowood, of the Hamilton Heights School Corporation in Arcadia, also objected to the General Assembly’s intervention.
“The legislature pulls the trigger on whatever they do,” said Arrowood. “We’d prefer it if they did nothing and left me alone [sic]. We’ve got this – it should be a local decision.”
...
The fear of challenges has administrators watching what books libraries are buying.
A retired teacher challenged Courtney Summers’ “All the Rage” with administrators at the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation in March 2021 saying the book was inappropriate. The district ruled against banning the book because of its numerous awards and honors, including the American Library Association Young Adult Award, but did limit access as the title is labeled age appropriate for grades 10 through 12.
At Rush County School Corporation, there were two parents who expressed concern over the book “Making Bombs for Hitler,” by Marsha Skrypuch, but neither filed a formal complaint. Out of precaution, Rachel Monk, the corporation’s media specialist, researched the book and verified that it was appropriate for children ages 8-12, and the book was not removed.
MSD Southwest Allen County Schools received a review request for “Anya’s Ghost,” by Vera Brosgol in October 2021, but documents did not detail the reason for the challenge. The review committee wrote that the book has a darker theme but is appropriate for young adults and decided to keep the book in circulation.
...
Veracco, of Lake Central, said a parent complained about “The Berlin Boxing Club,” which was assigned reading, citing a passage when the main character says a goal was “to get in someone’s pants.” The book is about a Jewish child living in Germany amid the rise of the Nazis and World War II.
Veracco said he did not believe that a single passage could overwhelm the value of the book.
“And that’s really what librarians across the country are saying, right,” he said. “You need to look at the piece in its totality.”
...
Superintendent Ralph Shrader, of the Metropolitan School District of Warren County in Williamsport, said legislators viewed the issue of reviewing library books as important but the topic isn’t a top priority.
“Those kinds of things to us aren’t very pressing in the realm of education,” he said.
But the law has opened the door for districts to deal with increased challenges.
Veracco said now people can view the library catalogs and look for books they don’t like. He said his concern is that people from outside the district will initiate complaints despite the law saying formal requests must be from either parents or district residents.
Greg Walker, superintendent of Paoli Community School District, said while he has not yet received any complaints, he fears the new legislation will invite out-of-state groups to dig through online catalogs and find books to challenge.
“What really concerns me is that someone from outside of my school district, someone in another state, could challenge a book that we have and they don’t even have children that go here, and I don’t think that is right,” Walker said.
A Bill in Virginia Would Ban Book Bans by School Boardshttps://literaryactivism.substack.com...
Senate Bill 235 was introduced by Senator Ghazala Hashmi of Chesterfield in response to a 2022 bill signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin. Youngkin's bill requires that parents be notified about "sexually explicit" books or resources are being used in schools and allows for parents to opt their students out of such lessons. The result of the bill has, of course, been that more materials are being challenged and removed by school boards across the state, as "s--ually explicit" is an ill-defined concept. It's been used extensively to remove books by or about LGBTQ+ people.
"I feared the direction we were going in the Commonwealth — the direction that we actually saw come to pass — that is the direction of book bans and censorship. We had superintendents who actually began to remove books from school libraries.," Hashmi said on the Senate floor last week.
The changes to the bill would not end the notifications to parents nor would it limit the ability for parents to review the material prior to its use. Instead, the bill would make explicit that boards would not be able to remove those materials from the schools. The below in italics is the proposed change:
C. Each school board shall adopt policies that are consistent with but may be more comprehensive than the model policies developed by the Department pursuant to subsection B. However, nothing in this section, any model policy or amendments thereto adopted by the Department pursuant to subsection B, or any policy or amendments thereto adopted by a school board pursuant to this subsection shall be construed to permit the censoring of books in any public elementary or secondary school.
"This makes sure that localities, in the dead of the night, which is what happened on a Friday night in a county around here where they took 75 books off the shelf with no process at all, which takes away my kids' right to read a book that they want to read," said Democratic Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg, referring to what happened in Hanover County schools late last year. "We're talking about Kurt Vonnegut was taken off the shelves, right? This prevents a school board from doing that."
SB 235 passed through the Senate last week. It had support from every Democrat, as well as Republican Senator David Suetterlein of Roanoke County. It moves onto the House.
How the Far Right Took Over a Pennsylvania School Board—And How Parents Took It Back“It hit us like a ton of bricks,” one local mother says of the antidiversity policies and curricula that swept her school district in Bucks County. In response, a federal complaint filed by community members on behalf of students could be a national “blueprint” for resistance.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/far-r...
Now the bad newsIowa Republican's bill would defund public libraries, eliminate local library boards
https://iowastartingline.com/2024/02/...
Sen. Jesse Green (R-Boone) introduced a bill last week that many library advocates say could lead to the end game for public libraries in Iowa.
SSB 3131 would change how cities and counties fund public libraries by changing the language in Iowa Code from “shall” to “may,” which would allow those entities to opt out of funding libraries entirely through the current library levy system.
Additionally, Green’s bill would give cities more power over independent library boards and libraries by allowing city councils to decide who should be placed on the board or if such a board should even exist.
Under current law, mayors appoint library board members and city councils have to approve those selections, but voters still have the ultimate say on whether to alter or dismantle library boards in their communities.
In Iowa, library boards direct and control all affairs of a library, have the power to hire and fire library directors, determine staff salaries, authorize purchases, and determine how to spend all funds allocated to libraries.
Lastly, Green’s bill would require library boards to turn over all property to the city by July 1, 2025.
Green has been at the forefront of Iowa’s book-banning efforts over the last few years. His latest bill is a more roundabout way of continuing that path, especially in light of recent failures to censor public libraries even in Iowa’s most conservative communities.
In an open letter, the Iowa Library Association said SSB 3131 could undermine the autonomy of more than 500 public library boards across Iowa as well as “vital funding that sustains our libraries and their invaluable services.”
“Such a drastic measure threatens the operational and financial sustainability of communities and their libraries,” the board stated. “Library operations and services heavily rely on levies as well as volunteer Iowans appointed by elected bodies to represent, serve, and support the mission of their library. Libraries are cornerstones of education, providing free access to information, technology, and cultural enrichment.”
The first Iowa Senate subcommittee on the bill was scheduled for Monday but was canceled. However, the public comments section for the bill generated 31 pages of responses, most of which opposed the legislation.
One of the few supportive comments came from Courtney Collier, a Waukee parent who has been trying to get books banned in the Waukee School District since 2021. Collier’s comments delved into anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and conspiracy theories about the American Library Association being a “Marxist organization.”
The arguments against the bill came from a range of citizens, including library professionals from across Iowa.
And the flip side of the same coin - an opinion piece from WSJCancel Culture Dominates Children’s Literature
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cancel-c...
One more piece of good newsEducators, students get creative in evading book bans
https://thehill.com/homenews/educatio...
Interesting news of the dayOhio Northern University students analyze banned books
ADA, Ohio — Honors students at Ohio Northern Univeristy are analyzing banned books in a course taught by Douglas Dowland, associate professor of English, according to a news release from the university.
https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus...
Censorship news:Petal, Mississippi residents voice thoughts on limiting access to certain library books
People packed the Petal Board of Alderman meeting on Tuesday night. This came after one board member posted on Facebook last week about a possible new policy that could restrict access to LGBTQ+ books for children eight years old and below at the Petal Library.
Many people are NOT in favor of this policy. Books have been reviewed, nothing wrong with them, children under 12 must be accompanied by a parent in library. However, policy changes may be made because the Aldermen discussed whether to cut funding to the library if the board doesn't comply with their demands. This is a PUBLIC library. What happened to "It's not a ban! It's still at the public library!"
https://www.wdam.com/video/2024/02/07...
I think Florida has gone too far and people are not happy. Why are they still banning books when the people don't want it?Brevard Schools bans another book despite hundreds protesting
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/ne...
A Court of Thorns and Roses
This series is HUGELY popular and a new one will soon be released and will be a live action series on Hulu soon. How are you going to keep your kids from knowing about that? Hmm?
With a megaphone in hand, Brevard student Anjani Sharma looked out at a crowd of about 200 and encouraged them to use their voice to protest book bans.
“We are the people going to our classrooms, every single day,” said Sharma, a West Shore Jr./Sr. High senior. “We are the students, so it’s really our time to show up and stand up.”
With the help of Youth Action Fund, a Florida youth activism group, Sharma led Brevard Students for Change in planning the student-led protest outside Brevard Public Schools’ district office, with the crowd gathering Tuesday ahead of a 5:30 p.m. school board meeting.
The protest’s stated purpose, organizers said: To show students are tired of book bans and that they want free access to literature ahead of the board’s plan to approve the banning of “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas. The fantasy novel, marketed toward young and new adults, has been removed from shelves in several school districts nationwide, with officials citing sexual content.
While the school board has at two previous meetings voted on whether to ban books based on the recommendations of the district book committee, Tuesday night was the first time the board has voted to ban a book, as the majority of the committee recommended. Under a previous policy, where the committee had the final vote on a book and did not make a recommendation to the board, three Rupi Kaur poetry books were banned in the summer 2023.
About 10 people spoke at the protest, including students, community members and school board member Jennifer Jenkins.
"We, right now, are about to walk into a room of adults making decisions about these students," Jenkins said. "And (these students) need to know that they have a right to use their voice and stand up and speak about what matters to them."
A little less than three hours later, the book was banned.
Sharma, who said she is passionate about politics, saw what was happening locally with debates about books in Brevard's school libraries and wanted to get involved, she said. Her goal was to bring together students and make their voices heard.
...
And come together students did, with many gathering outside the district office and both current and former BPS students speaking up ahead of the meeting. One spoke of her English teacher having a secret classroom library because her school forbade her from having an official classroom library. Another, a college student from another county, spoke of his district banning books and urged Brevard to take a different path.
Rosalina Rodriguez, a BPS graduate and current student at Eastern Florida State College, said she believed the removal of books is rooted in “fear, bigotry and attempts of an older, dying generation” to restrict critical thinking skills.
“The people in that building won’t be here when we the students have to pick up the pieces,” she said, referring to the board members. "They won’t be here when we have to clean up the mess. The only ones who are going to pay for the cost of war (are) you and me.”
Multiple students who spoke during the protest signed up to speak during the board meeting, as well as concerned parents and community members. Only one person, Julie Bywater — acting chair of Brevard's chapter of Moms for Liberty — spoke in favor of banning "A Court of Thorns and Roses."
Even Bywater said she was tired of discussing books — something other speakers called an attempt at gaslighting, as Moms for Liberty has been a major proponent of the removal of certain books from schools.
"We have so many more things to talk about," Bywater said, referencing older buildings and VPK. "These are things that we really should be talking about; this is what our focus should be on. Let the committee do its job."
Paul Roub, a member of the committee — and the only member against banning the book — spoke later in the meeting and said he was "reeling" from Bywater's comment.
"Imagine the new chair of the Society of Serial Arsonists showed up and said, 'I really wish people would quit talking about all the arson,'" he said. 'Can we talk about something other than all the libraries we've set on fire?'"
Earlier in the month, the committee met — sans Michelle Dale, Matt Susin's appointee, who was absent that day — to discuss "A Court of Thorns and Roses." All members, except Roub, quickly voted to have the book removed completely from BPS.
The vote went fairly quickly during the three-hour school board meeting as well, though Jenkins commented prior to the vote. She brought up the fact that parents can opt their individual child out of specific titles they feel are inappropriate. However, most parents are not doing so, including board members and other people who have expressed concerns about certain titles in BPS libraries.
"How much do you truly believe that (these books are) a harm to students if you haven't even done it for your own children?" Jenkins said. "Parents have the choice to limit what their children are reading already, and they're not using it. So why are we making that choice for them?"
Board member Katye Campbell cited sexual content in the book and said she agreed with the committee's decision, saying the book would break state statute.
"(Three out of four) committee members were very clear about the explicit nature of this particular ... book," she said.
She also added that the review process ensures that it's not just one parent making decisions for the whole district.
"It is one parent starting the process," she said. "But it goes through the teacher, the media specialist at the school and the principal, and then if it gets past that and it goes to the district, we have a district committee.
Board member Matt Susin agreed that the book was not appropriate for schools.
"The author is not bad, this is just inappropriate for the time period that we're here," he said. "This author has a book that might be appropriate for a later age, might be appropriate for other readers; it's just not appropriate for our schools."
Without comment from Board Chair Megan Wright or Vice Chair Gene Trent, the board voted 4-1 to ban the book, with Jenkins in dissent.
Elsewhere in Florida, a parent challenged an LGBTQ+ book because it directs people to The Trevor Project!!!! So they're saying that if an LGBTQ+ person feels suicidal and has literally no one else to talk to they should just go ahead and end their life rather than talk to a stranger?! I have only ever heard great things about The Trevor Project saving lives! _______________________________
Pasco’s first formal book challenge targets title geared to LGBTQ+ youth
https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
The Letter Q: Queer Writers' Notes to their Younger Selves
Parent Rebecca Yuengling who has fought the school district on issues such as pronouns and safe space stickers, has asked for the removal of “The Letter Q,” a book of essays aimed at supporting LGBTQ+ youth as they seek to find their identity. She objected to mentions of sexual conduct within the book, in addition to references to the Trevor Project, which aims to prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ youth.
“Children should not be given a resource to contact a 3rd party, TrevorSpace, where they can talk to unknown adults about their sexuality,” Yuengling wrote in her challenge form.
The book has been removed from Gulf Middle School while it is under review.
Gulf Middle was the only Pasco school with a copy, according to the district, and it had never been checked out.
A committee met Monday to discuss procedures for determining the book’s fate at a public hearing, which is set for Feb. 26. The school board on Tuesday went over revisions to its book challenge policy, clarifying the differences between objecting to textbooks and raising complaints about library books.
“The Letter Q” has not appeared in other challenge lists in Florida, and was not included on the website that Moms for Liberty members have used to find objections. It was on a widely shared list of about 850 books a Republican Texas lawmaker questioned, according to Education Week.
Mitchell said Pasco media specialists thoroughly examine all books requested for new purchase.
The district’s goal, she said, is to follow state law on book content while also respecting parent rights regarding the materials available in the schools. In addition to challenging books, parents may notify their children’s schools about any restrictions to book access they wish to have.
Because of the formal challenge, a committee will consider whether the book meets academic and social criteria, and has literary merit. It will make a recommendation to the Gulf Middle principal, who will make the final decision. Options include leaving the book in place, restricting it to certain grade levels, removing it completely, or any other proposal a committee member might come up with.
If Yuengling disagrees with the action, she can appeal to the superintendent for another hearing.
Chilling news of the dayWhat on earth do books have to do with America first?
_____________________________________________
Missouri Secretary of State Candidate Promises to Burn Books
In a message posted on Twitter February 6, 2024, Valetina Gomez, a candidate running for Missouri's Secretary of State, stands poised with a flamethrower in her hands. The text introducing the video explains precisely what viewers will witness were she to be elected: "I will BURN all books that are grooming, indoctrinating, and sexualizing our children. MAGA. America First."
The video shows Gomez burning two books on a bar stool: Naked: Not Your Average Sex Encyclopedia by author Myriam Daguzan Bernier and Queer, 2nd Edition: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens by Kathy Belge and Marke Bieschke. Both books are written for teens with the intent to help educate young people about their bodies, about puberty, and about sexuality in age-appropriate ways. The books are among those featuring LGBTQ+ content that have been under attack nationwide and more specifically, in Missouri.
Gomez is an immigrant to the U.S., an interesting fact that positions herself in opposition to many of the beliefs held and pushed by her own MAGA party. Among her other campaign promises are returning to paper-only ballots and hand counting elections, eliminating accessibility for voters in rural parts of the state, and emphasizing the importance of capitalism.
There are currently seven bills in Missouri legislation this year that explicitly target libraries, educators, and books. Among them are a bill to modify the offense of providing explicit sexual material to a student (HB 1543); a bill that would halt the state librarian from disbursing funds to libraries that offer obscene materials to children (HB 1574); a bill that establishes a cause of action against libraries for furnishing or allowing access of p___graphic materials to minors.
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
Everyone is worried about our neighbors to the north. My uncle just moved to NH. This won't be on his radar and he won't care either. Manchester: Bill would ban social and emotional learning programs in NH
https://www.wmur.com/article/bill-ban...
Students and teachers turned out against the bill that would ban the programs, asking state representatives not to take away classes they say improve mental health and educational outcomes.
Cordelia Dubois, a first grader at Abbott-Downing Elementary School in Concord, testified at the State House against the bill. New Hampshire schools adopted the "Choose Love" curriculum several years ago to improve behavioral health in the classroom.
"I like it, and so do other kids," Cordelia said. "It taught me what I could do when I get mad at school or at home."
Representatives who want to get rid of social and emotional learning said they believe it reaches too far into children's lives, potentially intruding on parental rights.
"It's the child's psyche — they're changing the mind," state Rep. John Sellers, R-Bristol, said. "We just heard someone-- indoctrination. A teacher teaches. It's a teaching. It's a tool. It's indoctrination, alright?"
A long line of teachers and academics turned out to testify against the bill. They said social and emotional learning has proven results.
"We introduced social-emotional learning in 2022, and since we did that, we've had students who've decreased their behavioral referrals from 18 a month to one, from 13 a month to one," Garrett Lavallee, principal of Spaulding Academy & Family Services, said.
Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement that he opposes the bill.
"This bill seeks to bury our heads in the sand and wish away the mental health challenges that many kids face," he said. "Social emotional learning provides students skills to navigate stressful situations in a healthy way, which helps to prevent tragedies, keeping all our kids safe."
Florida parental rights impact Black History Month, social media debateA roundup of Florida education news from around the state
https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
Idaho Republicans bring a new bill on ‘harmful’ library material. What to knowRead more at: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/p...
Meet The Superhero Librarians Fighting For Their Queer CommunitiesBook bans are an unfortunate reality. But these librarians are devoted to supporting and protecting queer kids who just want to read.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/book-b...
This activism makes sense because Northampton is a college town.___________________
Activists rally against book bans as Massachusetts librarians grapple with rise in challenges to titles
https://www.wamc.org/news/2024-02-07/...
Activists in western Massachusetts have been rallying against book bans as libraries across the state and country face an influx of challenges aimed at removing some titles from shelves.
A group known as "Western Mass 4 the Future" took to the front of Northampton's city hall Saturday, braving a brisk day carrying signs with messages such as "Stop book bans" and "I read banned books."
The goal - call attention to what they say is a national effort to challenge books centering on stories about the LGBTQ+ community, as well as people of color, according to group co-founder Joey Pisani.
Another rally was held in Pittsfield earlier in the day. Both were put together by Pisani and Meg Arvin, another co-founder, who emphasized the value of books covering such communities as well as their histories.
“It is vitally important that we maintain a sense of diversity in our education so that we can be better to one another,” Arvin said Saturday. “And it's important that we understand the background of the history that we've had."
Organizers said the rallies were, in part, inspired by a recent incident in Great Barrington, where police entered W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School after receiving complaints that a teacher who identifies as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community was teaching the book “Gender Queer."
The incident has since led to national news coverage and an independent investigation into what happened at the middle school.
Speaking with WAMC before the rallies, Pisani said librarians are increasingly finding themselves at the center of political debate, even in western Massachusetts.
Will Adamczyk, director of the Milton Public Library and Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Library Association’s Legislative Committee, told WAMC the number of book challenges in the commonwealth ballooned from 45 in 2022 to 135 in 2023.
Instructional Services and Outreach Librarian Kat Good-Schiff at Springfield Technical Community College and her colleagues have previously promoted such titles via an ongoing "Banned Book Periodic Table" exhibit at STCC.
In the case of Massachusetts... many of the challenges often fail. But given the resources that go into responding to them, libraries can be constrained and, in some cases, staff face burnout.
Bills in the state legislature that could aid staff in both school libraries and public library systems.
One such bill filed by State Senator Jake Oliveira of Ludlow and State Representative Aaron Saunders of Belchertown, focuses on public libraries. It would require libraries to adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights to be eligible for state funding. The Bill of Rights holds that “materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.”
It would also establish a "Book Access Fund" for localities challenging book bans.
Another bill, filed by Sen. Julian Cyr of Truro and Rep. John Moran of Boston, would focus more on public school libraries, aimed at ensuring they offer diverse and inclusive books and media by preventing quote "book removal due to personal or political views in public and school libraries," according to Cyr's website.
'Tackle Censorship': KC, San Francisco public libraries team up to place friendly wager on Super Bowl LVIIIhttps://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/...
To bring attention to book bans, the two libraries have placed a friendly wager on Sunday's super showdown as part of the "Tackle Censorship" campaign that began between KCPL and Free Library of Philadelphia during the 2023 Super Bowl, per the press release.
A library representative from the city that loses the Super Bowl will dress in the winning team's gear and read a banned book in a post on social media.
"Kansas City is thrilled to be making another Super Bowl appearance, but book banning remains as serious a concern as it was last year," said Carrie Coogan, deputy director for public affairs and community engagement at KCPL, in a statement. "We are excited to come together with the San Francisco Public Library to highlight this critical issue, even if we hope they are on the losing side of our bet. And with a coach whose last name shows the importance of Reid-ing, how could we lose?"
now the bad news and ridiculously stupid news. Body parts covered by a bathing suit? Whose bathing suit? and you've got to be kidding me! So if a "child" under 18's mom or sister or friend's mom or even herself has a miscarriage, she isn't allowed to read about it and learn and process? I know kids whose moms had miscarriages and I would think having a book would help them process the loss. and OH MY WORD girls- children- under 18 go through puberty and get periods. The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls comes in 2 volumes, has been updated periodically and now adult women are talking about how much the book meant to them growing up. It was developed from letters girls wrote to American Girl Magazine asking for advice on growing up. It's SO popular and helpful, the now middle aged readers are asking for a follow-up book on perimenopause!
and FLIRTING?
______________________________________
Huntington Beach Librarians Begin Reviewing Kids’ Books For 'Sexual Content'
https://laist.com/news/politics/hunti...
City librarians in Huntington Beach began moving books about the human body and puberty out of the children's section at Huntington Beach Central Library on Wednesday.
Librarians made the changes in an effort to comply with a city council resolution to restrict access to books with sexual content to people 18 and older.
The controversial measure, sponsored by now-Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark, was passed on a 4-3 vote in October with support from her fellow conservative council members.
Librarians began reviewing books dedicated to the human body, health and puberty Wednesday morning. They told LAist they had been instructed to move any books out of the children's section showing body parts that typically would be covered by a bathing suit.
The librarians debated whether to move certain books, like one, a science book, with an illustration of a nude male body showing the muscular system, and another with a page full of photos, one of which showed the top half of a female toddler in a bathtub. The former stayed on the shelf; the latter got moved.
They also decided to remove a book that had information about miscarriages, though it had no accompanying photos.
"Bunk 9's Guide to Growing up"
"Human Reproduction and Development"
"It's Perfectly Normal"
"On Your Mark, Get Set, Grow!"
"Once Upon a Potty"
"Own Your Period"
"Puberty is Gross but Also Really Awesome"
"Sex Is a Funny Word"
"The Book of Blood"
"The Care and Keeping of You"
"The Girl's Body Book"
So far, only the Huntington Beach Central Library, the city’s main branch, has begun reviewing books to comply with the city’s resolution. Library manager Jessica Framson said other branches would begin the work in the coming weeks.
Implementing the city council's mandate to restrict children's access to library books with sexual content was delayed in part because until recently, librarians were unclear what exactly was meant by "sexual content."
According to internal emails reviewed by LAist, the city's director of community and library services, Ashley Wysocki, told librarians earlier this year to follow the Wikipedia definition of sexual content. The Wikipedia page describes sexual content as including “explicit, implicit sexual behavior such as flirting, or include sexual language and euphemisms.”
More recently, librarians said they were told to go by the bathing suit rule. They told LAist that the work of reviewing books for sexual content is likely to get much harder when they start on the fiction section of the children's library, where the classification system and titles aren't so obvious. The Huntington Beach children's library contains 40,000-45,000 unique titles, librarians said..
Van Der Mark, the mayor, said she was pleased the process of reviewing books had started. She said her first job was as a library page, "and we didn't have books with (view spoiler)
"What we're trying to do is take our library back to the days where our kids were able to go to the children's section and run around and open books and look at the pictures and read and have it be safe the way it used to be," she said.
Patti Pappas, a supporter of the new review process, told LAist in a phone interview that she didn't agree with some of the books that librarians had pulled. "It sounds like they need some guidance if they're pulling 'The Potty Book,'" she said. "They're not looking for pornographic content."
Charlotte Gonzalez, who was at the children's library with her 13-year-old daughter as the book review was underway, called the new children's book policy "heartbreaking."
"The library's for everybody so we should be able to choose what we want to have and [the books] need to be available," she said. Gonzalez said she considered the children's library a safe space for kids to learn. "It has better information than what they can get on the internet," she said.
Librarians are also set to launch new rules for children's library cards, which will give parents more control over which books their kids can check out on their own.
Starting March 1, all of the approximately 8,000 youth library card holders (for those under 18) will find their cards expired. To renew them, they'll have to go to the library with a parent, who can then decide whether to give them access to check out all books, or just books in the kids' section.
The city council is also working on setting up a parent/guardian review board to evaluate potential new material for the children's library and, according to Van Der Mark, to be the final arbiter of which books should be moved to the adult section when librarians are unable to decide.
Each council member can appoint up to three members to the review board. Van Der Mark said she hoped recruiting for the board would start within a few weeks.
Mod
I have a nasty feeling that many puritanical freaks actually want to imprison menstruating women and girls for the duration of their menses and publicly declare them unclean.
Today's news from Literary Activismhttps://literaryactivism.substack.com/
Algorithms = misinformation, similar stories to those you clicked on + lack of information literacy = dangerous
"The growth of algorithms that reinforce sameness and groupthink, paired with America’s history of discrimination and blatant disregard for the rights of all, clarify this contemporary moment of book banning."
47% of parents reported that they did not believe reading opens children up to new ideas, new people, or new perspectives.
What do parents think the purpose of reading might be — what have they, as grown adults, taken from reading, if anything?
Ate parents only sharing books that mirror their own experiences or even reading to or with their children at all?
Close to the same percentage of parents who do not think children’s books open readers up to new worlds and experiences also say that banning books from the school library is an appropriate way to prevent children from learning about certain topics (57%).
Likewise, 46% of parents said they do not believe book bans cause harm, and for 31%, book banning is the “right way” to prevent children from seeing something inappropriate.
"These parents also insist that they do not co-parent with said government yet have given so much of their personal data over to tech companies that they have not only stopped thinking for themselves, they’ve stopped parenting for themselves. They’ve become so disconnected from the world outside of the bubble that they no longer possess a modicum of curiosity.
They do not know — and do not care — why we read.
These parents do not see book bans as causing harm because it benefits them. Censorship allows them to stay within the narrow confines of their own filters and recruits other people to join them in it with a handy buffet of talking points, social media accounts to follow, and “news” in a world where navigating those things on your own is not only difficult, it’s not often fully within your own control. "
"Libraries and library workers are targets right now in the so-called “culture wars” because they buck the algorithm. Too often, they are the only spaces where people can get local news and information. They are among the only spaces where your data is not borrowed, packaged, and sold for corporate profit. Book banners, on the other hand, have become so sucked into their own feeds that they lack the capacity to traverse anything outside the spaces carefully constructed in their own images."
Slightly good news from Delaware that would make niece #1 happy.After a principal had at least 117 manga removed from a classroom and effectively disbanded Magnolia Middle School's anime and manga club in September, a new club has been formed, and some of the books are being returned to the school library.
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/...
However, Jennifer Antonik, a mother of two students who participated in the club, remains concerned that the Caesar Rodney School District policy for book removal was not followed.
"The school and district should be making things right instead of trying to start over and erase everything (they've) done to hurt the kids and educators up until this point," she wrote in an email to Caesar Rodney officials.
For materials such as manga, which are Japanese comic books and graphic novels, to be removed from the school, the district policy's first step is for the concerned party to file a "request for reconsideration" form. When asked for complaints related to manga, Caesar Rodney School District Assistant Superintendent Sherry Kijowski provided two, neither in the form of a "request for reconsideration."
One was unrelated to manga, and the other was made after the books were removed.
But those complaints were what "led to a conversation about the teacher’s instructional plans and the use of anime and manga in the classroom" Kijowski said, and the ultimate removal of the manga.
The reason the district's policy for book removal wasn't followed, Kijowski said, is because that policy "is related to curriculum materials." However, the policy states it is for "curriculum or instructional materials," and according to Kijowski, the manga was being used as instructional material.
Magnolia Middle School Principal Matthew Keen communicated something different to Antonik.
"All material rated ('teen') and up according to the rating scale needed to be removed from the classroom as it could be taken as inappropriate for (middle school) students," Keen said in an email. All of the teacher's manga was rated "teen."
That alarmed Antonik for several reasons, on top of the lack of policy adherence. First, there is no industrywide manga rating system, and there is manga rated "teen" and up sold at book fairs at Magnolia Middle and available on a student reading app, Antonik said. In addition, a previous school principal approved the books for club use after the students won money to purchase them from Hertrich Toyota of Milford's "Cash for Class" program.
"I still do not understand how an informal complaint about a video during class time results in the removal of hundreds of books," Antonik said.
Some of the books have already been returned, Kijowski said, and a complete review should be finished by the end of February. She did not provide the number of books returned.
Of course in Texas, in the Conroe Independent School District books are quietly being removed from shelves.https://www.houstonpress.com/news/are...
With a growing number of titles banned across the district, some teachers in Conroe ISD were asked to box up and return thousands of books from their classroom collections.
With a growing number of titles banned across the district, some teachers in Conroe ISD were asked to box up and return thousands of books from their classroom collections. Photo by a Conroe ISD Teacher
In November 2023, Conroe ISD trustees, not unlike other Texas public school districts as of late, decided they needed to get tougher about books on their shelves.
They voted to approve revisions to the district's book review process, one of which would allow only one trustee to appeal a decision made by a reconsideration committee — a group that includes an administrator, staff member, educator and randomly selected parents assigned to determine whether or not a text met district criteria or should be banned or restricted. This setup permits trustees to have the final say of what can stay in libraries and classrooms.
But within just a short time, there's been few formal book challenges brought forth for board review. Instead, books are being removed to meet the preferences of individual board members, parents or other individuals through "internal review" requests.
As a result, one teacher says instructors have had to return thousands of books from their classroom collections to the district. At the teacher's school alone, over 550 books, equivalent to more than $7,300 were packed and moved out of instructors' rooms.
EDUCATION
In Conroe ISD the Books Are Quietly Disappearing Off the Shelves
FAITH BUGENHAGEN FEBRUARY 6, 2024 4:00AM
With a growing number of titles banned across the district, some teachers in Conroe ISD were asked to box up and return thousands of books from their classroom collections.
With a growing number of titles banned across the district, some teachers in Conroe ISD were asked to box up and return thousands of books from their classroom collections. Photo by a Conroe ISD Teacher
In November 2023, Conroe ISD trustees, not unlike other Texas public school districts as of late, decided they needed to get tougher about books on their shelves.
They voted to approve revisions to the district's book review process, one of which would allow only one trustee to appeal a decision made by a reconsideration committee — a group that includes an administrator, staff member, educator and randomly selected parents assigned to determine whether or not a text met district criteria or should be banned or restricted. This setup permits trustees to have the final say of what can stay in libraries and classrooms.
But within just a short time, there's been few formal book challenges brought forth for board review. Instead, books are being removed to meet the preferences of individual board members, parents or other individuals through "internal review" requests.
As a result, one teacher says instructors have had to return thousands of books from their classroom collections to the district. At the teacher's school alone, over 550 books, equivalent to more than $7,300 were packed and moved out of instructors' rooms.
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Conroe ISD Follows Suit Of Other Local District And Passes Revised Book Review Policy
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According to district records, over 30 library titles have been banned since November, with six removed from junior high shelves, of which four are pending review at the high school level. Per February's advisory list, another ten books may be restricted or removed depending on the outcome likely decided later this month.
Within the past two school years, at least 125 of all the titles banned from the district libraries came from internal reviews. Of these removals, ten occurred in January. As for classroom collections, 112 books have been prohibited from being on classroom shelves, and five titles have been restricted to high school classrooms only.
Despite the board voting to uphold a reconsideration committee's decision to keep Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy in high school libraries, no copies of the text are in the district's current allowable collection this school year.
In a district email sent to instructors last week, an administrator requested that copies of Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl, Geography Club by Brent Hartinger, Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok, American Girls by Alison Umminger and Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson be removed from classroom collections.
According to the teacher, these titles were determined not to meet board policy during January's Instructional Materials Review meeting, which occurs monthly.
The instructor said that most of the recently removed books stemmed from informal complaints made by district trustee Misty Odenweller.
Although most of the over 60 books this parent request to be removed remained on shelves and in classrooms, 15 were restricted to certain grade levels or banned entirely. Another four titles were initially removed before winter break but then were re-designated as "Parent & Counselor Resources."
When the teacher asked what administrators at Conroe ISD planned to do with the recently returned titles, the instructor was told an email indicated that the books would await “disposal.”
“I don’t know if these books are sitting in a warehouse or if they’re already getting rid of them,” the teacher said. “But if they’re taking $8,000 of books from us, and there are 65 campuses, that adds up to a lot of money. People might be sick of book bannings, but are they sick of having their money wasted?”
"Often the only way this gets noticed is if a teacher sees the books being removed or a teacher gets an email saying to remove books because it doesn't happen at a board meeting," Strong said. "It doesn't happen in an easy-to-track public way."
Shortly after the posts circulated, Conroe ISD Superintendent Dr. Curtis Null announced that the board would vote on what to do with the books at the upcoming meeting on February 20. Per the Texas Education Code, the options that may be considered include donating, recycling, disposing of or selling the items at an auction.
The district had originally approved the books in these classroom collections, and most were on the state textbook adoption list. The teacher added that instructors were encouraged to use a list from Pearson Education, a publisher. The Texas Education Agency has to approve textbooks for districts to choose from, meaning that someone from the state level must have approved most of these titles.
Russey said district personnel don't indicate why a removed or restricted book does not meet district criteria. Instead of classifying whether the work is educationally unsuitable or pervasively vulgar, they only state that it does not meet the standards outlined in the district's local regulation policies for approved library and instructional materials.
This lack of information or understanding as to why a text is removed leads to a need for more clarity among teachers, who are forced to alter their lesson plans to match the revised standards.
The teacher had to change what was planned for the dystopian novels unit after the pool of options narrowed from four out of the five typically taught to three when A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley was removed from the classroom during the unit this school year.
According to the instructor, when it comes to teachers' self-censoring materials that aren't directly removed but may not align with policy standards, such as short stories or other learning materials, the district's tone is condescending and seems to question their professional judgment.
“A lot of teachers are just plain nervous,” the teacher said. “Teachers who have taught for years and are now substitutes — because they retired — don’t want to bring attention to themselves. They are scared.”
“We keep getting told, use your best judgment! Use your best judgment! It’s not like we’ve been using bad judgment the last ten years as we’ve taught these books,” the instructor added. “We were using correct judgment, and the books haven’t changed, the curriculum hasn’t changed and most teachers haven’t changed. What’s changed has been the district policy and specifically the board.”
According to Blakelock, the district has always had an informal process to review library materials. If questions arise, a group of librarians is also available to review the material to determine if the books meet the selection criteria of policy standards. If the work does not, it is removed. She said this is done to support librarians and for consistency in collections.
However, parents and teachers argue that internal reviews also block information to the public and the opportunity to provide community opinion, unlike during a formal review when updates are posted online and a reconsideration committee is involved in the decision.
Documents showed correspondence between Jennifer Eckhart, the former executive director of Citizens Defending Freedom, a multi-state conservative political action organization, and trustee Odenweller. Odenweller confirmed that she had cross-referenced a list of 80 books she gave to the superintendent and library specialist with one of the lists provided by Eckhart.
Odenweller returned a list of the texts in the list provided by the group that she had already looked into and said she would follow up regarding the leftover titles. Most of these books align with the titles the district banned recently.
The group had sent an earlier list in October. However, most of these works were not removed from the district. Strong said many dealt with what the group would refer to as gender ideology or gender fluidity. However, most featured zero sexual content but had gay or transgender characters included in the stories.
Community members opposed to the recently revised formal book policy also argue that their power to have a say in whether a title can stay, be restricted or be booted off library or classroom shelves has already been limited and placed in the hands of board trustees.
A Conroe ISD parent who served on a reconsideration committee and requested she remain anonymous for this story said she was pleasantly surprised by what she thought was a fair process. She added that everyone on the committee listened to what each other had to say after reading the challenged book.
She added that she could not say the same about the board, where the conservative PAC-backed trustees — Odenweller, Melissa Dungan, and Tiffany Baumann Nelson — fought to get more titles removed.
“This is why having three uber-conservative mama bears on the school board really is concerning,” the CISD parent said. “As far as what our kids can access in the public libraries.”
Georgia - Changes could come to library regulations if two Georgia bills passThe bills have stirred controversy in and out of the Georgia General Assembly
Two bills are making their way through the Georgia State Senate, and both pieces of legislation are sponsored by Republican lawmakers. First, SB390 would loosen restrictions on librarian certification and cut funding to any programs tied to the American Library Association. Twenty-two GOP state senators are behind the bill. The ALA is the only group that can accredit librarians in the state of Georgia, according to the Secretary of State's Office.
Supporters of SB390 say ALA's leadership believes in "Marxist" ideology and taxpayers should not have to support them. Another portion of the bill states ALA has used its certification process to promote its political beliefs.
Another bill, SB394, would require the state board of education to establish standards for school books, as well as define what material might be construed as "harmful to minors, restricted materials, and sexually explicit." The bill calls for a ratings system to be implemented to determine how explicit a book may be. These standards would be updated on an annual basis if the bill passes.
State Sen. John F. Kennedy [it figures] is a sponsor of both bills. Earlier this week, he addressed media at the state Capitol on some of the legislation Republicans would promote in the weeks ahead.
Decatur High School sophomore Nia Batra fears the passage of these bills could mean the very books she grew up with could no longer be found in her school library.
"I'm Asian and queer myself," Batra said. "I really needed those books growing up, and with a bill like this and its vague language, those books are going to be the first that educators take off the shelves in fear of prosecution. I really wish politicians would focus on what my peers actually need, like appropriate funding and counseling services.”
“We want to protect those children that are too young to really process this," Thomas said. "We’ve talked to librarians across the state, teachers and school board members. They’re not all happy with this."
Thomas claims since these books can be found anywhere, removing them from K-12 bookshelves won't prevent kids from reading books that would be deemed inappropriate.
"Our children are a gift," Thomas said. "We need to protect them from what’s out there that’s actually seeking to harm them. Why would we not want the best for our children? Why would we not want them to be safe and protected?"
If passed, both pieces of legislation would take effect on July 1, 2025.
Rhonda Thomas, founder and president of the nonprofit Truth in Education, supports both bills. She said the inappropriate material found in some library books could lead to mental health issues and violent behavior.
South Dakota bill passes on policies to restrict juveniles' access to obscene material[Pretty sure the school library already does these things. There is NO "pr0n" in the library!]
https://www.argusleader.com/story/new...
A bill requiring public schools and libraries to publicize their policies for restricting minors from accessing obscene matter or materials passed in the House Education committee Monday morning.
House Bill 1197 requires districts and libraries to publish those policies on their website or in their local newspaper.
Schools and libraries also must equip their public access computers with software or a filter limiting juveniles’ ability to gain access to obscene matter or material.
The bill came as a reaction to complaints heard at local school board meetings across the state about students’ access to books that may depict s--ual acts, to the dismay of parents, many of whom attempted to get those books banned at the local or state level or at the very least question their appropriateness.
In a rare move, Monday’s proponent testimony of these bills seemed to unite the education lobby and many parents who had made complaints across the state about books available to their children.
Support came from Department of Education Secretary Joe Graves, Rob Monson with School Administrators of South Dakota, Sandra Waltman with the South Dakota Education Association, two Sioux Falls Moms for Liberty – Amy Bruner and Michele Klimek, and two parents from Brookings.
Sole opposition came from a Rapid City resident who feared this would lead to book bans, but bill sponsor Rep. Mike Stevens rebutted this claim shortly after and said the bill is more about the process to file a complaint with a book.
Nebraska- a bill to ban "p---graphic" material in school libraries is being debated.State board member pushes ban on 'sexually explicit' content in Nebraska school libraries
https://omaha.com/news/local/educatio...
Nebraska- A look at the book challenges seen in Lincoln City libraries and the Lincoln school libraries in Nebraska.https://12ft.io/proxy
Several Nebraska communities have weathered controversies around books, including those in school libraries.
That hasn’t happened at Lincoln Public Schools, despite a number of people who spoke to the school board about their concerns regarding library books in 2022.
LPS libraries has had just one formal request for reconsideration in the last decade, and hasn’t removed a book from a library since the 1990s, said Chris Haeffner, LPS director of library services and president of the Nebraska School Library Association.
At LPS, a committee reviews requests and makes a recommendation to the superintendent and his decision can be appealed to the school board.
At the city, reconsideration requests are also reviewed by a committee that makes a recommendation to the library director, whose decision can be appealed to the Library Board. That decision is final, although at least one person has reached out to City Council members about her concerns. Council member Tom Duden said he’s had conversations about the issue with the library director.
Last year, five requests for reconsideration were filed and three of those were appealed. In all cases, including “Flamer” and two others appealed to the library board, the books were retained.
Four of the books were in the youth non-fiction area. Three dealt with gender and one with the changes that occur when young women go through puberty. The DVD was an R-rated romantic comedy about two gay men. The person who asked that it be removed was concerned about the sexual content.
In 2019, the board considered two requests for reconsideration, none in 2020, one in 2021 and three in 2022, in which one was appealed to the library board. In one case, a book called “A Court of Silver Flames” was moved from the young adult to adult section, as requested.
In 2022, one of the three books retained at the city libraries – a decision upheld by the library board – was a book called “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters,” which the patron argued would be damaging and amounted to hate speech.
The committee that reviewed it concluded the book was published by a reputable publisher and the author wasn’t denying the rights of transgender people but questioning one aspect. The library director and library board agreed.
Connecticut, apparently more Puritanical than Massachusetts, the original Puritan colony!I tried to read this earlier and it was paywalled. Thankfully Literary Activism broke the paywall for us.
Anti-LGBTQ agenda alleged in CT town where library employees resigned
Four months after a library director’s high-profile departure, the town of Suffield has yet to hire a new director, half of its library commission has been replaced, and the library’s associate director announced that she too will resign.
The resignation now leaves two major positions open at the town library after former KML Director Julie Styles resigned in October, alleging political pressure and overreach into library operations by the selectmen’s office.
A shift in library commission membership has only muddled the search for a new director. At the end of November, the commission voted to recommend a candidate for First Selectman Colin Moll’s approval. Less than two weeks later, after the board of selectmen installed six new members on the KMLC, the commission voted to rescind the referral.
After conducting a review of the candidate in an executive session on Jan. 25, and discharging the Library Director Search Subcommittee on Jan. 9, the KMLC is now in the process of reviewing the resumes of all applicants.
...
For years, KML library, its commission and the board of selectmen have been embroiled in tensions that, according to some, largely center on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, namely those involving the LGBTQ+ community. Others contend that hostile attitudes and power struggles serve as the main source.
In an interview with the Courant, Moll said he disagrees with perceptions that construe past actions by the town and recent changes to the KMLC commission as attempts to appease a conservative, anti-LGBTQ+ base.
“They’ve been preaching it for two years that it’s this anti LGBTQIA+ movement and it’s really not,” Moll said. “That’s the narrative they want to create and, you know, it’s just not true.”
Discord between the town and the KML entered the spotlight in March after Moll ordered the removal of a children’s book about pronouns from a “kindness display” at the library.
Styles’ October resignation, which raised new allegations of privacy rights infringement and overreach by the selectmen’s office, reignited the library debate ahead of Suffield’s municipal elections. Unaffiliated challenger Rick Sotil, who lost his bid for first selectman, characterized Moll’s actions as a First Amendment attack and ran in support of the library.
In a voter guide published by the Suffield Observer, Republican incumbent Jerry Mahoney argued that the library’s kindness display violated residents’ First Amendment “by endorsing one viewpoint in a topic of public debate and by excluding other viewpoints, for example, that gender is fixed …”
Mahoney, and every other member of the board of selectmen, retained their seats.
After the election, one spot on the KMLC’s 12-member body was vacant. Six members — four Democrats, one unaffiliated and one Republican — were at the end of their terms. The Republican, Austin Roberts who served as chair of the commission chose not to pursue reappointment.
In a Dec. 6 decision by the board of selectmen that fell on party lines, the Republican majority voted to deny reappointments to all four Democrats, filling their spots and Roberts’ with five newly appointed Republicans. A separate vote instated Democrat James Irwin into the previously vacant position.
Critics described the overhaul as a scheme by the Board of Selectmen’s Republican majority to shape a library with more conservative and acquiescent leaders. Republican town officials said the decision was necessary to squash a “turf war” mentality.
The sweeping denial would have been unprecedented, if it had not been for the fact that the same Republican majority voted against the reappointment of two other Democratic KMLC members in 2022, citing the importance of balancing the commission, which at the time had eight Democrats, one Republican and three unaffiliated members. Originally, that was the first, and only instance, of a nonrenewal by the board of selectmen, according to longtime members of the commission.
The KMLC today stands at seven Republicans, two Democrats and three unaffiliated members. One of the latest appointees, Nina Kendrick, is an outspoken critic of Pride flags and LGBTQ+ inclusive displays at the library.
In a July 2022 letter shared with the Courant, Kendrick, who did not respond to interview requests, called for “the removal of all Progressive Pride flags, the removal of the giant pride heart, and the cessation of overly purchasing and displaying pride affirming books in our children’s department.”
Kendrick made similar requests to remove LGBTQ+ inclusive books from displays and endcaps in 2021 and 2023, arguing that the library should maintain a neutral viewpoint.
During the public comment period at a Dec. 6 board meeting, Eric Harrington, chair of Suffield’s Board of Finance and the husband of Republican Selectwoman Kathleen Harrington, suggested that the town remove criteria that require library director applicants to hold a degree from a college accredited by the American Library Association. In the meeting, Harrington described the ALA as “a special interest group, led by a Marxist.”
A master’s degree in library science from an ALA-accredited college or university is an industry-standard held by libraries across the U.S. and Canada. ALA’s president, whose term of office lasts one year, did describe herself as a “Marxist lesbian” in a 2022 tweet following her election.
Mahoney, who serves as the first selectman’s designee on the KMLC, has voiced similar concerns about the ALA and its president. In an interview with the Courant, Mahoney said that he does not believe the ALA requirement is “the most important criteria” for a library director.
Mahoney stressed that he is not a voting member of the KMLC, but he said if it was up to him, he would focus on management experience.
Mahoney said that in terms of the current personnel search, he believes the KMLC wants to move forward and secure a director. Over time, Mahoney said the KMLC may or may not choose to abandon the ALA requirement.
“Although I, along with the first selectman, Kathie Harrington, voted to put these folks on, these are all articulate, intelligent, thoughtful people who act for themselves and they’re going to do what they decide is the right thing to do,” Mahoney said.
Roberts, the former KMLC chair, fears KMLC and the town are leading the library to a future where challenged books will be removed, or controversial titles will be barred from purchase.
Roberts said that library staff feel like they are being “pushed out.”
In the Dec. 6 meeting, Selectwoman Kathleen Harrington said that replacing the commission members had nothing to do with politics.
According to the minutes, Harrington “stated for the record that if Austin Roberts, a Republican, were seeking reelection she would not vote for him, despite being one of the only Republicans currently serving on the commission.”
Roberts said the politics at play go beyond party squabbles.
“This is not Republican or Democrat politics,” Roberts said. “This is ultra-conservative mentality coming in. This is about the politics surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, and I would argue nothing else.”
Murriel “Sam” Coatti, a Democrat who served on the board for 30 years, agreed.
“Unfortunately, Suffield seems to have come right up to what’s going on nationally, and it seems to be something that they are so fearful of. It is the underlying issue,” Coatti said.
“This was a retaliation,” said Coatti, who described herself as an outspoken member of the board. “This was their opportunity to be able to erase the board and continue to make it a board of their people.”
Coatti said that prior to the last three years, the KMLC was apolitical. For her, the “defining moment was when Jerry Mahoney became the liaison to the board.”
Mahoney said that for the last 10 years, members of the KMLC have held a belief that the office of the first selectman has been “interfering” with the library commission and library operations. In Mahoney’s eyes, these attitudes stem from differing interpretations of the town charter, which he said, has changed over time; reducing the powers of the commission.
“The library commission had personnel powers. Now those powers are vested in the first selectman,” Mahoney said. “I think that there were folks on the library commission that disagreed with that change or don’t accept that change, and so that has been a source of friction.”
Mahoney said there is no rule barring the board of selectmen from using its discretion to appoint and reappoint.
Mahoney said that in most reappointment cases, either the board is happy with commission operations or there are no other candidates interested in serving.
“In this particular circumstance the board of selectmen did want to make a change and we had people who were willing to serve,” Mahoney said. “We needed to end this adversarial dynamic, this turf war mentality. And I mean, that’s really the essence of what took place.”
With the new composition of the KMLC, Mahoney said he is hopeful that the “adversarial dynamic” is now “in the rearview.”
Robert White, a Democrat who served on the KMLC for 28 years, said he is “concerned about the motivation of the current commission in terms of what they will see as ‘success.”’
White said that in the library’s 52-year history as a building, it has only had 10 directors.
“In the last few years, there have been three directors, one reference librarian, and now an associate director who have all stated that, if not the primary reasons, one of the major reasons they resigned was because of town government interference,” White said. “In my mind, how many more people do we go through?”
“The commission at large, if they coalesce, where are they hoping to take the library? What, what would they consider success?” White asked.
https://12ft.io/proxy
Alabama - they just don't quitbook challenges are now hitting Athens-Limestone County Public Library
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https://www.d...
Residents of Athens and Limestone County sparred over the propriety of library materials for children at an Athens-Limestone County Public Library board meeting this week as a statewide debate became local.
Back to TexasLeague City, Texas, now has its citizens committee in place which will be reviewing books deemed "inappropriate" in the public library for those aged 11 and under beginning with LGBTQ+ books.
https://communityimpact.com/houston/b...
In one of its first meetings ever, the Community Standards Review Committee, or CSRC, which was created last year to review books flagged by community members as potentially inappropriate, voted for the guidelines in an effort to create specificity on what its role will be going forward.
The committee will take a focus on books that are currently in Helen Hall Library’s ages 0-11 section. They will have the ability to review books from that section and choose if they should be moved to a different one in the library, officials said at the meeting.
However, the decision only came after the board held much discussion about what its intended role was and questions about whether or not it could set parameters based on age.
Advice given by the city’s attorney at the meeting questioned whether they could do that, or if it opened the door for City Council to reject such a guideline.
In February last year, League City City Council approved the creation of the committee, which was created with the ability to review books flagged by the community as potentially inappropriate. The committee could then remove the books for a certain collection, reclassify them or choose to do nothing.
However, the committee’s creation was met with pushback from the public, as well as some City Council members. Those opposed said it was a violation of the First Amendment, with some saying the committee was an attempt to remove books that were LGBTQ+-focused.
That trend continued at the Jan. 31 meeting, as several members of the public, including City Council candidate Ange Mertens, spoke against the committee, calling it a government overreach.
League City resident Jeff Murello argued that the books purchased by the library were “worth their weight,” as the library wouldn’t have purchased them otherwise.
Another item on the committee’s agenda for Jan. 31 was to review eight books that were tagged by a resident as inappropriate.
However, after adopting the age guidelines, it was found that the library did not have physical copies of two of those books, and five others were not in the ages 0-11 section of the library.
As a result, the committee set a hearing date for one of the books, “Grandad’s Pride,” which the committee will review Feb. 23.
Carroll County, Maryland Public Schools retains several challenged bookshttps://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/c...
In January, school board members voted to update a policy related to restricting s--ually explicit books and materials. Following that decision, FOX 45 submitted a public records request to the school district for the reconsideration forms submitted by community members.
Out of the forms received, many of them were submitted by Moms for Liberty Carroll County.
"Every one of them contains graphic s--ual content that is inappropriate for kids," said Kit Hart, with Moms for Liberty Carroll County.
"These are not educational books," she added.
Based on the forms, many community members indicated they had not read the book they were challenging.
"Just like with the librarians, librarians do not read every book they brought in, they are able to take a look and see what is in that book," Hart said.
So far, Carroll County Public Schools has sent decision letters on about 20 books, the reconsideration committee retaining many of them, saying the books are part of school or health curriculum or are not considered explicit.
The reconsideration committee did vote to remove a few books, including Court of Mist and Fury, Court of Rose and Thorns, Doing It, November 9, and Water for Elephants. Several appeals have been filed regarding some of the District's decisions.
Texas as usualFour books are being challenged by a couple of school board members in La Grange Independent School District (TX). The books have not even been purchased, and the desire to make sure they were not purchased arose because of keywords and not from actually looking at the material. The meeting to discuss the books will occur later this month.
https://twitter.com/TXFreedomRead/sta...
https://t.co/cjY5QoTdup
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An alderman in Petal, Mississippi, wants to ban all books about gender, "transgenderism," and sexuality from those under 12 in the Public Library of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County.
https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/s...
Ward 3 Alderman Blake Nobles said he didn't want to single out any books in particular, but believed the library board should implement a policy that would keep books of a certain type out of the library.
"I am requesting that we change the policy specifically and strictly in Petal library that books concerning gender, transgenderism and sexuality in general not to be provided to people of the age of roughly about 12," Nobles told the board at its meeting Monday at the Hattiesburg library.
"I ask that because I believe that is the best representation of the values and beliefs of our city in particular," he said. "I am not just a patron but a representative of Ward 3, currently one-sixth of the total of the Petal Board of Aldermen."
He said the books do not reflect the "vast majority" of the people of Petal. He said parents typically trust certain sources of information to make decisions for their children, and said the library as a trusted source should act on behalf of the parents.
Nobles said the books could be harmful, if children pick up a book that addresses gender and sexuality and the parent is unaware of the content. He believes the library should make it easier for parents to choose books by not allowing children access to them.
Board member Paul Rocconi asked Nobles if he thought the library should take over the responsibility of parenting the children, rather than letting the parents decide.
Nobles said that was not his intent but rather that the books be excluded so the parents would not be caught unaware.
Board member Kay Clay, former superintendent of Forrest County schools, said she knows a lot about age appropriateness in books for children, and that restrictions for some books for children younger than 8 are recommended, but a 12-year-old should be able to access some books about gender identity and sexuality.
She asked Nobles if he would be satisfied with that sort of restriction or even a separate section for children's books rather than removing the books from the library, to which he responded, "No, I would not."
Nobles reminded the board that the library operates as a partnership with the city, and that he is able to nominate future board members. In addition, he and other aldermen could vote to withhold funding from the library if the people of Petal so desire.
Board member Jamie Steele told Nobles that the library operates on behalf of the cities of Hattiesburg and Petal as well as Forrest County, so a policy change at one library would have to apply to both libraries.
Board member Claude Leaman held up a copy of "Tiger's Honor" and asked Nobles if he would ban that book, because it has some nonbinary characters. Nobles said that he did not want to single out any one book and reiterated his concern was more about policy than individual books.
The library has a three-stage process in deciding challenges to their book choices, with the first step presenting the matter to the assistant librarian and a committee. If unsuccessful, the next step is to take the matter to the director and finally to the board to appeal a decision that the patron is not happy with.
Nobles' presentation Monday was the third step in the process.
Two residents spoke after Nobles to say they did not support removal of the offending books.
Elliott Fackler, an educator from Hattiesburg, said he previously spoke on a challenged book.
"We all have different backgrounds, beliefs and values but while most of us can decide to leave a book on a shelf if it does not appeal to us, what about children?" Fackler said. "Children are curious and impressionable. The idea that young children are stumbling upon objectionable materials in the library is bogus."
Fackler said that children under the age of 12 are not allowed in the library without an adult and children younger than 14 may not have their own library card without parental or guardian consent.
"I have one really cool trick to keep your kid safe: Parent your children. Come with them to the library and help them pick out their books. Monitor the websites that they visit. Be someone they can come to without fear or reservation when they find questionable information," Fackler said.
Library board president Dee Tatum said the board will not make an immediate decision, but will talk about Nobles' concerns before voting on the matter.