Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
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NO frigging right wing Fascist is going to tell me what I can read and what I can own to read!! And no radical left wing Stalinist either!!
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https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/co..."
And, also, I worry that authors will start to feel that they simply cannot win and/or that publishers will be afraid to put money into any books that might possibly be controversial--which is starting to feel like pretty much anything! I know I'm being somewhat far-fetched here (I hope so, anyway!) but it does make you feel for what authors must be going through trying to share their stories in this current environment.
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What is also vile and horrifying is that the majority of the protesters likely have deep rooted sexual and personality disorders and are being enabled to take out their psychoses on others and saddle everyone with this (I mean, the Nazis were mentally unhinged as well and infected everyone).
The majority of Americans do NOT support book bans even if they don't support the ideas contained within the books. I got some good tips on what to say at school board meetings and the like. What to post on social media and write to school boards. The key take away is to fight disinformation. Don't echo the phrases used by the book banners as in "They don't have p___ in the school library!" Then that word is all they'll remember. Cite facts not rumors.
Show up in support. Hold read-ins, wear t-shirts (I got mine); promote award-winning banned books on social media; write a big thank you card to teachers and librarians!
Kathryn wrote: "Beyond the atrocity of the book banning, it makes me so sad and angry that librarians are being targeted and demonized. The way some of these people talk, you'd think the librarians were just stand..."Agreed and it makes me wary of even applying for a library job. My sister's childhood best friend is a school media specialist and my heart breaks for her counterparts in other states. To threaten a librarian for doing their job is uncalled for. To threaten their family is well beyond sane behavior and those who threaten to harm or kill should be punished by law and not the librarians who are trained to do their jobs and know which books to choose.
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And if the MAJORITY of Americans do not support book bans but books keep getting banned and politicians agree with or support the minority who do, well, for me, that is pretty much a dictatorship and the rule of an ignorant minority.
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People often get jailed and jailed for long periods of time for non violent offences, but often, threats, including death threats etc. are brushed aside and even excused as freedom of expression.
Some bad news but also some good todayPender County, NC pulls 40 books for review. They give excuses:
“Of the books that are being reviewed, none have been officially challenged by a parent,” stated Pender County Schools in a release. “As part of our continued collection development process, we review materials routinely to determine if they should be weeded. We weed based on content, physical condition, duplicate/superfluous copies, and use.”
Yet... the list looks awfully familiar
https://www.wect.com/2023/02/17/pende...
Good news from Florida as people fight against book bansSt. Petersburg College’s Downtown Center hosts American Stage Theater Company’s banned books library
“You can come in, you can take a book,” explained Anderson. “You can read it, you can buy another book, and you’ve done something to help.”
While it doesn’t look like much right now — the shelves are mostly empty — supporters have purchased nearly 100 books from a local bookstore’s registry to fill those shelves. Some of the books, like The Bluest Eye, are banned in Pinellas County, while others, like To Kill a Mockingbird, are facing challenges across the state and county.
The goal for the library is to have five copies of every banned or challenged book in Pinellas County.
“A threat to any form of story telling,” said Anderson. “Is a threat to all story telling.”
The library’s grand opening is Saturday, coinciding with Localtopia, an outdoor market and festival across the street in William’s Park. American Stage will put on drag shows in their theatre that afternoon.
If you’d like to help buy books for the library’s shelves, Tombolo, a local bookstore, has a list online where you can learn more.
https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-co...
Good news in Virginia (copy/paste relevant sections)Democratic-led panel kills ‘parental rights’ bills on school books, gender identity
A Democratic-led Senate committee on Thursday killed multiple bills from House Republicans that aimed to increase parental oversight in public schools.
Bills defeated by the Senate Education and Health Committee included proposals to require that parents be notified and allowed to opt their children out of presentations or performances by outside groups and mandate parental involvement in the crafting of library policies.
“As was pointed out in testimony, our school divisions already have the authority to identify materials that may be deemed objectionable,” said Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Richmond. “We have two county school divisions that have already moved to remove some books. Our local school divisions have this authority and they are already doing it.”
https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/...
Bad news from North DakotaLawmakers in the North Dakota House and Senate advanced bills that would bar select books from certain areas of some libraries around the state.
A similar bill – SB 2360 – would make it a class B misdemeanor for institutions like libraries to display content which “contains sexually explicit material that is harmful to minors.” But lawmakers in favor of SB 2360 say it’s not a book banning bill.
https://www.valleynewslive.com/2023/0...
For every piece of good news, there's more and more bad news.Georgia Might Charge School Librarians for Explicit Books
Proposed legislation would remove protections surrounding school librarians who allow students to check out books found to be obscene and would, instead, expose them to a misdemeanor of a “high and aggravated nature.”
The Georgia Library Media Association said that if the law passes, it will be students rather than librarians who suffer. The association represents nearly 700 school librarians, and their president, Martha Bongiorno of Fulton County, said they are “ashamed” of the lawmakers supporting this bill.
“If we really care about our students and their mental health and helping them become well-rounded citizens of the world, we need to be able to provide the materials to do that,” Bongiorno said.
She said such a law might lead librarians to withhold appropriate books, fearing they might be considered illegal. This would lead to a lack of resources for the “most vulnerable” students, she said.
All but one of the senators who co-sponsored SB 154 are male, and all are white.
https://www.governing.com/now/georgia...
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One guess as to who is driving this legislation. Actually not MFL but Mama Bears, same thing, different name. And yes the article names names of the Senators.
https://www.governing.com/now/georgia...
In the "What on earth? This can't be legal!" categoryIn Idaho, a new bill could give insurance companies final say on libraries' content. Blaine Conzatti, the president of the Idaho Family Policy Center and co-author of the proposal, said he expects to see insurance companies dictate via their insurance policies what content goes out of public schools and libraries if the legislation were to become law.
[In this case the content is spelled out.]
If homosexuality were considered "harmful to minors," Rep. Lauren Necochea (D-Boise) questioned whether a library could get sued for simply having a book with two mother co-parent characters in it.
She argues the proposal is censorship. She worries it could open the door to frivolous lawsuits or make libraries uninsurable, and put them in jeopardy of keeping their doors open.
"Insurance companies don't want to pay out damages. They don't want to defend their clients, and so what they will do is they will change their policies - the policies that the schools or the libraries are required to abide by if they're going to be insured by the carrier, and those policies are going to say, 'hey, you have to remove these books.' Right? And it's going to be the insurance companies that are going to create the policies that end up driving the schools and driving the libraries to finally pulling these books off the shelves because they don't want to be exposed to liability," he said during the Idaho Freedom Foundation's Capitol Clarity forum Thursday afternoon.
https://idahonews.com/news/local/libr...
Duval County attempts to rebutt the news stories about their banning books. They sent 105 titles from Perfection Learning's diverse collection to classrooms last fall.
They sent 47 book titles back to Perfection Learning. Fourteen of these were sent back because they didn’t order them.
Others returned were titles that they ordered but upon review, determined they would not comply with new legislation or were not appropriate for elementary aged children.
They held 27 titles as we awaited state guidance to determine the appropriate grade levels and placement (classroom library or media center) for these books.
As of February 13, 2023, all 27 of those titles have been reviewed and approved for designated grade levels, including the books about Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron. (Note – beyond these specific titles from Essential Voices about Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron, classroom libraries and media centers throughout the district already possessed dozens of books about these individuals, as well as hundreds of titles that featured black and brown stories.)
About the empty classroom libraries they claim
"We did direct teachers to temporarily reduce their classroom library collections to titles that were previously approved while waiting for media specialists to curate a more expansive list of approved titles. However, at no time should a classroom have been without reading resources. At all times, students should have had access to state approved books, already approved civics literacy books, Benchmark Advance small group books, Reader’s Theatre, and extensive online resources in our curriculum."
We informed principals clearly that media centers should not be closed. However, because we need all certified media specialists to review books, hours of media centers open to students, along with the availability of media specialists to support teachers, has been considerably reduced in some schools.
Through this process, we now have almost 6,000 book titles approved for classroom use, including aforementioned books about Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron. In addition to our 2021 order from Perfection Learning, we already had multiple titles in classroom libraries and media centers about these historic figures, as well as dozens of books about Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and other icons of the Civil Rights movement.
https://www.teamduval.org/2023/02/17/...
The final good news of the day:Organizers are Fighting Ron DeSantis's Educational Bans with Free Books
Florida's Dream Defenders are working with the local DSA, book publishers, authors, and more to bring books to young people.
On Thursday, February 23, Dream Defenders have planned walkouts, demonstrations, and teach-ins across Florida.
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/fight...
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Indiana considers stripping legal defense for school libraries.The legislation, which now advances to the full Senate, would affect K-12 public and charter school libraries if their educators are accused of assigning texts harmful to students.
Worries that sexually inappropriate or "pornographic" materials are available to children in Indiana school libraries clashed with concerns the legislation could open the door to criminal prosecutions of educators for providing books about so-called controversial topics.
The Senate committee meeting resulted in a 7-4 vote, largely along party lines. The legislation, which now advances to the full Senate, would affect K-12 public and charter school libraries.
https://www.wthr.com/article/news/loc...
Farther down the page it shows other news headlines like renewing the push to limit CRT teachings in schools. (What part of "CRT is not taught in K-12 schools" don't these people understand?)
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Manybooks wrote: "Honestly with my German background and my severe and reasonable allergy (because of WWII and National Socialism) to any and all book banning, if I lived in the USA I would likely be in jail by now ..."It's not the whole country. It's state by state. Most of the book banning states and towns are Republican controlled territories. It's a political issues. In many communities school boards are elected by the people during general election. In my opinion, none of them should be political nor should they be elected. I tried to vote for people who have been through the local public schools and understand the community and their needs but it was hard to find out a lot about the candidates.
An opinion piece on why Ron DeSantis is lying about empty bookshelves with some good information about Duval county being the poster child for confusion."Duval County’s chief academic officer expressed sadness at her own decision to oust the book Before She Was Harriet , about the great emancipator Harriet Tubman, because the book was promoted for children as young as kindergarten, and she 'felt it was not age appropriate for a student [that age] to read on his or her own.'”
"St. John’s County is fairly wealthy and can afford “certified media specialists.” Other counties are having to cut or repurpose staff—or just leave classroom and other library shelves bare, for now."
To answer the question why was Dim Sum for Everyone! banned? Apparently it wasn't a book they ordered. It was a replacement for one they wanted but couldn't get. It was returned and replaced with Dumpling Soup. Or so they say. Roberto Clemente has been cleared but no one knows why it was pulled for review anyway.
https://www.thenation.com/article/pol...
To balance out the right, here's a new one from the left. I thought I had heard it all by now. Guess not. From the Guardian so maybe fake news?
"Roald Dahl books rewritten to remove language deemed offensive"
What's wrong with that? Wait for it...
Augustus Gloop now ‘enormous’ instead of ‘fat’, Mrs Twit no longer ‘ugly’ and Oompa Loompas are gender neutral
"Puffin has hired sensitivity readers to rewrite chunks of the author’s text to make sure the books “can continue to be enjoyed by all today”, resulting in extensive changes across Dahl’s work.
Edits have been made to descriptions of characters’ physical appearances. The word “fat” has been cut from every new edition of relevant books, while the word “ugly” has also been culled, the Daily Telegraph reported."
Read on... it gets more bizarre!
"Hundreds of changes were made to the original text – and some passages not written by Dahl have been added. But the Roald Dahl Story Company said “it’s not unusual to review the language” during a new print run and any changes were “small and carefully considered”.
"Puffin and the Roald Dahl Story Company made the changes in conjunction with Inclusive Minds, which its spokesperson describes as “a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion and accessibility in children’s literature”.
Alexandra Strick, a co-founder of Inclusive Minds, said they “aim to ensure authentic representation, by working closely with the book world and with those who have lived experience of any facet of diversity”.
A notice from the publisher sits at the bottom of the copyright page of the latest editions of Dahl’s books: “The wonderful words of Roald Dahl can transport you to different worlds and introduce you to the most marvellous characters. This book was written many years ago, and so we regularly review the language to ensure that it can continue to be enjoyed by all today.”
At least they're not cancelling Dahl all together but he is challenged and banned in many places.
I will ask my sister what she thought in 4th grade when she read and performed in James and the Giant Peach. She, a Fat kid, was cast as "the skinny aunt" while the tiniest girl in the class was cast as "the fat aunt". I don't think my sister found that funny but I don't remember her complaining about the use of the word fat. I'm curious to see what she remembers and what my niece thinks. YA Julie Murphy has reclaimed the word Fat to remove the stigma behind it.
(Off to buy every used copy of Dahl books I can get my hands on. The older the better.)
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From the Guardian so maybe fake news?
"Roald Dahl books rewritten to remove language de..."
Considering that some left wing nut jobs in the UK actually wanted to ban ALL children's books that featured pigs in schools and school libraries so as not to offend Muslims even though the Muslims themselves were totally and vociferously against this, I am not at all surprised that there might be moves afoot to either cancel or rewrite Roald Dahl.
Once again, at the extremes, right and left are the same and like evil conjoined twins.
I guarantee you The Stupids series, (Um this one for sure The Stupids Die)will be cancelled if they're still in print. Poor Roald Dahl. I am sure The Twits won't make it past the censors either. The family already had to issue an apology for his anti-Semitic views. Why does he get a pass and not Seuss? J.K. Rowling has been hounded for her Transphobic comments and all Roald Dahl's family has to do is apologize?
In early December 2020, news outlets reported on a statement made by the Roald Dahl Story Company (RDSC). At some point, Roald Dahl’s family quietly issued an apology on the official Roald Dahl website, denouncing the famous children’s author’s anti-Semitic views and statements. They made it clear they do not condone Dahl’s views, and they lament the “lasting and understanding hurt” these comments may have caused the Jewish community. The official statement also implies that his prejudicial comments were not in keeping with the beloved man they knew, even though Dahl’s comments were made very publicly and with no remorse, even towards the end of his life."
https://www.oif.ala.org/condemning-wi...
What age are the sensitivity readers complaining about the language in Dahl's books? Kids or adults? I will consult my brother's kiddos on the matter. They enjoy Roald Dahl.
Well the story about Roald Dahl's books being censored is earning the ire of everyone including Salman Rushdie and PEN America. Most people seem to think it is ridiculous. I shall try to ask the kiddos tomorrow. Meanwhile, more places consider laws to ban books and then try to pretend it's not a ban.
"In Iowa, lawmakers in Des Moines are debating which forms of literature should and shouldn't be allowed in the classrooms and in school libraries."
They're on the side of NOT banning unless the full book has been read and the rules clearly defined.
"Fairfield School District Superintendent Dr. Laurie Noll asked lawmakers about their knowledge of the books they are looking to remove from schools.
"As you're looking at the books that you would like to have banned, I would like to know if you have read those books in totality, not just a paragraph, but the entire book," Noll said. "So the books that are out there, you can find them on tape, you can listen to them as you're driving to read the whole part of it so that when you're looking at them you're understanding what you're asking to be banned."
St. Sen. Adrian Dickey, of Packwood, Iowa responded by saying that he has not completely read the literature in question.
But he has seen the pictures in the books, which he considers unacceptable for the classrooms in schools.
St. Rep. Helena Hayes, of New Sharon, Iowa says she is pushing a bill that would define which material is and isn't allowed in a school district. She added that it is not a direct attack on certain kinds of books, but making sure the books are appropriate for the classroom."
https://ktvo.com/news/local/lawmakers...
Add Savannah, Georgia to that list of would-be banners"Community group urges Savannah schools to remove books from libraries
"No Left Turn" wants 13 books, that they say are explicit, nowhere near school grounds.
“We want to get out — get those books out of the library because we feel like schools should be safe places. We are not book-banners,” Majeroni said.
WJCL’s Andy Cole pressed Majeroni on what’s different with what "No Left Turn" wants and banning books.
“Again, it's the setting of the books versus the books themselves,” Majeroni said.
Right now, school libraries are exempt from a Georgia law that makes it illegal to distribute "harmful materials" to minors. But proposed Senate Bill 154 will — if passed — amend that to include school libraries. 21 state senators sponsor the bill."
n a statement to WJCL, Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools said, in part, "The media center promotes intellectual freedom within the school community by providing access to a variety of information, ideas, and resources. Parents may request that their child not be permitted to check out certain books.”
Virtually none of the group that met Saturday has a child in SCCPSS schools, but they feel their claims are still valid.
WJCL 22 News dug into the list of books "No Left Turn" gave us, most of the schools they say have those books are high schools except for one book in two K-8 libraries."
https://www.wjcl.com/article/communit...
Sadly, the extremists won't stop targeting drag queen story hours in spite of knowing nothing happens except a princess lady in a dress reads some books about positivity and kindness. The police had to come break up protesters in Silver Spring, MD outside of Washington, DC. https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/lo...
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The next time the extremists come along, counter protesters should just moon them and dance around them naked.
Where: Escambia County, FloridaWho: District high school teacher, Vicki Baggett
What: presented a list of over 100 titles she wanted to be purged last year.
Now the committee is reviewing the books and banning ones they deem "obscene" like Tango.
Who else: “I believe in parental rights,” District 1 board member Kevin Adamssaid Monday. “Every one of our students gets a library card to the public library. I respect their right to go and get whatever books they want for their child, and I think that is what’s missing in here. It’s just not something that should be in the school district. We should be focusing on the education of these students."
When Baggett brought her list of books to the district, she claimed the books were filled with “indoctrination” and “LGBTQ agenda.” However, when the books were brought before the district’s Instructional Materials Review Committee, their recommendation to support all three books said otherwise.
The Instructional Materials Review Committee, composed of administrators, teachers, parents and community members per district requirements, found that all three books did have educational merit and did not violate Florida statute as the complaint originally stated.
When analyzing the books, specifically questionable portions such as there being two dad penguins in a children’s story, the committee found the books not to be harmful for district students. In some instances, they found them beneficial.
“Having two same sex parents is not considered abnormal in our society,” the committee’s report stated on "And Tango Makes Three." “Many of the students in our district have same sex parents.”
However, the board disagreed with the committee recommendations for all three books, even for independent, reading purposes.
Ellen Odom, the general counsel to the board, cautioned that the bans open up the board to legal challenges based on political expediency and issues of religion.
“I would be very weary of going down that road,” Odom said.
Concerned members of the public debated the books for nearly five hours — whether they were age appropriate, agenda-setting or a flat-out abomination before God.
“It’s a wonderful time of life to not be burdened by things they are not ready to understand, feelings they don’t feel. We’re not banning the book, we’re letting the parents decide when it’s appropriate for that time,” Bowe said.
Aaron Schneider took his complaints one step further, saying the content were not acceptable for children’s eyes at any age, and it is the parent’s responsibility to protect them.
“God does not accept us violating children by giving them sexually explicit things," Schneider said.
Joshua Luther echoed the sentiment, critiquing the books’ message of normalizing topics taboo to Christianity, such as same-sex marriage.
When God entered into the conversation, Rick Branch, the minister of Music at First United Methodist Church, was quick to bring a different message to bring the board − one that advocated fiercely for the titles to remain on the shelves, and for the youth who are represented by the fictional characters inside of them.
“I wanted to let them know that there are Christians who want to build a better world by including and loving everyone, not by excluding those we’re uncomfortable with,” Branch said. “I have worked with youth all my life. … I have seen the hurt that has been caused by people who say God doesn’t love you the way they are."
Reading the room, he deemed his opinion was an unpopular one. Even so, he said he was still compelled to speak on behalf of youth.
“I am a white, Anglo-Saxon, cisgender, Protestant, Christian male. I can find myself reflected in society everywhere. But for this this book ("All Boys Aren't Blue") — Black, queer, youth — they can’t find that everywhere," Branch said.
Ella Jane Hoffmaster, a student herself at Booker T. Washington High School and co-vice president of the student government association — shared her distaste over the vote.
"I am currently embarrassed to be a student in Escambia County tonight,” Hoffmaster said. “When I was a kid — I loved the book Junie B. Jones. I loved it because Junie B. looked like me. She had red hair, and she had similar personality traits as me. I’ve always wondered what it would be like for my Black brothers and sisters who may not have seen themselves in books as much. Or my transgender, gay, or lesbian brothers and sisters who may not have seen themselves as much."
Sara Latshaw, deputy political director at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida, echoed Hoffmaster’s concerns, that the board’s repeal would be a direct attack on student representation.
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/educat...
More scary news is everywhere! In Arkansas
Senate panel OKs bill to strip library staff of liability protection for distributing obscene material
"A bill that would strike an exemption from state law protecting public library staff from criminal liability for distributing obscene material passed a Senate committee on Monday.
Senate Bill 81, by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, also aims to standardize a process for challenging the “appropriateness of material” available at public and school libraries. The committee's vote sends the bill to the full Senate for further consideration.
While current state law requires libraries to have a “written policy for addressing challenged material,” Sullivan’s bill would require libraries to form committees to review objections.
The bill would allow a person to appeal a decision made by one of these committees to a body of elected officials. In the case of a school library, the superintendent would direct appeals to the school board of directors. For a municipal or public library, the "executive head" of the city or county would present appeals to the "governing body of the county or city."
“The goal is that folks can solve these processes at the local level,” Sullivan said.
The committee also approved an amendment to the bill that Sullivan said was intended to raise the threshold for which a librarian could be accused of violating the law.
Supporters of the measure argued it is needed to protect children from obscene material. People who testified in favor of the bill read aloud or pointed to books they claimed minors should not be able to access from public or school libraries."
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2...
Even in New Hampshire of all places, they want to ban books in K-12 schools!I find it hard to believe this boy has never encountered swearing before. How much you want to bed the MOTHER took screenshots? Helicopter parent. I also know for a fact that some high school students, even in Catholic school, know what Tinder is.
"Safety or book banning? K-12 obscene materials bill in NH sparks heated debate
It wasn’t a physical school library book that sent Betsy Harrington into a state of alarm about high school reading material. It was an app.
Harrington’s son, a student at Hillsboro-Deering High School in New Hampshire, had found a book on Sora, an app that gives students in participating schools access to thousands of e-books to borrow on their own.
The book, “The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School” was a 2022 National Book Award finalist, described as “a sharply funny and moving debut novel about a queer Mexican American girl navigating Catholic school while falling in love and learning to celebrate her true self.” But on the first page, Harrington’s son discovered a number of swears and coarse language.
“He took screenshots. He was shocked and he knew immediately that this was not for a school library,” Harrington told lawmakers. Administrators disagreed, and offered a different solution: Harrington could opt her children out of the library app instead.
Since 1979, schools, museums, public libraries, and governmental agencies have been shielded from charges for distributing or providing “obscene” materials, unless those materials have already been deemed by a superior court to be obscene.
House Bill 514 would redefine that exemption, specifying that “school” means “institution in the university system or community college system of New Hampshire” and not K-12 schools. The change would mean employees of K-12 schools could be subjected to charges under the obscenity law even if the materials in question had not been previously adjudicated by a state court.
Under state law, content and materials are obscene if their predominant appeal is “an interest in lewdness or lascivious thoughts” according to contemporary standards in each New Hampshire county. The content must also depict or describe “sexual conduct in a manner so explicit as to be patently offensive,” and have no “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”
A person can violate the law if they knowingly provide materials that meet the definition of obscene, which can result in a misdemeanor charge.
The bill would also require all New Hampshire school boards to adopt complaint resolution policies laying out exactly how parents can challenge materials in school that they believe to be obscene. Currently, those processes are voluntary.
It also allows the departments of Education and Health and Human Services to initiate challenges to alleged obscene materials before state superior courts, an authority currently only given to the Department of Justice.
...
Rep. Glenn Cordellithe bill’s prime sponsor, argued the bill has been misconstrued.
“This bill has been referred to in some places as banning books, but that’s not the intent of this bill,” he said. Instead, he presented the bill as a means to provide parental control.
For Harrington, her objections to “The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School” soon extended to other books in the Sora app. She began researching book titles on websites such as Rated Books and Rated Reads – which review books based on their level of profanity and sexual content – and finding those titles in the Sora app. She said she was frustrated by the response she received from both school district administrators and school board members, who stood by the use of the app.
Harrington said the books she has objected to pose risks to students who might read them and not be willing or able to process them. She opposes “This Book is Gay – a nonfiction book by Juno Dawson that seeks to provide a guide to questions about gender and sexuality – due to what she said were references to dating apps and guides to sexual acts.
“I opted my kids out,” she said, referring to the library app. “But I am here for all the other kids.”
Conservative education advocate Ann Marie Banfield, agreed. She said the bill would help parents target graphic novels and other books that contain sexual illustrations and imagery.
If an adult outside of a school were showing a child those images, Banfield argued, a parent would be alarmed. “I think all of us – (for) some of these pictures – we’d be going, ‘OK, I need to alert the authorities,’ ” she said. "
https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/...
Yet another state, another billCertain books in school libraries are under fire from a local Indiana state senator, as well as parents from around Indiana.
Sen. Jim Tomes, a Republican who represents Posey County and portions of western Vanderburgh County, authored Senate Bill 12 which addresses the dissemination of "harmful material" to minors. In its original form, the bill strips K-12 schools of the "educational" legal defense should a librarian or teacher be charged with the Level 6 felony of giving harmful materials to a minor.
An amended version of the bill has passed first reading in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
This is Tomes' third time in three years trying to get the bill passed. Last year, the bill was approved through the Senate 34-15, but according to Tomes, the House said it did not have time to hear it during the session.
Tomes has continued to state that his bill does not censor or ban books.
"We're trying to prevent (K-12) students from being exposed to books that are absolutely raw pornography," he said to the Judiciary Committee on Feb. 16.
If a school library has these books, put them where kids can't get them, Tomes said. Then, if a parent wants to check them out, they can. Tomes said the bill would simply take away the argument that these materials are "educational" should they be given to students in school.
Gender Queer: A Memoir According to Tomes, "it's something you'd see in an adult bookstore."
"I just want these away from our kids," Tomes said. "I think it would be nice if our kids was exposed to books about math, science, geography, things along those lines."
After Tomes' introduction, comment from parents, pastors and other concerned citizens testifying in favor of the bill in front of the Judiciary Committee ranged from Ted Bundy to the horror movie "IT" to communism.
Pam Keyser, a parent from Elkhart County, passed around a binder of 12 books she said were found in Indiana high schools that contained inappropriate content.
If the bill passes, a long list of classics would be banned.
The version the judiciary committee voted 7-4 to move to second reading was an amended version of Tomes' bill.
While the bill still excludes "educational" from the list of defenses for school libraries, it also adds a procedure for a parent or guardian to submit a complaint regarding a book at school library their child attends and for that school to respond.
Many of the parents who spoke in favor of Tomes' bill said this amendment did nothing for them. They said they have spoken to schools and school boards and nothing changes.
The amendment also stipulated all public schools and charter schools will have to have a list of each book in its library available online and in hard copy if requested."
https://www.courierpress.com/story/ne...
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Book banning even in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District in Contra Costa County, California. “Parents are doing this because they are scared of the change between their generation and ours,” said Mitali Mittal, a senior at Dougherty Valley High School where Principal Evan Powell recently rejected an attempt to ban the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe from the school library.
Heightened interest in book banning began in early January after a video circulated online with unfounded claims that a San Ramon Valley High School teacher disciplined a student with a zero grade after the student refused to read “Gender Queer.”
Some adults like newcomer board member Jesse VanZee, have gone so far as communicating with parents outside his district to help facilitate the banning process at Dougherty Valley High School."
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/02/2...
A hearing Monday on Iowa school districts’ processes for reviewing and removing school library books and materials some parents and community members deem obscene devolved into testy exchanges between Democrats and Republicans.Iowa parents, many activists with the conservative group Moms for Liberty, told state lawmakers during a Feb. 6 hearing that there should be more restrictions and parental permission required for school books they find obscene and divisive.
Rep. Brooke Boden, R-Indianola, and chair of the Government Oversight Committee, said parents who had gone through the book review process with their schools were asked to speak before the committee about their experience before hearing later from superintendents and school board presidents from the Carlisle, Carroll, Johnston, Urbandale, Waukee and West Des Moines districts who deal with the review processes.
“This is not a subcommittee on a bill legislating whether these books should be in schools,” Boden said in a statement to The Gazette. “If it was, all members of the public on all sides of the issue would be welcome to come and share their thoughts on the legislation. This is a hearing meant to help us learn more about the book review process. The parents who are in support of these books in schools do not have any experience with the book review process to discuss before the committee.”
Gender Queer: A Memoir
Rep. Brooke Boden, R-Indianola, and chair of the Government Oversight Committee, sked school officials in Carlisle, which chose not to pull the book from high school library shelves, whether a student would be allowed to wear a T-shirt with images from the book...
While a student would not be able to wear such a shirt, school officials said just one passage or set of images is not sufficient for a book to be considered obscene. Under state law, a book must contain obscene material when taken “as a whole” and lack “serious literary, scientific, political or artistic value.” There is also an exception for the use of “appropriate material for educational purposes” in schools and public libraries.
“I don’t see how a book could be removed using the standards you’ve discussed here,” Rep. Steve Holt, R-Denison, said. “And so that’s the concern I have and something I think we need to take a hard look at. It seems to me there are probably mountains of books that could have literary value and connect to students without having some of graphic images like we see in ‘Gender Queer’ and some of these other books.”
Rep. Sean Bagniewski, D-Des Moines, remarked “there are graphic images in the Bible, that if we put them in comic book form, would not be appropriate on a T-shirt.”
“And, as a devout Catholic, I don’t want the Bible banned from our public schools,” Bagniewski said.
They believe that their discomfort with the content and characters of these books should override the expertise of teachers and librarians in developing curriculum and maintaining libraries,” said Emily Harris, the parent of a junior at Johnston High School. “This discomfort should apparently prevent all other parents from making choices about what’s best for their own kids. This isn’t about the reconsideration processes that schools use. Those work just fine.”
https://www.thegazette.com/government...
The good news is, Gender Queer: A Memoir is gaining in popularity!
https://wgme.com/news/local/interest-...
Niece #1 (14) is not in favor of changing the language in Roald Dahl books. "Fat isn't a bad word. It's just your body. The way it is. I can see "crazy" making some kids feel bad." She also said there's a bigger problem with the Oompa Loompa's than being men and she thought they were meant to make fun of people with dwarfism. I thought they were meant to be based on African Pigmies but that may have been tweaked already. Literally no one is in favor of changing Dahl. The Prime Minister has weighed in against it too. My mom thinks no books should be cancelled. Kids should read them so we can talk about the issues. She LOVED The Story of Little Black Sambo when she was a kid! Um no Mom, not the same thing as cancelling Seuss and editing Dahl.
I've never actually seen LBS because it's only in special collections and her childhood copy disappeared long before I was old enough to read it. I think there's a difference between the content and the wording. What is the context for the story? Is the offensive part just a part or the whole? Is LBS a whole stereotype or just some offensive language? The summary makes it sound innocuous enough. It sounds like it was mainly the illustrations that were offensive and the character names. I don't know which version my mom had.
Another day, the same old same old. There is some good news though.First the good:
In Nashville, Teen creates petition for students to take part in reviewing school library materials
"Julia Garnett is trying to change this by making sure students' voices are heard.
Garnett is a junior at Hendersonville High School, and she's learning a lesson that's taking place outside the classroom.
"These decisions that are made about books affect us the most, because, at the end of the day, we're the people that are able to go in the library, and we want to find books that represent us and represent all communities — not just ourselves — to be able to learn and grow as people," Garnett said.
Garnett used her voice to speak out against the banning of books at last month's school board meeting.
part in reviewing school library materials
Before a school library book is banned, parents, teachers and librarians can review the material to see if the book is appropriate for students. But so far, no students sit on the review committee.
ban books.jpeg
By: Kelsey GibbsPosted at 4:36 PM, Feb 20, 2023 and last updated 11:09 PM, Feb 20, 2023
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Books across the state are being challenged in school libraries.
Before a book is banned, parents, teachers and librarians can review the material to see if the book is appropriate for students, but so far no students sit on the review committee.
Julia Garnett is trying to change this by making sure students' voices are heard.
Garnett is a junior at Hendersonville High School, and she's learning a lesson that's taking place outside the classroom.
"These decisions that are made about books affect us the most, because, at the end of the day, we're the people that are able to go in the library, and we want to find books that represent us and represent all communities — not just ourselves — to be able to learn and grow as people," Garnett said.
Garnett used her voice to speak out against the banning of books at last month's school board meeting.
Now, she wants to take it a step further.
"I started this petition because students weren't allowed to be part of the review process for challenged materials at my school. And I really felt that it was important for us to have a voice in this process," Garrett said.
Sumner County School Board's policy says that at each school, the library materials advisory committee is appointed by the school principals.
These committees have already reviewed several books challenged by parents.
The committee consists of a school administrator, teachers, librarians, and parents from that school, but no students.
"A lot of the time, students are kind of overlooked in this process. And I think this petition kind of helped bring us more to light and have adults in this process kind of consider having a student's voice in this process," said Garnett.
The 17-year-old's passion helped land her a spot on her school's committee where she says they soon will review the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
"For this book to be challenged is really frustrating," Garnett said. "But I'm glad that we're able to review it, sit down, talk about it, and be able to discuss it."
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/tee...
In Texas After more than a year of debate regarding so-called "obscene" books in schools, the Lake Travis ISD Board of Trustees expressed plans to review the district's current book review policy.The request is to prohibit "sexually explicit" AND "Trans-affirming" books bought with taxpayer money from the school libraries. So they said it out loud, in the open, Trans-affirming. Now how do they think that makes Trans kids feel? How will their peers be able to understand and relate to them if they can't read about Trans kids?
Currently librarians review the books and a policy is in place to handle complaints. The school board has final say. They are thinking of revising this policy.
Also at stake is a bill that if passed would require PUBLISHERS to issue a content warning.
video:
https://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/...
The same thing in Alachua County, Florida Parents were concerned about the district’s library database. School officials said although some books appear in the system, they have been discontinued since 2019.
I think that’s crazy to learn that in school,” shared parent Janne Riechard. “They need to learn math and reading and writing and the important things. But that kind of stuff, the sexual education that gets in deep, you need to learn that at home.”
Officials said the database will be revised by spring break. Some took to the podium to express their concerns about censoring books.
“It’s just no right to white-wash everything so, so if you start with something like oh this book has some sexual content in it, then where do you stop, where do you end?” shared resident, Debbie Lewis.
A controversy went viral on social media about certain books in the database for elementary schools.
“It’s important also if you want kids to learn, for their brains to grow, they need to read,” shared Lewis. “Maybe some kids don’t want to read things that are boring. Maybe they want to read something that piques their interest a little bit more.”
School leaders said parents can keep their children from checking out certain books.
Transgender Lives: Complex Stories, Complex Voices
Tricks
https://www.wcjb.com/2023/02/22/alach...
Clearly parent Janne Riechaud lacks an understanding of what READING means. Reading doesn't always mean learning. The school library exists to encourage students to read for fun. Kids need a break from math and science to read, imagine, dream, relate, have fun, etc. etc.
Andddd... same thing in RSU 9 in Maine, however, more sensible voices seem to outweigh the negative. "The Maine Association of School Libraries (MASL) and the Maine Council for English Language Arts (MCELA) have learned that some Maine school districts may be considering applying “ratings” to books in their school libraries.
“Rating, labeling, or in any other manner restricting student access to books in libraries and classroom libraries is detrimental to the experience of Maine students,” according to the position statement. “The practice of rating books violates students’ and parents’ freedoms and could cause harm to students who identify with historically underrepresented groups.”
It is also mentioned that MASL and MCELA believe that parents should have the right to determine what their own children read and have access to, as well as the idea that removing access to certain books takes this right away from parents by eliminating their ability to choose books for their own children.
The school board policy also outlines a procedure for challenging instructional and library media. If the issue cannot be resolved between the concerned party and the individual providing the material, the challenged material would go to a review committee appointed by the superintendent, including a Principal at the appropriate grade level, one librarian or media specialist, one classroom teacher, the department head in the subject area of the challenged materials, one student if the challenge is presented at the secondary level, one community member, and the director of curriculum.
https://dailybulldog.com/features/rsu...
And again in Florida... Parents and teachers gather to voice frustrations about school book removals in Clay County
Clay County Education Association said that 258 books have been challenged by someone in the community. Several of these challenged books talk about African America history.
Deanna Powell, a parent of a Clay County School District student, said that by challenging some of these books, school board leaders are trying to erase history for future generations.
“I’m very nervous. I’m very concerned,” Powell said. “Day to day, you just look around and say, ‘Oh my God, we are going backwards,’ and it’s all because we aren’t educated.”
Jennifer Burgheart, an English teacher in the district, was at the meeting and said that she agrees with the concerns other parents have.
“Right now, there are so many challenges that we have monthly new books added to the list, so the concern is, of course, that I am not having an accurate representation in my classroom library for all of my students,” Burgheart said.
Burgheart said that ultimately, she would like to see the Clay County School District get those books back into the classroom.
“My goal is the baseless challenges, the ones that have no merit,” she said. “They aren’t breaking any laws being returned to the classroom.”
Action News Jax reached out to see why Clay County School District leaders didn’t appear at the meeting. We learned that Superintendent David Broskie was invited, but he did not attend.
https://www.yahoo.com/now/parents-tea...
In Anchorage, Alaska parents heated over ‘inappropriate’ books in school libraries"“From time to time, questions about specific books will come up, and it’s because of these times that the board and the school district has a formal policy and process to process and address any book or instructional material,” Bellamy said.
Bellamy says that the board invites parents and anyone in the community to bring items that they want to be addressed to the controversial issues committee.
Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human
“The policy that ASD has under their diversity, equity, and inclusion push, that they’ve been transitioning kids in school and hiding it from parents — first they were telling me that it was not happening, and the materials I was asking for don’t exist,” McDonald said Tuesday night.
The school district replied in an email to Alaska’s News Source that this particular book is in a “professional collection” only, and isn’t available for access by students.
“ASD has a comprehensive process to receive, review, and resolve concerns regarding instructional and library materials. Concerns may be submitted by parents, guardians, staff, students, and community members,” wrote district spokesperson Lisa Miller.
McDonald chose to bring in a different book Tuesday night and was among many who pleaded with the board to not allow certain books in school libraries.
“My biggest concern is how can I protect them?” asked Shannon, a mother of two boys in the school district. “What can I do to make sure that whatever propaganda is going on here, whatever’s happening here — one, how did I not know about it, and two, how do I keep them safe from it?”
“None of this material falls into the category of education — none of it,” stated another public member. “This material should not be available in our schools.”
https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/202...
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and again another parent lacks an understanding of what a library is. Also an understanding of education. Let's Talk About It is a self-help book for teens. It sounds educational to me.
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One last positive news story for the day:This one comes from western Massachusetts
" A children’s story hour presented by drag queen Giganta Smalls at the Jones Library Saturday morning went on as scheduled after publicity surrounding it drew a number of demonstrators, most in support of the event but also some opposed.
Even though more than 50 people gathered outside the Amity Street building to make their voices heard, there were no disturbances as police officers and the town’s Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service were on hand to ensure those attending the event made it safely inside....
The tea party for children ages 4 to 9 and parents and guardians included a few books read by Smalls, such as “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish,” “Just Add Glitter” and “Luli and the Language of Tea” with children encouraged to dress up with glitter and crowns.
....
Bahl-Milne said the Town Council received a handful of complaints, and she credited CRESS and police for their collaboration, with the responders inside the building and police officers outside.
Two members of the Amherst Town Council and trustees for the library were also on hand to observe the event, along with Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Library Director Sharon Sharry and state Rep. Mindy Domb.
“I am grateful to the Jones Library for creating safe, creative and inclusive spaces for our kids to grow into compassionate and well informed human beings,” District 5 Councilor Shalini Bahl-Milne wrote in a Facebook post following the event. “I’m so humbled and moved by the dedication and care of our community members who continued to widen our circle of care for all human beings.”
Fellow District 5 Councilor Ana Devlin Gauthier, too, used Facebook to compliment what she called a “joyful event” organized by staff and trustees to have a safe and compassionate environment. “The Tea Party/story time with Giganta Smalls was so sweet, and the outfits and crowns were fabulous,” Devlin Gauthier wrote.
....
Former Select Board member Connie Kruger was among those who observed what happened. Kruger said she appreciated seeing the colorful action by the Parasol Patrol and volunteers’ efforts to shield children from the protesters, using the umbrellas as blinds and chanting “we love books” to drown out any critical and potentially offensive shouts design to create fear and intimidation.
“I’m impressed with the idea to do protection through a celebratory wall,” Kruger said.
https://www.gazettenet.com/Amherst-dr...
Mod
This one comes from western Massachusetts
" A children’s story hour presented by drag queen Giganta Smalls at the Jones Library Saturday morning went on ..."
It is nice to also read about the good news ...
The Drag Queen tea party sounded like so much fun. Niece #1 would have LOVED that when she was little.
Another day, more people trying to censor books and fun drag events in the name of protecting children. If they bothered to show up to a drag queen story hour and stayed to listen, they'd see it's just a story hour and nothing obscene about it. A princess in a fancy dress reads some stories. Sometimes they have a tea party. Everyone goes home happy. The end.First comes a Maryland mother, who is demanding parents be included in a public school district's library review process after a [book with supposedly adult LGBTQ content] was allegedly made available to high schoolers.
Heather Fletcher called out Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) Board of Education members by name Wednesday when she questioned how "Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts)" was approved to be added to the district's 12 high school libraries.
Jack of Hearts
Despite calls for it to be removed from several school districts, author Lev A.C. Rosen has maintained that it contains only "fade-to-black"[ discussions of safe sex. ]
"I trust teenagers," Rosen said in response to the criticism. "They’re the best at self-censoring."
Fletcher then criticized Superintendent Cheryl L. Dyson, who she claims has the overarching authority to determine which materials are allowed in FCPS libraries.
"I don't think you need a book committee with students who should not have access to this information. Students do not, should not be subjected to this material," Fletcher said. "The librarians, the ones who put them in the schools, are on this committee. This committee was hand-selected by FCPS employees that are in favor and institutionalizing sexual education. You won't open up this committee to the public."
Fletcher alleges that a library employee told her that only "one positive review" is required for a book to be placed on a FCPS shelf.
"I really wish Frederick County would stop doing this to the parents," Fletcher said, while adding that FCPS is violating their rights.
Fletcher demanded that the school board vote to remove "Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts)" during Wednesday's meeting, as well as any other questionable materials. She threatened to file a police report if the board chose not to, arguing that they would be known as "child abusers."
The FCPS school board did not issue a vote on the book, and it is not immediately clear if a review will be conducted.
https://komonews.com/news/nation-worl...
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I'm with the author. I personally do not want to read that kind of thing but I know plenty of other people who do, especially teens. If you don't want your kid to read it, then don't let them check it out but you can't dictate what other kids can read or not read. Period. End of discussion. Plus teens are sneaky and they'll look at a whole lot worse on someone's phone or a computer. I know my little brother and his friends were looking up stuff on the internet way back when the internet was new. I'm sure they could get around filters and parental controls pretty easily.
For the Christians among us who prefer Bible storytime over inclusive drag queen events, come to Fall River, Mass. on Feb. 25 where Manny Silva, pastor of Evangelical Christian Fellowship on Cherry Street, will be holding a Pastor Story Hour at the Fall River Public Library on North Main Street this weekend.Silva says that he organized the event with Pastor Michael Johnson in response to Drag Queen Story Hour that had been happening at the library for the past several months.
The stories are reportedly geared towards 3-11 years of age, but all ages are welcome.
The Fall River Pride Committee’s Story Time will be taking place at the same date and time, but at Greater Fall River RE-CREATION. According to a social media post, the Fall River Library did not discontinue the event and has been very supportive of it, however, the story time has been moved by the committee to a non-public building for the sake of safety and security.
Both story hours begin at 11:00 a.m.
https://fallriverreporter.com/fall-ri...
Personally, I feel these books do more to indoctrinate children than any the drag queens read at their story time but not in a public government-owned building. Only if it is a rented space within the building. Go right ahead and see who shows up. I didn't even know they had such kinds of churches in that area.
Fall River’s monthly Drag Queen Story Time has moved to a new location.
According to information released by the Fall River Pride Committee, the new location will be on the grounds of the Greater Fall River RE-CREATION.
The event will take place on Saturday, February 25th at 11:00 a.m. with Ms. Gloria as the host.
February’s reading list includes:
The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
The Hair Book by Latonya Yvette & Amanda Jane Jones
Rainbow: A First Book of Pride
I Love You Because I Love You: A Valentine's Day Book for Kids
The readings will be followed by craft time with the Queen.
https://fallriverreporter.com/fall-ri...
The children of Tennessee may soon be deprived of drag queen story hours when a new bill to prohibit "adult-oriented" entertainment from public property and restrict it to age-restricted venues."The bill classifies "male and female impersonators" as adult cabaret performers and bans "adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors," as defined in Tennessee's obscenity law.
...
However, bill sponsor Rep. Chris Todd, R-Madison County, filed the legislation after he fought a public Pride drag show in Jackson, Tennessee. Todd at the time called the drag show "child abuse," though he said he wasn't aware of the actual content the show would contain.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news...
Children's Books
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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)
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Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Scott Stuart (other topics)
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https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/co...