Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montre...
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Glad Quebec government officials are taking a stand, but in my opinion Valentina Gomez should be considered a persona non grata not only in Quebec but in all of Canada.
Not good news today from West Virginia. The lies these people tell themselves about what's being shown to kids in elementary schools is just astounding! Yes, trust the teachers and librarians! LGBTQ+ people are not obscene. Statues are not obscene. Bodies are not obscene. There is nothing obscene in schools unless you consider naked babies obscene and then the problem is you and not the books. West Virginia
Bill to criminally charge libraries, museums for displaying obscene material passes House
https://wchstv.com/news/local/bill-to...
A bill recently passed by the West Virginia House of Delegates would remove exemptions currently in place for bona fide libraries, schools and museums and allow workers in those spaces to be criminally charged for displaying or distributing material considered obscene to minors.
Those charged would face a $25,000 fine or five years in prison, according to House Bill 4654.
"It doesn't outline who exactly this could be affecting," Tarbett said. "Is it the library staff member that chooses a book? You know, maybe that book has been on the shelf for five years and that library staff member is no longer there who originally purchased the book."
The House passed the bill 85-12 on Friday.
"These books can still be bought by people privately if they want, if they're adults," Del. Elliott Pritt, R-Fayette, said on Friday. "We're not saying they have to be taken off the market. What this bill does do is stops obscene and p___graphic or s----ally explicit materials from being available to children in publicly, taxpayer-funded spaces."
Del. Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh, sponsored the bill.
"I cannot look down on my computer at my daughter at school today in a public elementary school and see what she's seeing right now," Steele said on Friday. "I have to trust that that school is taking care of my daughter, and it bothers me that we have a place in code that provides an exception for someone trying to show my daughter p___phy at school."
The West Virginia Association of Museums said in part in a news release that it does not support legislation that would put workers in jeopardy.
Many librarians have voiced their concerns since the introduction of the bill. Megan Tarbett, president of the West Virginia Librarians Association, told Eyewitness News there are already processes in place if people have concerns with a book.
Oregon news is better. ban the bans!Bill to ban discriminatory book bans in Oregon moves forward
It will have one more public hearing in the House if it clears the Senate.
https://wpde.com/news/nation-world/bi...
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So will these vile West Virginia morons put art gallery curators in jail for showing paintings of nudes? And would they also jail university/college students who have a picture of Michelangelo's David or Botticelli's Birth of Venus etc. in their dorm rooms and art school instructors for having life drawing sessions??
And why do so many American Republicans support Stalinism, because ANY support of Vladimir Putin is Stalinist and is therefore radically left wing politically.
These bills are deliberately left vague. What is obscene? Who decides? Who is prosecuted? There's laws defining obscenity and art is typically excluded although it doesn't stop people from suing. So far judges have applied the law and stopped the censors in their tracks.
Interesting news today from Maryland and to quote the Washington Post ... "We now have to pass laws to protect freedoms we thought we had!" what a bizarre world we live in! https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-...
If you can't see the WP article, try Literary Activism
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
House Bill 785 — the Freedom to Read Act.
“A library should not exclude material from its catalogue because of the origin, background or views of a person who created the material,” it says.
“A library should not prohibit or remove material from its catalogue because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.”
And the gut punch is about the librarians themselves. They shall not be “dismissed, demoted, suspended, disciplined, reassigned, transferred or otherwise retaliated against,” the bill states.
The fine for deliberately walking out with or destroying a book used to be $250. Jones’ bill raises it to $1,000 and a possible three-month jail sentence — all to say to the book banners, “We see you, and we know what you’re doing,” she said.
The bill applies to public and school libraries.
If passed, the bill would go into effect July 1, 2024.
HB 0785 was referred to the Ways and Means Committee and there is a house hearing set for Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at 1 p.m. If you’re a Maryland resident, take ten minutes to write your legislators as soon as possible in support of the bill.
The ultra extremist influencer known as "Libs of TikTok" has been spreading lies per usual and their deliberately misleading video received nearly 2 million views, 12,000 shares and 3,500 comments on X (Twitter) over the weekend.The post also was shared on the Libs of TikTok Facebook and Instagram accounts.https://www.gainesville.com/story/new...
An account called "Libs of TikTok" on Friday posted a 50-second clip from an Alachua County Public Schools book banning hearing held last month, with the caption, "UNBELIEVABLE. Garrett Jones, assistant principal for an elementary school in @AlachuaSchools says he thinks it’s appropriate for 8-year-old kids to be reading p______y and dirty magazines in school."
The clip, however, is just a snippet of a longer video from a hearing held Jan. 23 regarding the book "Melissa" — formerly titled "George" — by author Alex Gino. In the clip, community member Crystal Marull who petitioned to have the book removed from Terwilliger Elementary School's library, is seen questioning Jones.
The ACPS statement on Friday said the "video was taken out of context and was misleading."
"The parent (Marull) asked the ACPS witness (Jones) several questions, including whether he felt it was appropriate for an 8-year-old to read 'about p____y and dirty magazines.' However, the witness did not intend to convey that this book was, in fact, about p___y and magazines. He certainly does not agree that it is appropriate for an elementary school student or any student to read p____c materials. It is rather his belief that this particular book is not pornographic, does not violate state statutes and can therefore be read by elementary school students in grades 3-5," the statement said.
"The parent (Marull) never actually asked the ACPS witness (Jones) if he believed this book is p____The witness did clarify later in the hearing that he did not believe this book is p_____c."
After the hearing, the district's hearing officer recommended the book be kept and the school board voted 4-1 on Feb. 6 to adopt the recommendation. Board member Kay Abbitt said she previously voted to keep other books in libraries but called herself "old-fashioned" and was the only one to vote against keeping "Melissa" available in the library.
The district said if a parent doesn't want their child reading a certain book, they can request that their child not be allowed to check that book out from the library. However, they were not going to take away the book because it was supplemental and did not relate to classroom instruction.
"Dr. Marull is certainly welcome to tell us to keep that book away from her child, let her child not check it out, and we have a system that's very easy to use," said Staff Attorney Susan Seigle during the Feb. 6 board meeting. "But she should not be permitted to come in here and tell every other parent in this district what their child should not read."
ArkansasCrawford County group hoping to avoid trial over relocated library books
The group of plaintiffs submitted a summary of facts to a judge on Monday
A group of moms in Crawford County filed a summary of facts to a judge on Monday in their latest step in trying to move certain books back to the children's section in county libraries.
“The ultimate goal is just to move the books back to their original locations in the children's areas," plaintiff and former librarian Rebecka Virden said. "That's all we're asking.”
Virden says that the county library system started moving certain books out of the children's section and into adult sections in late 2022 and throughout parts of 2023.
“In the beginning, it felt like there was nothing that we could do to stop this," Virden said.
After months of looking through transcripts, listening to audio from public meetings, reading through documents, and looking at emails, the group filed the summary of facts.
Now, it's in the hands of the judge on whether or not the case will go to trial. If a trial is chosen, it will be held in April 2024.
“The purpose of a library is not to present only materials from one point of view, but multiple points of view," Virden said.
https://www.4029tv.com/article/crawfo...
Aannnndd right back to York, Penn. where M4L rule.South Western school officials consider new restrictions on classroom books
https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/ne...
No specific policies were presented at a Monday meeting of the school's program committee, but board President Matthew Gelazela reiterated his support for granting parents the right to exempt their children from broad categories of books. Gelazela is not a member of the committee but attended Monday's meeting and spoke at length on the issue.
“Does anyone sitting at this table feel like sexual content, sexual orientation or gender identity material is appropriate in our schools?” Gelazela asked the committee members, at one point during the 3-hour meeting.
Last week, South Western's elected school board approved seeking legal advice from the Harrisburg-based Independence Law Center, the right-wing Christian law firm behind book bans and anti-LGBTQ+ policies at school districts across Pennsylvania. The ILC had earlier consulted with Central York on policies related to library materials.
In its promotional materials, the ILC heralds its work “to preserve religious liberty,” and the policies it promotes align with far-right, Christian conservatism.
Dover Area's elected school board was expected to consider a proposal Tuesday night to join the growing list of York County schools seeking legal advice from the ILC.
On Monday, South Western's program committee discussed two books that had already been challenged by parents this past school year, including one that was removed. It remains unclear what books were challenged and removed.
In the November election, Republican candidates won all five of the open school board seats. They are Katy Bauer, Christianne Brennan, Keith Gelsinger, Justin Lighty and Matthew Smith. Gelazela, a libertarian who was already a board member, was elected board president.
In December, Gelazela advocated for a policy that would categorize teaching materials and give parents the ability to prohibit student access based on “sexual orientation, transgenderism, communist Marxist support, specific religious or political ideologies and racial divides.” He's also sought the implementation of anti-LGBTQ+ policies akin to what Red Lion Area School District's board approved last year.
Central York, following two high-profile book bans that were ultimately reversed, placed its library books in age categories and allowed parents to restrict their children's access to certain books. As of October, only one Central York family had used the policy.
The focus of Monday's South Western committee meeting was on the classroom libraries teachers curate themselves, outside the larger school library system. A letter already went home to parents explaining the system and allowing them to opt out of the teachers' libraries.
Gelazela raised concern that most parents don't have time to read every book in these classroom libraries. He went on to suggest that the district categorize the books and allow parents to opt out of the categories.
“I don’t consider that a book ban,” he said.
Middle School English Teacher Stephanie Klansek said such categorization could be a “slippery slope,” adding that she takes pains to ensure students are comfortable with the material in her classroom library.
“I never want to put a book in a kid’s hand that is going to harm, damage, hurt them in any way,” she said.
Superintendent Jay Burkart said he understands parents want to be informed, but if there is policing in the classroom libraries, the teachers may end their libraries. He added that teachers may not have the time to categorize their books.
Gelazela suggested the board could work to assist the teachers, such as providing a part-time librarian to help catalog their classroom libraries.
Board member Amanda Weaver said the school board isn't responsible for parenting the district's 4,200 students.
“I can’t make that decision for other people’s children, which is why you get the signatures,” she said, referring to the letters and permission slips that went out to parents and guardians about the classroom libraries.
According to Gelazela and the other committee members, the issue of what books students have access to is expected to be discussed at the next school board meeting.
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It is good to hear that there is as more animosity against book banners than being in favour, but let's face it if that ugly and putrid homophobic piece of crap Pierre Polievre become the next PM there will be no more rights for trans gender individuals.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poil...
Honestly, someone like Pierre Polievre should be booted out of Canada and so should ALL of his supporters.
The news in the U.S. is not very good today.Georgia Senate considers controls on school libraries and criminal charges for librarians
A proposal that would require school libraries to notify parents of every book their child checks out was advanced by Georgia senators Tuesday, while a proposal to subject school librarians to criminal charges for distributing material containing obscenity waits in the wings.
https://apnews.com/article/georgia-se...
The state Senate Education and Youth Committee voted 5-4 Tuesday to advance Senate Bill 365 to the full Senate for more debate. The proposal would let parents choose to receive an email any time their child obtains library material.
Sen. Greg Dolezal, the Republican from Cumming sponsoring the bill, said the Forsyth County school district, which has seen years of public fighting over what books students should be able to access, is already sending the emails. Other supporters said it was important to make sure to guarantee the rights of parents to raise their children as they want.
“I can’t understand the resistance of allowing parents to know what their children are seeing, doing and participating in while they’re at school, especially in a public school system,” said Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, a Dahlonega Republican.
Opponents said it’s important for students to be able to explore their interests and that the bill could violate students’ First Amendment rights
The proposal to make school librarians subject to criminal penalties if they violate state obscenity laws, Senate Bill 154, is even more controversial. Current law exempts public librarians, as well as those who work for public schools, colleges and universities, from penalties for distributing material that meets Georgia’s legal definition of “harmful to minors.”
Dolezal argues that school librarians should be subject to such penalties, although he offered an amendment Tuesday that makes librarians subject to penalties only if they “knowingly” give out such material. He argues that Georgia shouldn’t have a double standard where teachers can be prosecuted for obscenity while librarians down the hall cannot. He said his real aim is to drive any such material out of school libraries.
“The goal of this bill is to go upstream of the procurement process and to ensure that we are not allowing things in our libraries that cause anyone to ever have to face any sort of criminal prosecution,” Dolezal said.
Supporters of the bill hope to use the threat of criminal penalties to drive most sexual content out of libraries, even though much sexual content doesn’t meet Georgia’s obscenity standard.
“If you are exploiting children, you should be held accountable,” said Rhonda Thomas, a conservative education activist who helped form a new group, Georgians for Responsible Libraries. “You’re going to find that our students are falling behind in reading, math, science, but they’re definitely going to know how to (view spoiler)
Robert “Buddy” Costley, of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders, said the bill won’t solve the content problems that activists are agitated about.
“My fear is is that if we tell parents that this is the solution — your media specialists, the people that have been working for 200 years in our country to loan books, they’re the problem — we will have people pressing charges on media specialists instead of dealing with the real problem,” Costley said. ___
Inclusive history sounds like a good thing to me. I don't get the fuss. Kids here learn some of this stuff. It makes them empathetic fierce fighters who want to change the world and make it a better place. I think THAT is what the fuss is about. If their kids know there's a wider world out there, they have empathy and expresses tolerance for different people, then they want a more inclusive world and will fight for it. https://komonews.com/news/local/washi...
Washington school boards blast bill forcing districts to teach 'inclusive' history lessons
The bill, authored by nine Democrats, would build upon the state's existing requirement that school districts use "appropriate screening criteria" to identity and eliminate bias in instructional materials. Under the legislation, districts would be required to adopt policies incorporating "inclusive instructional materials that include the histories, contributions and perspectives of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups."
Such groups include women, individuals with disabilities and immigrants and refugees, according to the bill's text. They also include individuals of various racial and ethnic backgrounds, including African Americans and Hispanic Americans.
Additionally, the state's superintendent and LGBTQ commission would be directed to update state learning standards to "include the histories, contributions and perspectives of LGBTQ people."
The bill passed the Washington Senate in January and currently sits in the House. State Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, one its sponsors, argues the legislation helps students "see themselves in their schoolwork."
However, education officials statewide seemingly disagree. At least three school boards have passed resolutions opposing the bill this month, with most citing a need to maintain local control of curriculum.
The Kennewick School District's school board passed its resolution Tuesday, claiming the legislation "subverts" the authority of elected board members.
"The Kennewick School District Board of Directors does not believe curriculum should be consulted on by activist state commissions pushing sexual agendas and politics and subverting the vote of the local community," the resolution reads.
The language mirrors that passed by board members for both the Mead School District and the Central Valley School District. In her board's resolution, Central Valley School District board president Pam Orebaugh claims the bill "strips school boards of the ability to be accountable to their constituents and diminishes the broad discretionary powers afforded to them."
Repeat after me people... there is no p___ in the library so naturally staff will find NO materials worth removing!https://www.jamestownsun.com/news/sta...
North Dakota-
Staff find no materials meriting removal from Jamestown libraries
The James River Valley Library System staff is almost finished reviewing materials at Alfred Dickey Public Library.
— Employees have not found any materials that merit complete removal because of “explicit s---l material” from the James River Valley Library System, according to Director Joe Rector.
Rector said library system employees have found a handful of books that weren’t located in the right area. In one case, he said it was a series that was first aimed at teens but the second and third books are more for adults. The books were then moved to the adult section where it will be checked out the most, he said.
In those cases, Rector said staff researched where other North Dakota libraries put the books.
“We find that there’s a mix,” he said. “Some libraries cataloged it for adults. Some libraries have cataloged it for teens. We are in the process of doing our absolute best to make sure that materials are in the right place to appeal to the proper age groups.”
The library system has until March 31 to determine if materials in the children and teenagers section have "explicit s---l material."
The passage of House Bill 1205 during the North Dakota legislative session in 2023 removes or relocates “explicit s---al material” in public libraries’ children’s collections. The bill mandated public libraries to come up with policies and procedures before 2024 for removing or relocating “explicit s---al material,” handling requests to remove or relocate books, developing age-appropriate book collections, and periodically reviewing collections. The bill applies to any children’s book inventory maintained by a public library after March 31.
The primary book that bill proponents cited was “Let’s Talk About It” because of its s--ual topics and visual nudity in drawings. The book is not in the James River Valley Library System’s collection.
The library system has about 33,000 books for children and teenagers, The Jamestown Sun reported in April 2023. The review of materials does not include audio-visual materials such as DVDs and CDs.
Staff began reviewing the materials last summer. Rector said all staff members are reviewing the books.
“They sit at the desk and read. Then they forward to me any books that are flagged for possible concern,” he said. “Then I take a look at those books and make a final determination.”
Rector said staff members look for anything s---al in the books and place Post-it notes for him to review. He said staff members page through the books and look for certain words such as “kissing” or “undressing” that might lead to s---al activity.
Some books may have a description on the back or inside the front cover.
Rector looks at the book and decides if it meets the definition of “explicit s---al material” that is defined in the law.
The definition of “explicit s---ual material” comes from the Miller Test, or three-prong obscenity test, that determines whether speech or expression can be labeled as obscene.
“If it doesn’t meet all three prongs then we keep the material,” Rector said.
...
He said there is no master list of what materials could contain “explicit sexual material.” He said he searched for “book challenges” on Google and looked at websites or groups that want various materials to be removed from libraries.
“We go check, see if we have it and then I make a determination from there,” he said.
Libraries also will have to submit a “compliance report” on their policies to lawmakers.
Bad news - unsurprisingly - in Utah where they persist in believing the lie that there is criminally indecent material in the library. Automatic statewide ban for certain books in Utah schools? Bill heads to Gov. Cox's desk
The proposal finalized Wednesday had seen several revisions since its introduction.
https://www.sltrib.com/news/education...
West Jordan Republican Rep. Ken Ivory, who sponsored HB29, said Tuesday that the legislation is meant to create “uniformity” when it comes to removing books and other materials from Utah’s K-12 classrooms and libraries.
“So we don’t have things that are criminally indecent and taken out in one area, but then perhaps used in a classroom in another area,” Ivory further explained in a conference committee discussion Tuesday, as lawmakers hammered out compromises to the bill draft.
The final version of the bill, which the House passed Wednesday, allows for a single book to be removed from all Utah public schools if at least three school districts (or at least two school districts and five charter schools) determine the book amounts to “objective sensitive material” — p---graphic or otherwise indecent material that does not have “literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors,” as outlined by Utah law.
The updated bill adds a caveat: Once that threshold is met, the Utah State Board of Education then has the option of convening a hearing within 60 days to discuss the possibility of reinstating a book statewide. If no hearing is held, the statewide removal stands. But if board leaders vote to reinstate a book, the districts and charter schools that originally opted to remove it may still keep it off shelves.
Should Cox sign it, the bill would take effect on July 1 and apply retroactively to all “objective sensitive materials” removed from student access prior to that date.
The proposal finalized Wednesday had seen several revisions since its introduction. An earlier draft would have allowed a local school board to override a state ban within its own jurisdiction, if the board scheduled a discussion and vote on the title’s statewide ban within 60 days of being notified.
House Democrats on Tuesday tried to preserve that local power, arguing that the legislation stood to give a small number of school districts the ability to dictate what happens in districts statewide.
“This bill takes power from elected school boards across this state because three school districts didn’t like a book,” Rep. Joel Briscoe, D-Salt Lake City, said.
An even earlier version of the bill, however, lacked any process for potentially returning a book to shelves if a statewide ban was triggered.
The bill’s final version also eliminated a prior provision that would have allowed any and all elected officials who represent “all or part” of a school district’s boundaries, or a charter school’s location, to challenge a book.
Current law only allows people affiliated with a school or school district to challenge materials. The amendments now clarify that local school board members would also be able to submit challenges.
The updated bill, according to Ivory, builds upon 2022′s HB374, which effectively banned “sensitive materials” and required school districts to independently develop a process to review challenged materials.
That review process would become uniform statewide under the latest bill. Once a title is challenged, a school district or charter would have to specifically evaluate a key difference: whether the material meets “objective” or “subjective” sensitivity standards.
“We’re not trying to ban books simply because sexuality is mentioned or s--ual encounters [are] briefly described,” the bill’s Senate sponsor, Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, said last week. “This bill is designed to ensure that material our children and teenagers have access to does not include explicit content that they are legally [unable] to consent to yet.”
“Objective” sensitive material is any content deemed “criminally” harmful to minors, or found to violate Utah’s “bright line” rule, by being inherently p----graphic.
If after an initial review, a title meets that “objective” criteria, a district would immediately remove it. And if enough school districts or charters did, it would trigger a statewide ban.
At that point, the state school board would have 10 days to notify all districts and charters that they must remove the specified title from student access. Board members would then have 60 days from the date of that notification to schedule and consider a vote to overturn the statewide ban.
If a title does not meet “objective” criteria, districts and charters would then review it to determine whether it is considered “subjective” sensitive material, the bill states.
“Subjective” sensitive material would not meet Utah’s definition of p----graphy or indecency, but would otherwise be deemed “harmful” to youth, because it “(view spoiler) among other balancing standards.
During that “subjective” review period, students may have access to the challenged title with parental consent, according to the bill. But if it’s ultimately considered “subjective” sensitive material, the book would be removed and students may no longer have access.
Such a determination by enough districts or charters would not trigger the statewide ban, though, because the proposed threshold would only apply to “objective” sensitive materials, the bill states.
The bill also restricts the number of times a person can challenge material. If someone makes three unsuccessful challenges during a given school year, they wouldn’t be allowed to trigger another sensitive material review until the following academic year.
Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, opposed the amended bill during Senate discussions last week, saying that while she supports removing pornography from Utah classrooms, the bill “goes too far.”
“My problem is that there’s a definition for p---graphy that we are using, and the definition describes (view spoiler)” said Riebe, the Senate minority whip. “When we think about something like (view spoiler) It’s a fact that is unfortunately happening across the world. So, some people find this triggering. Other people find it liberating that they are not alone in this horrific act that has happened to them.”
Riebe further explained that her opposition to the bill, and others’, is not because they “want” p___n in classrooms, but because they see it as an overreach that could prevent students who want to learn about important, but uncomfortable, real-life experiences from doing so.
“I, personally, find it offensive when we have been called groomers and p----philes,” Riebe said. “I believe that uncomfortable conversations build your capacity and empathy and make you understand things that you might not have been exposed to.”
Weiler countered that the bill’s sole intent is to “ban illicit p----graphy.”
“It does not ban any content because it explores racism, violence or alternative lifestyles or other controversial subject matters,” Weiler said. “This is not an attempt to censor material for the sake of convenience or because the government disagrees with the material’s message.”
Let Utah Read, a coalition dedicated to preserving the freedom of reading, plans to host a “Read-in” at the Capitol Rotunda on Thursday between 3-6 p.m. It will begin with a reading hour followed by addresses from authors and other speakers, organizers said.
Maryland -6 more books banned in Carroll public school libraries, bringing total to 9
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/02/...
The Carroll County Public Schools Reconsideration Committee's decision to ban “A Court of Wings and Ruin,” “Red Hood” and “It Ends With Us” was made after the Board of Education unanimously voted Jan. 10 to update Policy IIAA, banning all library books and instructional materials that include “s---ually explicit
Oklahoma City: Edmond Public Schools takes legal action against the State board of Educationhttps://kfor.com/news/local/edmond-pu...
Edmond Public Schools is asking the State Supreme Court to rule on who has the authority to remove books from a public library.
The Edmond School Board voted unanimously to file a petition with the court to determine if the rules adopted and enforced by the State Department of Education (SDOE) are valid under Oklahoma Law.
EPS Superintendent Dr. Angela Grunewald said “we did not ask to be in this position today but the district has little choice. If we remove the books without following long standing policy, we risk being sued and forfeiting local control. If we do not remove the books, we risk the SDE lowering the district’s accreditation. The district will always stand for local control and seek to protect the district’s accreditation for its students and parents. With this action, the district asks the Supreme Court to delay any action based on library books until the court determines if the rules upon which they are based are valid under Oklahoma law.”
EPS officials stress this is not about the books, but about who has the right and jurisdiction to decide on books in the school’s libraries.
*sigh* Not good news from New Mexico.New Mexico's Anti-Book Ban Bill Is Dead
Despite passing through two House committees, the state's legislative session closed before the bill considered further.
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
The conservative media is all over the story of a Brooklyn elementary school giving kids as young as 5 Black Lives Matter/queer/trans affirming coloring books. I think that sounds great and teaches empathy and understanding. The conservative right-wing media claims it's Communist. I can't find one positive news story about it. Also in the news today is the teacher in Georgia who read My Shadow Is Purplehas been fired. She had appealed the decision but the board of ed has upheld it.
The Cobb County's board decision overrode the recommendation of a panel of three retired educators. The panel found after a two-day hearing that Rinderle had violated district policies, but said she should not be fired.
During the hearing, Rinderle said out of several options, her students chose to read the book, which she picked up at a recent book fair at the school.
Rinderle and Tonya Grimmke, a current teacher in the Cobb County School System, filed a federal lawsuit against the district earlier in February, arguing that the policy on "controversial issues" is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment. Rinderle is seeking damages and her job back.
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/geor...
In Iowa not so great news.Iowa House committee dismisses defamation complaint against lawmaker without discussion
The bipartisan Iowa House Ethics Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to dismiss a complaint accusing Rep. Jeff Shipley of defamation.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/sto...
Sara Hayden Parris of Johnston is the president and founder of Annie's Foundation, a nonprofit that opposes book bans and hands out free copies of books that have been challenged or removed from libraries. Hayden Parris filed a complaint Jan. 31 accusing Shipley, R-Birmingham, of breaking the Iowa House code of ethics and using social media to defame her and falsely accuse her of breaking the law by giving obscene material to children.
Shipley's formal response called Hayden Parris' complaint politically motivated, without factual basis and based on a difference of opinion over legislation.
The bipartisan committee unanimously voted to dismiss the complaint with no discussion. It met for just two minutes.
Ethics Committee Chair Rep. Anne Osmundson, R-Volga, told Radio Iowa that the complaint seemed politically motivated and that Shipley did not violate ethics rules.
Hayden Parris said in an email to the Des Moines Register she is "extremely disappointed" in the decision.
"I deserve to know what the reasoning was behind the decision to dismiss and the fact that there was no public discussion on the matter does not give Iowans the level of transparency we deserve from our government," Hayden Parris said. "The fact that the meeting was over before many people even got logged in makes the whole process look like a sham. Representative Shipley's comments about me clearly meet the legal definition of libel."
She said she is considering other options.
Hayden Parris' complaint was rooted in a back-and-forth on X, formerly known as Twitter, where Shipley wrote that Hayden Parris was violating Iowa Code 728, which makes providing obscene material to minors a misdemeanor that should be criminally investigated.
The thread began when Shipley posted about the possible restructuring of Iowa's Area Education Agencies, saying school districts should have "more authority and flexibility over their own budgets."
Hayden Parris, under the official Annie's Foundation account, replied: "But not the authority and flexibility for teachers and librarians to purchase the books they see fit for their classrooms and libraries, huh."
The thread continued from there, and Annie's Foundation wrote "we're not scared of your pathetic attempts to smear us."
The X exchange between Shipley and Annie's Foundation was related to Senate File 496, the sweeping 2023 education law that restricts instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation through sixth grade and bans books depicting se- acts from schools. Shipley supported the law, which a federal judge has blocked the state from enforcing while two lawsuits are pending.
The back-and-forth also reflected ongoing debate over whether s--ual images and passages make a book obscene and p---graphic. Shipley took issue in the X thread, and in a previous statement to the Register, over a comment Hayden Parris previously made with her personal account on Facebook that said, "Look, just cuz it makes YOUR naughty bits tingle, doesn't mean it's p--n."
In the thread, Shipley wrote that "Gender Queer" is "perverted" and also violates federal obscenity law.
But opponents of Senate File 496, such as Hayden Parris, have said the law amounts to chilling censorship and discrimination against students from underrepresented backgrounds. They say supporters falsely portray award-winning works of literature that could enlighten readers as obscene and p----graphic.
The definition of obscene material Iowa Code 728 itself says that "the average person, taking the material as a whole and applying contemporary community standards with respect to what is suitable material for minors" would find that the material "appeals to the prurient interest and is patently offensive."
Also, the definition says, such material "lacks serious literary, scientific, political or artistic value" when "taken as a whole."
Hayden Parris has said there are no obscene books in Iowa schools and that books she has distributed, including "Gender Queer" and "All Boys Aren't Blue," are not obscene or p-----graphic. Annie's Foundation has reported donating 5,000 books since fall 2022, and the group recently announced plans to move into a dedicated office space and start a grant program.
Unsurprising bad news from GeorgiaGeorgia GOP senators seek to ban sexually explicit books from school libraries, reduce sex education
https://apnews.com/article/georgia-ed...
Public schools would be banned from acquiring any materials that depict s-x acts after Dec. 1 under Senate Bill 394, dubbed the “Clean Libraries Act” by its sponsor, Senate Education Committee Chairman Clint Dixon.
“It has to do with s--ual content in books,” said Dixon, a Buford Republican. “Heterosexual, homosexual, any of that, we don’t want to expose our kids to any of that when they’re minors.”
The measure passed by the Education Committee would ban distribution of any sexual materials to students in sixth grade and below and restrict them for seventh grade and above. At least some materials deemed necessary for teaching could be accessed by older students with written parental permission.
The rules would apply to books, videos, sound recordings, websites or other electronic material. “Materials of great religious or historical significance” may be exempt if they don’t “portray s--ually explicit material in a patently offensive way.”
The measure would create a council to set standards and restrict materials.
Senate Bill 154, also passed by the Education Committee, would subject K-12 librarians to criminal penalties if they violate state obscenity laws. Current law exempts public librarians, as well as those who work for public schools, colleges and universities, from penalties for distributing material that meets Georgia’s legal definition of “harmful to minors.”
The bill makes school librarians subject to penalties only if they “knowingly” give out such material. The sponsor, Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal of Cumming, says Georgia shouldn’t have a double standard allowing for the prosecution of teachers for obscenity but not librarians down the hall.
The bill was amended to let librarians argue that they should be exempt from prosecution if schools review every item in a library for obscenity. Sen. Ed Setzler, the Acworth Republican who offered the amendment, said the measure “creates an incentive for schools to scrub their libraries.”
School districts could drop sex education and students would only be enrolled if parents specifically opt in under Senate Bill 532, which the Education Committee also passed. Dixon’s measure would ban all sex education in fifth grade and below. It would keep the requirement for age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention education.
“This bill protects our kids and keeps our children from premature education on sexual topics for children who are 10 to 11 years old or younger,” said Chelsea Thompson, a lawyer for the Christian conservative group Frontline Policy Institute.
Currently state sex education standards call for little explicit discussion of human reproduction below eighth grade, although second graders are supposed to learn the names of all body parts and “appropriate boundaries around physical touch.” Fifth graders are supposed to learn about puberty, and most mandated sex education happens in a high school health course.
The bill would require the state Board of Education to set new standards and let any school district refuse to teach sex education. Instead of the current parental opt-out system for sex education, it would be opt-in.
Public schools would be able to use chaplains under Senate Bill 379, which passed the Government Oversight Committee. Chairman and bill sponsor Marty Harbin, a Tyrone Republican, said chaplains provide an outlet for conversations that students don’t feel comfortable having with counselors.
“We need good, sound counsel sometimes, or just a friend to talk to. Isolation is a real problem today,” Harbin said.
The bill would leave it to school districts to decide whether to hire chaplains or accept volunteers, and to determine qualifications for chaplains. Democrats expressed concerns about qualifications for chaplains, as well as whether they are appropriate for schools.
“How are we going to verify that these chaplains are prepared for secular spaces?” said Sen. Nabilah Islam Parks, a Democrat from Duluth.
The Government Oversight Committee also advanced a bill that would ban the spending of public money on the American Library Association. Sen. Larry Walker III, a Perry Republican, has said Senate Bill 390 is needed because he believes the association is a “radical, left-leaning organization.” The move comes among other attempts nationwide by Republicans to cut ties to it.
Walker amended his original bill to let Valdosta State University continue paying for ALA accreditation for its master’s degree in library science after university officials warned that losing accreditation would wreck the program and drive students out of state. Walker had also originally proposed to abolish state certification for librarians, but his amended bill shifts certification to the Georgia Council of Public Libraries.
[And the WTH moment of the day...]
The Government Oversight Committee also advanced a bill that would add the Ten Commandments to the list of historic civic documents schools are encouraged to display, alongside texts like the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address.
“To be ignorant of the Ten Commandments is actually to be uneducated, because they are a foundation of all law,” said Harbin, the sponsor of Senate Bill 501.
The measure enshrines the text of the Ten Commandments found in the Protestant King James Version of the Bible. Other Christian and Jewish texts have different versions.
Harbin said displaying the precepts would encourage virtue: “These have been hidden to us, to a great degree, and from our people and from our students.”
One moreAre Cincinnati area schools banning books? Records show which books and where
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news...
“Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation,” a children’s book she said was in one of the district’s elementary schools, is “a backdoor racist book, at best,” school board member Darby Boddy read from her notes.
It should be off Lakota school shelves, Boddy said. She requested the district's superintendent get to the bottom of the issue as soon as possible.
“Separate is Never Equal” was not on any book orders for Lakota Local Schools, Interim Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli confirmed to Lakota school board members via email later that week. But one copy of the book was found at Wyandot Elementary. The book isn’t required reading, Lolli wrote, and she did not direct its removal.
“It’s an appropriate book,” she wrote to school board member Julie Shaffer.
And while there were a handful of questions about specific assignments from parents at Lakota last school year, there was just one question about the inclusion of a book − "Stamped" by Ibram X. Kendi − in the district's libraries. The district doesn't carry the book, according to email records.
There aren't many official complaints about curriculum or books that make it to the district level, said Lori Brown, Lakota's executive director of curriculum and instruction. Parent concerns are typically resolved with their child's teacher, often in person or over the phone, leaving no paper trail.
There haven't been complaints about specific books directed at the district's community curriculum advisory team, either, Brown said. The team, which formed last spring, reviews new curriculum proposals and addresses community questions.
Everything looks different online, though. Brown sees the Facebook posts questioning lessons and books supposedly used at Lakota and said many of those accusations are based on misinformation or taken out of context. Her team looks into those concerns when they see them on social media, even though they aren't official complaints. She encourages anyone with legitimate concerns about potentially inappropriate content being shared in Lakota schools to submit those questions online.
Mirna Eads, a nurse who lives in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, challenged dozens of books at Fort Thomas Independent School District, Campbell County Schools and Newport Independent Schools during the 2022-23 school year. She doesn't currently have children in any of those districts – her son graduated in 2022 from Highlands High School – but is convinced "there are rogue teachers out there" and says schools are indoctrinating children with social and emotional learning, critical race theory and socialism.
Eads led Campbell County's Moms for Liberty chapter until the national organization removed her in November. The chapter dissolved after Eads posed for a picture with members of the far-right Proud Boys group at a Protect the Children rally in Frankfort.
Eads' quest to protect children from what she believes are inappropriate books has slowed since her removal from Moms for Liberty and since a new Kentucky law passed stipulating schools need only address book challenges from parents or guardians.
Still, she keeps in touch with current school parents and keeps a blue binder stuffed with excerpts from books such as "Milk and Honey" by Rupi Kaur; "Flamer," a graphic novel by Mike Curato; and the manga series "Assassination Classroom" by Yusei Matsui. Those books include passages and images describing (view spoiler)
These titles just scratch the surface of a world of inappropriate books that normalize sex, p____raphy, drug use and p___philia, said Eads. She doesn't want to be seen as one of those "crazy conspiracy theorists" but said she's read these books cover to cover and was appalled by the graphic s--ual language she found.
"I'm not Catholic, but if I had been Catholic I would have been in the confession booth every five minutes" while reading these books, Eads said.
Similarly, Rebecca Vehr requested reviews of several books at Kings Local Schools. Vehr is not a parent in the district, according to an administrator.
In her formal challenges to seven books – including "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson, "Rick" by Alex Gino and "Girls Like Us" by Gail Giles – Vehr wrote of the novels' graphic nature.
In November 2022 Eads sent a letter to library staff listing 22 books she believed should be reconsidered and followed up with another seven books in January 2023. In her many emails to Campbell County Schools staff requesting book reviews, Eads wrote that she does not support book banning, doesn't intend to cause chaos at school board meetings and isn't trying to make extra work for administrators or librarians.
But from the very beginning of the review process, Campbell County High School Principal Holly Phelps wrote "the amount of books and the timeline (to review them) is daunting" in an email to the review committee. When the second round of Eads' challenged books came through, Phelps wrote, "I know that this is time consuming, but I appreciate everyone's willingness to help." The committee asked Eads for extensions, noting the length of some of the books as "incredibly long."
Most of the books the committee reviewed were retained, some can now only be checked out with parent permission, three were removed and one had never been in the schools' collection at all. "Lucky" by Alice Sebold, "Empire of Storms" by Sarah J. Maas and "What Girls Are Made Of" by Elana K. Arnold were removed.
None of the books Vehr challenged in Kings Local School District was removed, said Matt Freeman, the district's director of teaching and learning. He looked over the materials with a review committee comprised of teachers, administrators and parent volunteers.
"I also had to read these books, organize everything and reach out to the folks. And when I am doing that, then I am not able to do other aspects of planning, of my job, to help us move forward in our district goals," he said. "It was a lot of work."
Through Vehr's requests, his team created a system. Now, when challenges come in, Kings staff know what to do.
Freeman said Kings also updated its process for retiring books from school libraries. Librarians look at how often the books are used and whether they are damaged, for example.
Questions about what's appropriate to share with students also prompted the curriculum review committee at Lakota.
Who called the cops to locate Gender Queer at a Great Barrington, Mass. school? An independent report from the school district. FINALLY we get answers. What a tool!https://theberkshireedge.com/school-d...
The Berkshire Hills Regional School District has issued the results of an independent investigation of the incident involving eighth-grade ELA teacher Arantzazu Zuzene Galdos-Shapiro, and the Great Barrington Police Department.
The committee approved an independent investigation at its meeting on January 11, and the investigation was conducted by Kevin Kinne from the Pittsfield law firm of Cohen Kinne Valicenti & Cook LLP.
According to Kinne’s report, more than a dozen school district employees were interviewed for the independent investigation “and all of them said that they have never seen [Galdos-Shapiro] engage in any inappropriate conduct with students or otherwise.”
Previously in the anonymous complaint made to the Police Department, the complainant accused Galdos-Shapiro of inappropriate conduct.
Kinne wrote that the copy of “Gender Queer” was purchased by Galdos-Shapiro and was brought into her classroom.
Kinne wrote that the copy of “Gender Queer” was purchased by Galdos-Shapiro and was brought into her classroom.
“Because the book was the ‘Most Challenged Book’ of the year [by the American Library Association] the school’s librarian Jennifer Guerin asked [Galdos-Shapiro] if the library could use her copy of the book for a ‘Banned Books Week’ display in the library,” Kinne wrote. “The teacher agreed and provided the book to Guerin from her collection so it could be displayed in the library with other books that had been banned.”
After seeing a copy of “Gender Queer” in the library display, a student asked Guerin if they could check out the book from the library.
Because the book was Galdos-Shapiro’s copy, Guerin told the students to ask Galdos-Shapiro if they could borrow the book from her.
“After exploring whether the book was appropriate for the student, [Galdos-Shapiro] allowed the student to sign out the book,” Kinne wrote. “The student returned the book in October 2023. No other student, before or after, has signed out the book from the teacher’s classroom.”
The report reveals that Great Barrington resident Adam Yorke, who worked as a night custodian in the school district, initiated the complaint to the Great Barrington Police Department, and made the allegations against Galdos-Shapiro.
“In the spring of 2023, Yorke falsely told another teacher at the school that the teacher ‘was teaching kids how to have gay sex’,” Kinne wrote. “There is no evidence, whatsoever, that the teacher was doing so. During the same time frame, Yorke engaged in conversations with teachers and staff members regarding p----philia that made others uncomfortable and also stated to a teacher that the way to solve gun violence in school is to allow kids to bring guns to school. Yorke’s supervisors, Steven Soule and Scott Jenny, warned Yorke that any concerns he might have should be conveyed to them rather than to teachers and staff. Ignoring that warning, on October 24, 2023, Yorke confronted a Spanish teacher because he felt that her room needed to be cleaner for the custodians. He then berated the Spanish teacher, told her that the students needed to be better behaved, and commented to her that she was not respected because the students were not cleaning up after themselves. He further told the Spanish teacher that because her room was one of the messiest she had a problem with discipline. He then instructed her, with no qualifications to do so, about how to change the students’ behavior
After the Spanish teacher complained about Yorke to Assistant Principal Ellen Rizzo, Yorke was suspended for two days starting on October 23, 2023.
He was also given a letter of reprimand due to poor behavior and poor job performance.
Yorke subsequently contacted the state’s Commission Against Discrimination and filed a charge of discrimination against the district, alleging that the district discriminated against him based on his color [Yorke identifies as White] and an alleged disability which he identifies as reading and writing comprehension.
During his interview for the independent investigation, Yorke recanted his claims.
“Yorke also lied during his investigative interview by stating that he did not make the complaint to the police department, when, in fact, he did so,” Kinne wrote.
Kinne also noted that, as of February 15, 2024, Yorke is no longer employed by the district.
He also observed that since neither Yorke nor the Police Department “signed a complaint on a school district form documenting their criticism of the book, without such documentation the district should not have allowed the Police Department to proceed with its search of the classroom.”
“A mitigating circumstance here is that Yorke’s complaint to the Police Department included allegations of inappropriate physical contact with a student and other potential improprieties that could have impacted student safety,” Kinne wrote. “While those allegations may have justified an inquiry by the Police Department, it is clear that before Officer O’Brien began his search of the teacher’s classroom, he was no longer focusing his investigation on the allegations related to physical contact with students and other improprieties because they had no merit. Indeed, the body cam recording makes it clear that Officer O’Brien’s only focus during the classroom search was the book. Once it became clear that Officer O’Brien was only searching for the book, the search became inconsistent with [school district policy]. The appropriate process under that policy would then have required a signed complaint on a district form documenting any criticism of the book before proceeding further under the policy.”
A copy of the full report is available on the school district’s website at this link.
https://www.bhrsd.org/wordpress/wp-co...
Greenville, South Carolina Moving trans books in Greenville libraries was once informal. A new policy may require it.
https://www.postandcourier.com/greenv...
While members of that committee argue the move is necessary to protect children and empower parents, critics said the policy would be discriminatory against the LGBTQ community and infringe on a parent's right to choose for their family.
The Library Materials Committee voted unanimously Feb. 16 to approve the proposal, which will go before the full board Feb. 26.
If enacted, the rule change would mandate any such materials intended for children ages 12 and under would be moved from the child or juvenile sections to the the parent and early childhood section.
It would apply to materials with "illustrations, storylines and themes” that addressed trans minors in any way. That includes social transitioning, medical transitioning and dress or pronouns "inconsistent with biological sex," among other subjects.
Not all of the GCLS branches have a parent and early childhood section.
And at the Hughes Library, the system's largest and most central location, the PEC section comprises only a handful of titles.
Once located near the children's section, the Hughes Library PEC offerings are now in a less visible area of the library next to the magazine section. Children 17 and under need their parents permission to check out books from that section as well as other adult sections of the library.
Committee chair Marcia Moston, who proposed the policy change, said she was concerned the material it targets could be harmful to children, who should only be able to access those titles at their parents' discretion.
"I find children's literature that embeds these ideas as though they were fact into the stories as dangerous," she said. "But I still recognize there are people who want to have these conversations with their children, and people who are struggling."
Library system Executive Director Beverly James said she worried the proposed policy would be difficult for staff to interpret and apply.
And Board Member Brian Aufmuth, who is not on the materials committee but attended the meeting, said he is concerned the language of the rule is too broad and could lead to books such as ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ whose 6-year-old protagonist Scout is described as a tomboy, to be categorized incorrectly.
In response, Board Member Elizabeth Collins said she would prefer some books unintentionally be moved to the parent and early childhood section than books discussing trans issues remain in the children or juvenile section.
“I would rather we err on the side of our net being too wide and catching some books that maybe shouldn't have been moved to PEC,” she said. "I would rather 'To Kill a Mockingbird' end up in PEC than we miss books that the parent should be the one overseeing if they should be exposed to it."
Last year, the GCLS board voted to ban virtually all themed displays throughout the system after receiving heated backlash to Pride Month decorations.
GCLS has been quietly pulling or restricting access to books with LGBTQ themes for years.
The report, which FLAG released in October, indicates that while the system has not publicly announced the removal of any contested books from its collection, 81 titles with LGBTQ themes it previously offered were removed from shelves in the preceding year. Others, the paper asserts, have been moved to improper sections, making them more difficult to access.
If the full board approves it Feb. 26, the proposed policy would formalize that policy as it pertains to books discussing trans issues.
FLAG member Autumn Bible, who attended the Feb. 16 meeting, said she was disheartened by the way the issue was discussed during the meeting. Under current library policy, she said, parents already have control over the titles their children can access, and the policy would effectively restrict choice and unduly censor works about trans issues.
Greenville, South Carolina Moving trans books in Greenville libraries was once informal. A new policy may require it.
https://www.postandcourier.com/greenv...
While members of that committee argue the move is necessary to protect children and empower parents, critics said the policy would be discriminatory against the LGBTQ community and infringe on a parent's right to choose for their family.
The Library Materials Committee voted unanimously Feb. 16 to approve the proposal, which will go before the full board Feb. 26.
If enacted, the rule change would mandate any such materials intended for children ages 12 and under would be moved from the child or juvenile sections to the the parent and early childhood section.
It would apply to materials with "illustrations, storylines and themes” that addressed trans minors in any way. That includes social transitioning, medical transitioning and dress or pronouns "inconsistent with biological sex," among other subjects.
Not all of the GCLS branches have a parent and early childhood section.
And at the Hughes Library, the system's largest and most central location, the PEC section comprises only a handful of titles.
Once located near the children's section, the Hughes Library PEC offerings are now in a less visible area of the library next to the magazine section. Children 17 and under need their parents permission to check out books from that section as well as other adult sections of the library.
Committee chair Marcia Moston, who proposed the policy change, said she was concerned the material it targets could be harmful to children, who should only be able to access those titles at their parents' discretion.
"I find children's literature that embeds these ideas as though they were fact into the stories as dangerous," she said. "But I still recognize there are people who want to have these conversations with their children, and people who are struggling."
Library system Executive Director Beverly James said she worried the proposed policy would be difficult for staff to interpret and apply.
And Board Member Brian Aufmuth, who is not on the materials committee but attended the meeting, said he is concerned the language of the rule is too broad and could lead to books such as ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ whose 6-year-old protagonist Scout is described as a tomboy, to be categorized incorrectly.
In response, Board Member Elizabeth Collins said she would prefer some books unintentionally be moved to the parent and early childhood section than books discussing trans issues remain in the children or juvenile section.
“I would rather we err on the side of our net being too wide and catching some books that maybe shouldn't have been moved to PEC,” she said. "I would rather 'To Kill a Mockingbird' end up in PEC than we miss books that the parent should be the one overseeing if they should be exposed to it."
Last year, the GCLS board voted to ban virtually all themed displays throughout the system after receiving heated backlash to Pride Month decorations.
GCLS has been quietly pulling or restricting access to books with LGBTQ themes for years.
The report, which FLAG released in October, indicates that while the system has not publicly announced the removal of any contested books from its collection, 81 titles with LGBTQ themes it previously offered were removed from shelves in the preceding year. Others, the paper asserts, have been moved to improper sections, making them more difficult to access.
If the full board approves it Feb. 26, the proposed policy would formalize that policy as it pertains to books discussing trans issues.
FLAG member Autumn Bible, who attended the Feb. 16 meeting, said she was disheartened by the way the issue was discussed during the meeting. Under current library policy, she said, parents already have control over the titles their children can access, and the policy would effectively restrict choice and unduly censor works about trans issues.
Goshen, Connecticut residents fired up over Gender Queerhttps://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024...
Fortunately, it was returned to the shelves of the public library.
A book dealing with LGBTQ issues was removed from the library last summer after community complaints. But some say proper procedure wasn’t followed when it was pulled from shelves.
The book was removed last summer from the children’s section at the Goshen public library after the town first selectman forwarded complaints about it to the president of the library board of directors. This caused some on the board to question whether proper protocol was followed.
The board president, Henrietta Horvay, apologized for any misunderstanding saying she was trying to solve a problem and that the book should return.
“If I did something wrong, I am human and I’m sorry,” she said.
Josephine Jones, the vice chair of the Goshen library board, said in a statement that the book was never in the children’s section, it was in the young adults’ section.
Jones added that it’s OK to challenge a book but it must be done following proper protocol. The 40 letters being presented to the library director were not formal complaints, she said.
During public comment, some people still wanted to see the book physically removed or moved to another section of the library.
In a statement, the first selectman, Todd Carusillo, says he forwarded complaints and that this was a library board of directors matter, but felt the book should be moved saying quote:
“The book in question should be in the adult section and checked out of the library with parental consent for any minor.”
Conway says he’s given grace to the board president and will continue to speak up to see the book remain on the shelf.
“Due process will definitely be followed and that the book will be discussed in the way it should be,” he said.
Horvay says there are now about 40 formal challenges to the book. That means the town will go through the formal process to consider its removal.
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/b...
MORE bans proposed for Hernando County, Floridahttps://www.suncoastnews.com/news/sch...
• The book “All American Boys” by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiel is being challenged at Hernando, Central, Springstead, Weeki Wachee high schools, and D.S. Parrott Middle School. The summary states that the book is about “a town put in a state of turmoil after a young African American teenager is wrongly accused and assaulted by a police officer.” It was originally challenged at Hernando High School and that school’s review committee met on Dec. 20 and Jan. 22 to discuss the challenge. According to the challenge by Julia Thomas of Moms for Liberty, the book “contains age-inappropriate contents: inflammatory racial and social commentary; police profiling, heavy profanity; alcohol and drug use; violence; police brutally; and promotion of Black Lives Matter.”
The committee’s vote to recommend keeping the book was 4-0.
• The book “Fade” by Lisa McMann is being challenged at Central High School. According to Thomas of Moms for Liberty, the book “contains sexual age-inappropriate content; nudity; sexual activities including rape of minors; teacher/student sexual relationships, profanity; and illegal drug use such as the date rape drug. This book is marked for 18 years of age and older.” Central High School’s Review Committee met on Jan. 18 and Jan. 29 to discuss a request for school reconsideration of the book. The committee’s vote to recommend keeping the book was 3-2.
• The book “All the Things We Do in the Dark” by Saundra Mitchell is being challenged at Hernando High School. According to Thomas of Moms for Liberty, the book “contains sexual age-inappropriate, profanity; sexual activities; alternate sexualities; and helping suicide reference. The book clearly shows a warning label for 18 years of age and up.” The review committee met on Jan. 17 and Jan. 30 to discuss a citizen’s request for school reconsideration of the book. The committee voted 4-2 to recommend to the superintendent that the book be removed from circulation in Hernando County Schools.
The School Board has the final vote on the status of the books listed.
Calgary police investigating after LGBTQ+ themed library books returned damagedhttps://calgary.ctvnews.ca/calgary-po...
North CarolinaMcDowell County Schools
School board receives public feedback on current administrative book review
https://mcdowellnews.com/news/local/e...
An administrative book review being performed by McDowell County Schools has been the topic of conversation among the public in recent weeks and at Monday’s McDowell County Board of Education meeting, that conversation continued as some members of the public spoke in front of the board.
Eight different citizens ranging from early adult to retirement age signed up to speak during Monday’s public comment session of the meeting and used their time to express some concerns and reservations over the potential pulling of books off school libraries within the school system.
The feature from last month stirred up a lot of feedback on social media about the appropriate nature of content that is currently held in the school system. The initial book review process resulted in the examination of approximately 40 books that were being looked at by each school to find content that may not be appropriate for certain ages. Since then, additional books have been flagged for the same review.
The general theme among those who spoke at Monday’s board meeting centered more around the worries of how pulling content off shelves is leading toward the perception from the school system toward some minority groups.
Once all comments were heard, Grit spoke about the process in effort to provide more clarity.
“Reviewing all these books is not an overnight thing,” said Grit, “So far the review has been done at a school level in which each school formed a committee to review content that was pulled. The next step is for anything deemed inappropriate will be passed upon to us at the district level to do another level of review, where we will form a committee to ultimately decide what is allowed to go back and what is pulled permanently.”
Any of the current books flagged in the review process is not available for immediate use by students of McDowell County Schools.
New York stateNewfane Public Library board president, other trustees resign
https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/...
TennesseeThe controversy over library books in Roane County Schools show no signs of letting up. Things have gotten so bad that Director of Schools Russell K. Jenkins said district employees are being harassed in public.
“Our librarians and our principals, they go to the grocery store, they go to church on Sundays and people are harassing them,” he said. “It’s pure hate. If we were not dealing with it, I could expect people to get angry and to hate. The fact is that is the furthest thing from the truth.”
https://12ft.io/proxy
How on earth is there and should there be a "balanced" portrayal of sex trafficking, exactly? What is NOT dark and depressing about that? Buncombe, North Carolina bans NYT Bestselling book
https://www.citizen-times.com/story/n...
During its Feb. 8 meeting, the Buncombe County School Board unanimously voted to ban “Tricks” by Ellen Hopkins from schools in the district.
The decision was the final piece of a multi-step process that started when a community member and three parents challenged 10 books at Enka High School in October 2023, according to a Jan. 5 memo to Superintendent Rob Jackson. Most of the books are award-winning or bestselling. BCS spokesperson Timothy Reaves told the Citizen Times Feb. 19 that the group recommended Enka High remove the following books: (+ adult books_
"Impulse" by Ellen Hopkins, published 2007;
"Burned" by Ellen Hopkins, published 2006;
"Doing It! Let's Talk About Sex" by Hannah Witton, published 2017;
"Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult, published 2007;
"Perfect" by Ellen Hopkins, published 2011;
"Sold" by Patricia McCormick, published 2006;
"Tricks" Ellen Hopkins;
"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen, published 2006; and
Enka High’s Media Technology Advisory Committee reviewed the books subject to the complaint, per school policy.
The Enka district MTAC team received a request to review four books that remained at Enka High." This committee moved to remove “Tricks,” pending board review, but chose to keep the remaining three titles.
“The book narrates teenagers’ various experiences with sex and sex trafficking. While the committee appreciates that sex trafficking is a relevant and timely issue, it felt that the book was not well-balanced in its portrayal of the topic,” the memo said about “Tricks.”
“The committee’s opinion is that the book normalizes, if not glorifies, unhealthy sexual behavior among teens. The overall tone of the book was extremely dark and disturbing, without a balanced emotional perspective. The book also includes an excessive amount of explicit content, leading us to question its appropriateness for high school readers, especially without guidance.”
The memo included passages from each of the books. Many of the passages that the Citizen Times reviewed included s--ual content. At the end of the section for each respective book, there was a profanity tally. It is unclear what entity marked the passages or created the tally from the memo.
“’Tricks’ is simply filth in poetic form,” Enka High parent Kim Poteat told the school board during public comment. She was one of the four parents to stage the censorship effort. “What we put into our children’s minds matters. I hope and pray you will see our children deserve better materials than ‘Tricks’ in their school libraries.”
While the Board of Education was initially tasked with approving the ban for the Enka District, members of the board motioned so this book removal applies for all Buncombe schools.
School board member Amy Churchill noted her reservations about removing the book from the library.
“It’s a slippery slope to start banning books, especially when its being used for cultural wars and talking points, political moves, and being surfed from the internet what books to be against without reading said books,” she said. “I have a really hard time when we start talking away basically freedoms.
Laurel, Maryland where high school students have never heard or used the f-word before... riiiigghhttt....Laurel school trustees reopen book discussion, send five books to committee for review
https://www.laureloutlook.com/news/la...
Laurel Public Schools trustees voted last week to send five books to a committee for a review instead of banning them from school libraries.
At a December Laurel School Board meeting, trustees voted to keep six newly purchased library books off the shelves at school libraries. The Feb. 12 meeting served a self-correction for the January meeting as public comments were not taken before the vote on each individual book. The challenged books had to be voted on again at the February meeting by trustees. No action was taken on one book that was not challenged.
A challenge is when an individual files a formal complaint about a book not being appropriate for a school library. Several of the books have LGBTQ themes.
Laurel School Board chairman Brittani Hunter clarified that the open meeting law was violated in December because public comments were not taken before each individual vote was made on each book. The January meeting included more than two hours of public comment about the books, and the Feb. 12 board meeting included an hour of public comments.
One school librarian who spoke at the Feb. 12 meeting said she was disappointed not to be given a chance to talk about individual books in December.
A seven-person committee has been formed to review books that have been challenged by members of the public. That committee is made up of three Laurel school librarians, one Laurel school administrator, two local parents and one Laurel school staff member.
Several people at the recent board meeting criticized the book, “The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School,” including retired LHS teacher Lee Deming.
“This book had the ‘F’ word in it 30 times,” Deming said.
Wendy Means voiced her concerns about LGBTQ books being unfairly targeted for removal.
“My concern is that we’re just not getting rid of LGBTQ books. That’s not right,” Means said.
LHS librarian Lori Hodges said students need to see characters in books that resemble them. When students are undergoing life struggles, they want to understand that others might be dealing with similar issues, Hodges said.
Pastor Rob Kinsey read comments on behalf of Peggy Miller about the challenged books, stating that trustees are ultimately responsible for school library books.
Trustee Rene Roth agreed, saying “The responsibility of selecting library books is on us.”
Trustee Chris Lorash said trustees need to use the district’s policies on purchasing library books and addressing public concerns.
“If we don’t follow our process, chaos ensues,” he said.
He also said that Laurel Public School’s Policy 1700 allows members of the public to file a complaint about a school library book. From there, the book will be reviewed by the committee, and their review goes to the superintendent, and ultimately the school board. Committee meetings will be publicly noticed., Lorash said. This process gives “everyone a voice,” and allows the committee to make an objective review of the book, Lorash said.
“We need to trust the staff and the administration,” Lorash said.
The five challenged books that have been sent to the committee for review include “The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School,” “Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American,” “A Million Quiet Revolutions,” “Assassination Classroom, Book 4,” and “Kasher in the Rye.”
No action was taken on the book, “Nothing Burns as Bright as You,” and the book “Crumbs” was voted by trustees to be placed in the Laurel High School library. “Crumbs” and “Nothing Burns as Bright as You” have not challenged. “Kasher in the Rye” was recently challenged and added to the list for review.
In Houston, TX Are HISD students checking out fewer books at schools without librarians? It’s hard to say.
https://houstonlanding.org/hisd-libra...
In July, it was one of the biggest stories in the city: Newly installed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles was getting rid of library staff at dozens of schools serving mostly low-income students under his sweeping overhaul of the district.
In the months since, Miles’ critics have decried the lack of library staff at long-struggling schools.
Several speakers, including a student and two HISD librarians, argued at a board meeting earlier this month that the approach is inequitable. One speaker distributed charts suggesting students at overhauled schools have checked out far fewer books this year than children at other campuses, comparing the library conditions to Jim Crow. A Reddit poster made similar allegations Sunday, citing the district’s decision last week to stop sharing book circulation data among HISD librarians.
Whether the allegations ring true, however, remains a complicated question.
The district has offered few updates on book circulation, leaving community members in the dark on how the new policies have impacted students.
There’s a reason, HISD leaders said: It’s virtually impossible to track how often students are now checking out books at some schools, which are using an “honor system” allowing students to take and return titles without checking them out.
As the HISD community seeks to understand the impacts of Miles’ decision to reduce the district’s investment in library staff, the Houston Landing examined why it’s so hard to track whether students are still taking books.
Miles, who was appointed by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath as part of sanctions against the district, eliminated librarian positions at 28 campuses he required to undergo transformation this year. At 57 other campuses that opted into the changes, he said library staff would be “assessed on a case-by-case basis.”
Miles has argued his changes focus the district’s resources on what he considers higher-priority investments, such as revamping reading instruction. Nearly all librarians earn annual salaries ranging from $62,500 to $87,500, according to HISD payroll records.
HISD officials repurposed many of the rooms that previously served as libraries into spaces for students’ independent work or to send misbehaving students.
Books remain on the shelves at overhauled schools and students may still take them out under an honor system, Miles said.
“The environment is literacy rich,” Miles said in a February press conference. “The libraries are still there. Come to the schools and see the libraries. The books are still on the shelves. Kids can still take those books out.”
HISD maintains circulation data showing how many books that students have checked out from each campus. The Houston Landing obtained a copy of the statistics through the end of January, which showed less than 100 book checkouts this year at most overhauled schools, while most other schools had over 1,000.
However, HISD said the numbers do not accurately represent students’ book use. Instances in which students took books out under the honor system might not be logged, spokesperson Jose Irizarry wrote in an email.
“The figures cannot and should not be used to convey how students are accessing books in HISD,” Irizarry wrote. “Some schools do record when books are checked out and give a due date for when they should be returned. In other schools, students just ask their teacher, teacher apprentice, or learning coach when they want to take a book home.”
That means there may be no way to get an accurate accounting of the number of books that students are taking from schools that eliminated their librarians. When the Landing asked HISD if it had data more reliable than the circulation statistics, the district did not respond.
At the Feb. 8 school board meeting, Almeda Elementary School Librarian Brandie Dowda presented data to HISD’s board of managers, saying students at the district’s 10 most-affluent schools have checked out roughly 100,000 print books so far this year while the 10 highest-poverty campuses have checked out about 3,000.
Days afterward, HISD Library Services Coordinator Len Bryan sent a message to campus library staff, obtained by the Landing.
“I have been told to restrict access to our districtwide library statistics so that you can only see your campus’ statistics,” Bryan wrote.
It’s unclear whether Dowda’s statements prompted the change.
At Dogan Elementary School, a campus that Miles transformed this year, Principal Rim Mohamed said she and teachers keep an informal log of which students borrow books, but they do not record checkouts through the district’s library system. She was unsure why her campus showed 51 checkouts in HISD’s circulation statistics.
Miles’ elimination of Dogan Elementary’s librarian position has not impacted students’ access to books and reading, Mohamed said.
It’s not about having a library. It’s about building students’ love of literacy and appreciation for a book,” Mohamed said. “That’s what I feel like, this year, the (new) curriculum and even the (new) model encourages.”
Next year, 130 schools will be part of Miles’ overhaul program — roughly half the district.
Miles has said these schools will follow the same staffing model as the schools that have already undergone transformation, which does not include library staff. He has not indicated whether the overhaul model will change in any significant way in 2024-25.
Terrible times in Texas.Spring Branch ISD confirms imminent elimination of all school librarian positions
https://houstonlanding.org/spring-bra...
Spring Branch Independent School District will not employ librarians at any of its campuses beginning in the 2024-25 school year, a district spokesperson confirmed Tuesday after several days of uncertainty about their fate.
Instead, lesser-trained “media center assistants” will keep libraries running for the district’s nearly 34,000 students. The changes come as the district completes its $35 million districtwide budget slash.
Job postings on Spring Branch’s website show that the assistants, who only need a high school diploma, won’t need to possess the same experience as the district’s trained librarians, all of whom had college degrees. The assistants will, however, perform many similar duties, such as handling book check-outs and helping students find materials.
Libraries will now function as “campus media centers,” district spokesperson Linda Buchman said. She did not detail what changes this entails beyond replacing librarians.
District leaders announced last week that librarian positions would be part of the latest job cuts.
Another one from Texas, this time from Katy. Not surprising. They ban the silliest books in Katy.Katy ISD’s new book selection requirements called ‘a slap in the face’ to librarians
https://www.lonestarlive.com/news/202...
Librarians in the Katy Independent School District say their ability to buy new books has been limited by a new policy “effective immediately,” while the district says nothing is set in stone.
Under the updated library book selection requirements, staff must read a new title in its entirety before requesting its purchase. Librarians previously used professional reviews from industry publications like the School Library Journal or Kirkus Reviews.
“All of that selection criteria has been wiped away,” the librarian said. “It no longer matters.”
They described the new rules as essentially a purchase freeze because Katy ISD librarians cannot order books that are not in the catalog.
Staff also are unsure when they’re supposed to read the titles with the “100 things we do all day at school,” the librarian said.
The librarian was told in a Feb. 16 meeting that the changes were effective immediately. The same day, the Texas Freedom to Read Project posted a screenshot of a draft of the new requirements. The librarian said staff was not given this document or anything else in writing.
“We weren’t given any background as to why,” the librarian said. “This is how it’s been the past couple of years. They tell us something and we ask a bunch of questions and no one ever tells us what’s going on.”
After a purchase request is submitted, books are then added to Katy ISD’s dashboard of new titles, where the public can review and comment on the potential library additions. The feedback form doesn’t ask if the commenter has any connection to the district or if they have read the book.
Titles must be on the dashboard for 30 days before they can be ordered.
The comments don’t trigger a hold or act as a formal objection, but are visible to staff. If a board member objects, the purchase is placed on hold, but that isn’t inherently tied to the dashboard input.
Book vendors can take up to eight weeks to deliver materials, the librarian said.
Under the new selection requirements, the dashboard will now include the name of the school submitting the purchase request. This makes the librarian uncomfortable because it will be “really easy” to find out which librarian asked for the book.
While the librarian has received mostly support from the public, they said their colleagues have been harassed before. They were also told by a supervisor that he doesn’t want the school’s name “associated with anything controversial.”
“I’ve been in education for over 30 years,” the librarian said. “I have a master’s degree. I think I know what’s appropriate and what’s not. I use the reviews and I use common sense. But that’s not what our school board is looking at.”
Katy ISD staff were not told where the decision came from, but the librarian said everything seems to stem from the school board.
“There’s definitely a majority on the board and they seem to have an ultra-conservative agenda,” they said.
The librarian said they believe the school board doesn’t want the district to read anything they’re against, including titles with LGBTQ+ characters and storylines.
QNPoohBear wrote: "Inclusive history sounds like a good thing to me. I don't get the fuss. Kids here learn some of this stuff. It makes them empathetic fierce fighters who want to change the world and make it a bette..."Central Valley plans to ignore the law
https://www.khq.com/news/central-vall...
Central Valley School District board against book ban restriction and LGBTQ+ education bills
https://www.khq.com/news/central-vall...
In a Feb. 20 statement drafted during a special board meeting, Board President Pam Orebaugh led district leadership in drafting a resolution against SB 5462 and HB 2331.
The Senate bill would include LBGTQ+ issues in state history standards under the guidance of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The House policy would ban public school districts from restricting educational materials if such limits were imposed with discriminatory intentions.
The statement, which was written and signed by Orebaugh, argued that such decisions should not occur in state government.
“In accordance with the law, decisions regarding curriculum and education should be made at the local level,” Orebaugh wrote.
The board president was elected in 2021 after running a conservative campaign including opposition to COVID-19 safety measures and skepticism toward secular educational standards. The school board articulates her platform on the district website.
“She…believes in our US Constitution and is guided by Biblical values,” the website states.
Board Vice President Teresa Landa argued that while the policies before the Washington Legislature had positive intentions, they constituted an unnecessary step which would obstruct the district from its current work to include students.
“We have what we need. We don’t need oversight, we don’t need legislation,” Landa said.
Both bills were approved by majorities in the Senate Committee on Early Learning and K-12 Education on Feb. 19 and are currently before the Senate Rules Committee.
Good news.Comic about King Tut challenged in Lexington-Richland 5 School District (SC) will be returned to library shelves.
https://www.thestate.com/news/local/e...
Lexington-Richland 5 will return “The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb” to school library shelves after a review committee gave the graphic novel the green light on Tuesday. The book had been removed from shelves last month after a parent filed a complaint that some material in the story was inappropriate for young readers. “The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb” by Michael Burgan is part of a graphic history series for young readers from Capstone Publishing, telling the story of Howard Carter’s discovery of the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun in 1922. The 32-page book is intended for readers between the ages of 8 and 14, according to the book’s Amazon page. The eight-person review committee — made up of parents, teachers and librarians — read the book and voted unanimously that it was appropriate for readers in the relevant grades. Committee members cited positive reviews of the book by educators, including one in the School Library Journal that said the book offers “high-interest subject matter in a graphic-novel format.” “Likely to be snatched up by young and reluctant readers, these titles work as hooks to lead to more in-depth information or as fun and interesting reads,” the School Library Journal says. District libraries supervisor Carol Lunsford said the book, which was published in 2005, likely would have circulated out of library collections after nearly 20 years, but the fact it was still available at three elementary schools in the district testified to how frequently it was still being checked out. The complaint was specifically concerned about references to and depictions of suicide in “King Tut’s Tomb.” The committee members agreed it was a topic that could disturb younger readers, but agreed the overall tone of the story is meant to be “scary” and allow younger readers to engage with more frightening topics.
They said children are also good at avoiding material they don’t want to read. One librarian on the panel said she had a student return a book about sea turtles because they were grossed out by a picture of a sea turtle laying eggs. District Superintendent Akil Ross told the committee after the vote that the book would be returned to school shelves immediately.
The parent can still appeal the decision to the full school board.
In Illinois it is illegal to ban booksCitizens speak out against censorship in Metropolis Public Library
https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/newsletter...
Members of the public organized a demonstration, supporting the right to uncensored reading materials, in response to beliefs that Eastland Baptist Church was attempting to privatize the library.
It started when the church members showed up to the Jan. 16 library board meeting, opposing the board's adoption of a new amendment to the Library Bill of Rights.
The American Library Association passed the Intellectual Freedom and Privacy amendment to the Library Bill of Rights in January. It states, "Library workers encourage people to cultivate curiosity and form ideas by questioning the world and accessing information from diverse viewpoints and formats without restrictions or censorship."
If the Metropolis Public Library did not adopt the new amendment, it would be ineligible for state funding.
When the board approved the addition to the Library Bill of Rights, Pastor Anderson preached a sermon at Eastland Baptist Church. He asked his congregation to show up to the February library board meeting.
Despite his call to action, Pastor Anderson said the claims he was trying to privatize the library held no truth and the library has no policies allowing book censorship.
"I don't even know. If I was going to privatize, I wouldn't even know how to do it. I don't know about that. That was the first I ever heard of that. So there's no censorship. Zero percent," Anderson said.
Despite having policies that abide by the bill, ...staff and board members can make decisions that do not comply with the law.
During public comments, citizens expressed concern about library staff not abiding by the library's policies and removing certain reading material. Ashley Stewart from EveryLibrary stepped in to clarify the policies clearly do not allow censored reading material, but staff members may choose not to follow those policies.
"The trust that's been broken with the library is that there are staff members and board members that cannot be impartial … and people know that their rights are being violated," Stewart said.
Upon examining the books chosen by the library to be taken off the shelves, Stewart found material that had no basis for removal.
"A lot of the books that were in the weeded book sale area, it's concerning. Hinduism, books on substance abuse and like what to look for, mental health issues like depression," Stewart explained.
Later on in the meeting, board members made a motion to require the library director to provide a list of every ordered book each month. The motion passed with five members in favor and two against.
Southern New MexicoSchool district reports clean audit, hears new book complaint
https://www.desertexposure.com/storie...
Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Ignacio Ruiz congratulated the district’s top financial officer, Chenyu “Alex” Liu, Tuesday evening for an annual financial audit that contained zero findings, a rare and difficult achievement for a government agency, particularly one of the size of the second-largest school district in New Mexico.
The annual financial audit is completed by an independent auditing firm recognized by the State Auditor’s office. The report, released to the public at the end of January, delivers an “unmodified” opinion — the highest quality of opinion based on the agency’s financial statements and examination of how the district handles and documents public funds.
It is common for audit reports to report findings, which range from minor deviations from accounting standards to significant deficiencies or material weaknesses. An audit with no findings for a large agency that handles state and federal funds is a rare achievement, Ruiz noted.
Ruiz also reported that his administration had essentially completed its revision of regulations enforcing two policies pertaining to challenges of books at school libraries: One pertaining to books assigned as course material, the other to books included in libraries for optional reading. The changes had been directed by the school board after a formal complaint about a book at Mayfield High School’s library was handled using the wrong procedure.
The complainants, who had challenged the presence of L.C. Rosen’s young adult novel, “Jack of Hearts (and other parts),” for being explicit and inappropriate for minors, have the option of filing a new challenge to the book under the correct procedure, which includes a review of the book by a committee which could recommend removing a book. The removal would need to be agreed to by the superintendent and the school board.
Juan Garcia and Sarah Smith, the residents who challenged that book, appeared before the school board at Tuesday’s meeting to flag another book: “A Court of Silver Flames” by Sarah J. Maas.
They stated that the book is available in the high schools’ libraries as well as one middle school library, and objected to its availability for minors. Garcia suggested its inclusion may have been a deliberate effort to “normalize” descriptions of sexual behavior and those acts themselves for children.
“How is this educational material?” Garcia asked.
Smith argued that there was.a “systemic problem” leading to age-inappropriate books being available in the libraries, and asked for a review committee to be established for screening library books as well as an audit into books currently on the stacks.
As is customary with public comments, the school board did not respond to the arguments presented during the open session, as the matter was not on the agenda.
Ruiz said revised regulations under policies KEF and KEC would be published on the district’s website this week, clarifying the selection process for advisory committees when a book or course material is challenged, and to ensure compliance with the collective bargaining agreement that covers teachers and some other school staff.
On Jan. 30, the board unanimously voted to disband the review committee that had cleared
“Jack of Hearts (and other parts)” for continued inclusion in Mayfield’s library, and signaled that Smith and Garcia could refile their complaint if they chose.
Texas Rights Groups File Legal Complaint Over Ban on LGBTQ+ Bookshttps://www.aol.com/texas-rights-grou...
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, Equality Texas, Transgender Education Network Texas, and others filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights on Monday, alleging violations of Title IX.
The ACLU is seeking an investigation of the Keller Independent School District (Keller ISD), which banned all books depicting or referencing transgender or nonbinary people earlier this month.
The ACLU stated in its letter that the policy was intended to erase the existence of transgender and non-binary people.
Three conservative school board members were elected to the seven-member Keller ISD board six months ago, resulting in Keller ISD’s anti-transgender policy. A Christian political action committee donated large amounts to all new members, who campaigned on issues like banning LGBTQ-friendly books from school libraries and banning critical race theory, a college-level field that examines the idea that racism is embedded in institutions and legal systems.
The civil rights groups accuse the Keller ISD of allowing their personal anti-LGBTQ+ feelings to influence their decisions to ban books and discuss anything about gender-fluid or transgender people.
All four school board members on the seven-member board who voted in favor of the policy evinced animus towards LGBTQ+ students, publicly making anti-LGBTQ+ comments at the board meeting at which the policy was adopted,” the complaint reads.
“This policy seeks to erase transgender and non-binary identities in particular and sends the message that transgender and non-binary students do not belong in the Keller ISD community,” it continues.
As The Advocate reported, Keller ISD principals were asked last minute to remove many books from classrooms and libraries on August 16.
Among the 42 books removed were the Bible, a graphic adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe. Since then, most books other than those dealing with LGBTQ+ themes have been returned to shelves.
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https://theberkshireedge.com/sc..."
Glad this "person" was fired. but he should have been fired with severe prejudice so that he will NOT be able to work again as a custodian in ANY educational setting, ever.
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https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/calgary-po..."
Well, at least the Calgary police is investigating, but considering how homophobic and transphobic Alberta premier Danielle Smith and federal Conservative leader Pierre (Adolf) Polievre are, I would not at all be surprised if the Calgary police will be told to either cease their investigation or to publicly applaud the vandals and the vandalism. Alberta was already quite socially conservative when we moved there from Germany in 1976 but ever since Ralph Klein's premiership, the atmosphere in Alberta has gotten increasingly Fascist (Nazi) and with puritanical morons mouthing off over and over again and getting increasingly violent and freaky (and being voted for by the ignorantly naive and dangerously stupid).
Some good news today in Nevada1,500-plus sign petition against potential book censorship in Washoe County libraries
https://mynews4.com/news/local/petiti...
More than 1,500 signatures have been recorded on an online petition from Let Washoe Read and circulated by groups like Silver State Equality titled 'Stand Together Against Censorship in Washoe County.'
This comes after word got spread this past week about a local group that is allegedly trying to remove certain books from school libraries and move them to the adult section in county-owned libraries.
"This one group of people has a list of books that they have challenged in both the school district and in the public libraries," Program Associate for Silver State Equality Bri Schmidt said.
Also some not good news from AlaskaMat-Su School Board bans 1 book after months of committee review
https://alaskapublic.org/2024/02/23/m...
The 6-1 vote Wednesday is the board’s first action on one of 56 books that the district removed from school libraries over a year ago, following public complaints.
The board also voted to send 18 books to the district administration to determine what age restrictions, if any, should be placed on them.
The controversy in the state’s second largest school district arose amid a national conservative movement to ban books deemed offensive. At public hearings last spring, people complained about dozens of titles, saying they were p-----raphic. That prompted the district to pull 56 books from school library shelves.
The school board created a Library Citizens Advisory Committee last fall to review them.
The advisory committee recommended removing Hoover’s novel from circulation.
“The committee unanimously concluded one title meets the elements of criminal obscenity under Alaska law,” board member Kathy McCollum said.
Of the 18 other books forwarded to the administration for further review, the committee concluded just five of those “might be obscene.”
Kendal Kruse was one of the school board members who voted in favor of removal.
“I also very much appreciate the transparency that none of this process was done in hiding and secret form,” she said. “The conversations are had, they are recorded, they are published.”
The removed book is a romance novel that describes domestic abuse. The board amended recommendations from the committee, but did not offer its own explanation for dropping the book.
Many of the challenged books feature characters of color or LGBTQ+ characters, a key point in a federal lawsuit Mat-Su students and their families filed last November.
It Ends with Us
Gee I hope these parents can password protect Netflix somehow if they don't want their kids reading these books. Netflix has previously shown they go way beyond even what cable TV can show. Being popular also makes teens want to watch the show to be in the know with the cool kids and then some of them will want to read the book!
Stupid news of the day. If the text the students are assigned does not contain harmful language, what difference does it make what title the book was originally published under? How about doing your job and teaching context like colonialism and racism are facts of western society whether American or British and ANY older book published before 2020 is going to contain things you may not like but it's important to read it and learn from it.It's not a children's book either so if they're such special snowflakes, have them read a contemporary murder mystery for teens based on the plot of Christie's novel.
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/l...
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A cool story, but of course Scott Moe and Danielle Smith (premieres of Saskatchewan and Alberta) and federal Conservative leader Pierre Polievre will more than likely to destroy this with their homophobia and trans phobia and to pass laws against First Nations self determination regarding gender.
I think it is also important to realise that in MANY Native American and Canadian cultures and languages, gender neutrality and gender dimorphism is common and totally acceptable and that this was destroyed and made to look evil by ignorant and horridly racist and putrid missionaries and colonists.
Interesting news from New Jersey today considering NJ has been pretty conservative and pro-book banning. https://www.nj.com/education/2024/02/...
The majority of New Jersey residents are worried about book bans and the political motivations behind them, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released Monday.
The survey, conducted in December, asked residents if they were more concerned about banning books in schools or having students taught books or topics some might find offensive.
About 58% of respondents said they were more concerned that schools might ban books and censor educationally-important topics, according to the poll.
Another 35% were more concerned that schools might teach books and topics that some would consider inappropriate or offensive. The rest of those polled said they were unsure.
Pollsters also asked residents what forces they believed were behind laws banning books or prohibiting teachers from talking about race or LGBTQ issues in class. About 56% said they felt the legislation was driven by politicians wanting to win votes, while 31% said they believed the laws were driven by parents.
The poll results skewed along party lines with 79% of Democrats putting book banning and the censoring of important education topics on the top of their list of concerns, compared to 27% of Republicans.
Among Republican voters, 67% said the teaching of inappropriate material was their biggest concern, compared to 15% of Democrats.
Researchers conducted the poll of 1,657 adults through landlines, cellphones and text, the pollsters said.
The Rutgers-Eagleton poll was conducted via phone from Dec. 13-23 with 1,657 New Jersey adults. It has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.8 percentage points.
Interesting news from New Jersey today considering NJ has been pretty conservative and pro-book banning. https://www.northjersey.com/story/new...
NJ bill would protect librarians from harassment amid push to ban books
A new state bill called the “Freedom to Read Act” proposes that school boards be required to adopt policies governing material and its removal from school libraries. If it becomes law, the bill would also protect librarians from being sued by people who disagree with their book choices.
Roxbury school librarian Roxana Caivano sued four township residents in March last year on grounds of defamation.
And just a few weeks ago in the North Hunterdon-Voorhees regional district, speakers at a packed school board meeting talked about Martha Hickson, a librarian in the district who has faced severe attacks online from groups that opposed her selection of books in the high school library.
Harassing videos featuring Hickson's name and photograph were posted online, and Hickson received threatening emails using a s--ual slur, according to PEN America.
“How did all these Ghislaine Maxwells get into the school libraries?” said one such post featuring a photo of Hickson. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for s-x trafficking.
The “Freedom to Read” bill was driven in part by conversations with Hickson about the trolling she faces, said Sen. Andrew Zwicker, D-Somerset, the bill's co-sponsor.
The bill would require school boards to create a policy governing what materials are in district libraries, as well as a policy regarding their removal. School boards would craft their policies based on a model policy created by the state librarian in collaboration with the state education commissioner and the New Jersey Association of School Librarians.
The bill would also apply to public libraries and their governing boards.
Libraries would have to provide “diverse and inclusive” materials that concern protected classes in New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination. In schools, these materials would have to be age- and grade-appropriate. Books by and about racial minorities and LGBTQ+ themes are the most widely targeted subject matter for book bans.
Finally, the bill would give librarians immunity from being sued for “just doing their job,” Zwicker said. A school library media specialist, a teaching staff member, a librarian or any other staff member of a public library would be “immune from criminal or civil liability,” language in the bill says.
Librarians also would have the right to bring lawsuits if they face harassment “for complying with the provisions of the bill.”
Efforts to pass a law that would have cut state funding to libraries that remove books failed in 2023. The current bill, also backed by Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, is taking a different tack at protecting free speech, intending “to protect the freedom of New Jersey’s residents to read, and for school libraries and public libraries to acquire and maintain materials without external limitations.”
The bill will have its first hearing next month in the Senate Education Committee. Zwicker says he expects it to become law.
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Out of the Blue (other topics)The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink (other topics)
My Rainbow (other topics)
Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts (other topics)
The Day the Books Disappeared (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
Ellen Hopkins (other topics)
Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Scott Stuart (other topics)
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Glad Élise Gravel is not afraid of publicly stating that being critical of Israel is NOT being anti Semitic (and frankly, anyone who thinks that criticism of Israel automatically equal anti Semitism is in my opinion at best hugely naive, and that is being kind).
And while I am glad the Montreal Jewish Library has returned Ms. Gravel's books to the shelves, that they removed the books in the first place, well and sorry, that type behaviour is totally and disgustingly dictatorial (and that Heinrich Heine and other Jewish German language authors who had their books burned and censored by the Nazis and by the Stalinists, they must be rotating in their graves and screaming with anger and shame).
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montre...