Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Today's censorship news brought to you by Florida.7-year-old child required to testify in Florida school book restriction case
Ironically, the parent's testimony is not enough. Isn't this supposed to be about protecting the children and parents' rights? At 7 all J.N. will tell you is they liked the story of Tango.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2024/07/...
A federal judge this week backed the Escambia County School Board’s arguments that it should be able to take a deposition of a 7-year-old student who is part of a lawsuit over the board removing and restricting school-library books.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Zachary Bolitho rejected a request for a protective order that would have shielded the child, identified by the initials J.N., from having to testify in a deposition.
The request was filed by the child’s mother, Ann Novakowski. J.N. is a plaintiff in the case through her mother.
Bolitho wrote that by having a “young child serve as a plaintiff, it should have been anticipated that the young child would be required to be deposed and to ultimately testify at any trial.” He also wrote that he did not think deposing Novakowski would be an “adequate substitute” for taking testimony from the child.
“Only J.N. can testify as to her thoughts, interests, desires, and efforts to access the books at issue in this case,” he wrote in the order Monday. “And those issues are critical ones in this case, especially as it relates to J.N.’s standing to bring this lawsuit.”
Nevertheless, Bolitho limited the child’s deposition to 90 minutes and said a parent could be present.
Novakowski and J.N. are part of a group of plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit alleging that the Escambia board’s decisions to remove or restrict access to numerous library books violated First Amendment rights.
and surprisingly today's censorship news is also brought to you by the letter M for Massachusetts! https://www.masslive.com/westernmass/...
When digital services librarian Katherine Stapp tries to help patrons of Springfield City Library track down books on sensitive, politically charged subjects, she can’t always find them. She said they have either been stolen or hidden in one of the City Library’s nine branches where no one would think to look.
(paywalled)
Good news from Idaho. People are fighting the unjust laws.https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/p...
Private schools file suit to challenge ‘government interference’ of Idaho library law
Private schools and privately funded libraries in Idaho sued state officials Thursday, challenging a controversial new law that allows community members to challenge library books they believe are “harmful” to children. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Boise, argued that the law reaches new heights of invasiveness by limiting the rights of parents and institutions to furnish youths with books. “In addition to censoring materials in public schools and public libraries, Idaho’s book banning law is the first in the nation to reach into nongovernmental institutions — like private schools, and even church libraries,” the plaintiffs, which include private schools and libraries in Ketchum and in Boise, said in an emailed statement.
statement. “Our coalition of independent schools, libraries, parents, students, and patrons is challenging this unprecedented government interference because it threatens the independence and core missions of our beloved community institutions across the state.” The challengers are represented by prominent attorneys, including Wendy Olson, a former U.S. attorney, Latonia Haney Keith, an administrator at The College of Idaho and a former Boise City Council member, and McKay Cunningham, another C of I administrator and a constitutional law professor. House Bill 710 allows library patrons to sue if staff members don’t relocate or remove a cited book or other media 60 days after a patron has submitted a written removal request. The standards for removal are based on Idaho’s obscenity law... which includes homosexuality and nudity.
...
In their lawsuit, plaintiffs argued the law “encompasses works of significant cultural, historical, literary and scientific import that are central to an informed education.” That could include “health education textbooks, images of canonical works of art like Michealangelo’s David, significant works of literature like Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, and even the Bible, if a Defendant or citizen complainant subjectively believes members of their community would find them offensive,” they said. “The Constitution does not permit the State to engage in content-based censorship to mollify a community’s most sensitive and censorious members,” they added. The lawsuit names Attorney General Raul Labrador, Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts and Blaine County Prosecutor Matt Fredback as defendants.
The House bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa, has argued that the law is not aimed at banning books, but rather at relocating them to an adult section. He has said the state’s obscenity law meets the Miller test, a constitutional test from the U.S. Supreme Court which distinguishes between obscene materials and works of literary, artistic or educational value. The plaintiffs disagree, arguing that the law is ambiguous and too broadly crafted, and that it specifically targets homosexuality by specifying “any act of ... homosexuality,” which could encompass same-sex couples “holding hands, kissing, cohabitating, or engaged in parenting,” according to the lawsuit. In interviews with a Statesman reporter, Crane and his brother, the influential Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, declined to say whether they thought depictions of gay life were obscene.
A person wanting a film cover with two men kissing removed from view, Jaron Crane said, “has every right to ask that it be moved,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with ... requesting that.”
Read more at: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/p...
BookRiot's Literary Activism newsletter editor Kelly Jensen reports onThe Ongoing Censorship of High School Advanced Placement Courses
It's all political of course.
In Elmbrook, Wisconsin, a Milwaukee suburb, currently under debate in the district is whether or not two texts selected for the AP Literature curriculum—texts that have been part of the curriculum following board-approved policies for at least a decade—are p____graphic and thus, inappropriate for the classroom.
In a meeting of the Teaching and Learning Committee, two of three members voted to amend the AP Lit curriculum by eliminating The Handmaid’s Tale and The Kite Runner . They argued that the books were p____raphic and they would never want their own children to read them. The titles being taught in the classroom with “minor” students would be inappropriate.
In the history of the books being taught in the district, no parents have opted their child out of the books. AP Lit is an elective upper level course, meaning the majority of students are 17 or 18. Two of the three members of that committee are supported and backed by WisRed , a group whose sole purpose is to elect conservative people into positions of power and “turn Wisconsin red.” There is a third board member not on the committee, Sam Hughes, backed by this group as well to the tune of over $6,100 (he’s also backed by the 1776 Project PAC).
The final decision has yet to be made, though it likely will in August. The full school board, minus the board president who was on vacation, discussed the AP Lit curriculum at their July meeting. Most speakers defended the books, and their prepared statements are well worth listening to (one parent talked about how he read both books and found The Handmaid’s Tale tame, given the accusations against it).
But also among the individuals are those who showed up to provide public comment are those with a specific political agenda and philosophy in mind. Jacki Rynish-Knapp suggests removing the books from curriculum is fine because the books will still be available elsewhere. Jackie is friends with Nicole Hunker, who lost her bid to become an Elmbrook School board member earlier this year. Hunker ran on a slate with Sam Hughes.
Then, there’s Jacob Melin. He’s not a district resident but brought “a couple of questions” to the board. What Melin doesn’t mention is that he’s an aide to Wisconsin State Assembly member Tom Michalski, one of the sponsors of a state “parental rights” bill in 2023 and coauthor of failed Assembly Bill 308, which would criminalize librarians and educators for “possessing obscene material.”
Good news Texas!The vendor rating system in HB 900 is dead & deemed unconstitutional by the 5th Circuit. The Texas AG will not appeal to the Supreme Court.
https://x.com/TXFreedomRead/status/18...
Lake Travis, TexasNew LTISD library policy highlights parental involvement, bans harmful material
Lake Travis ISD has adopted a new library policy recognizing a parent’s role in choosing what their student reads and revising its process for challenging books.
The LTISD board of trustees approved the policy at a July 17 meeting months after voting to remove some challenged books from district library shelves. At the meeting, district officials discussed allowing parents to restrict books from their child on the district’s online library catalog.
https://communityimpact.com/austin/la...
The district adopted two new policies separating how instructional materials and library materials may be selected or challenged as opposed to the previous policy, which applied to both types of resources.
The new library policy includes the following updates:
Recognizes a parent's role in their child's library choices
Creates an expedited process to review library materials containing harmful or obscene content
Details an expanded reconsideration committee process
Solidifies the reconsideration appeal process
Incorporates state library standards adopted by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission
The changes come amid House Bill 900—a new state law that went into effect in September prohibiting s--ally explicit material in public schools. In accordance with law and new state library standards, the LTISD library policy bans “harmful” or “obscene” material that is “pervasively vulgar or educationally unsuitable.”
The policy highlights a parent's involvement selecting library materials for their children. Although staff may assist students in self-selecting books, “the ultimate determination of appropriateness remains with the student and parent or guardian,” the policy reads.
The district will focus on improving transparency with parents who are encouraged to participate in “library acquisition, maintenance and campus activities,” according to the policy. Parents may access a school library by submitting a request to their student’s principal or view the district’s library catalog online.
LTISD is hoping to launch a new parental control feature by the beginning of the 2024-25 school year so parents can restrict books for their students through the virtual library catalog instead of contacting school librarians, said Amanda Prehn, LTISD director of curriculum and instruction. Some board members have requested the district make it easier for parents to search books by certain topics, including language and LGBTQ+ issues.
If a parent or community member wishes to challenge the appropriateness of a book for all students, a librarian or administrator may resolve the issue informally by explaining the district’s selection process and offering an alternative material. Parents may then formally challenge a book through a form on the district’s website.
Under the new policy, LTISD will form a districtwide pool of volunteers to participate in reconsideration committees, including parents, campus librarians, instructional staff and administration. Interested individuals must apply and sign a volunteer agreement to participate in the committee for one school year.
The reconsideration committee has a maximum of 30 district business days to decide whether a library material should remain on district shelves and prepare a written report. The district recently began posting these reports on its website, Prehn said.
Once the committee has reached a final decision on a book, it may not be reviewed again for two calendar years. Unlike the previous policy proposal, the district cannot restrict access to a library book while it is in the process of being challenged, except if parents request doing so for their children, according to the policy.
If a complainant appeals the reconsideration committee's decision, the book will be reviewed by district administrators or may advance to the board of trustees.
Arizona• A resident of Maricopa County (AZ) and employee of the county school district is suggesting the public library system have a “code of conduct” implemented to ban kids from accessing LGBTQ+ books
https://www.inmaricopa.com/maricopa-r...
Christine Belanger requested the city develop a “code of conduct” for library books available to Maricopa youth.
Belanger, who worked for Maricopa Unified School District until 2017, claimed that because city facilities require employees adhere to a code of conduct, she wanted to see the same for library books.
The young adult and children’s books Belanger takes issue with share an LGBTQ message.
She brought two books to the council meeting to illustrate her point: Harry Woodgate’s “Grandad’s Pride,” and M.L. Webb’s “The GayBCs.”
“It’s a distraction from our children’s education,” she said. “So, I just encourage you to get together and develop a code of conduct for the books that we receive in our library.”
As an example, she pointed to one illustration of the 32-page “Grandad’s Pride” that depicted a character in the crowd wearing leather gear. She called the book “really obscene.”
Belanger has brought up similar issues about the availability of LGBTQ books at the city’s library. ... In each of her requests, Belanger said the selected books “do not promote character or confidence for our young children.” She also called the books “trash,” “disgusting” and “a travesty.”
She admitted to checking out a number of books on a regular basis to prevent youths from being exposed to them.
During one of the council meetings, then-City Manager Rick Horst responded with a reminder that members of the LGBTQ community also call Maricopa home.
“They are a segment of the community who have different feelings and different perspectives and they have to be respected as residents of our community as well,” Horst said. “Frankly, these books are available, and people can choose or not choose what they want to read.
• Frances Howell School District (MO), which implemented a book banning policy to make it easy for parents to remove books, is now back peddling on the policy. But is it really though? https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/e...
On the hit list
Harry Potter
The Hunger Games
The board proposed new procedures for employees and residents to formally challenge materials in school libraries, along with guidelines for library books and greater transparency regarding book purchases and donations. Those in favor of the proposal say it’s about keeping books age-appropriate. Opponents fear it limits different perspectives and disproportionately affects LGBTQ and minority students.
After meeting with the community last week, the board made several changes to its proposal, which critics called ‘a step in the right direction.’ The changes would give teachers and administrators a larger role in the book-approval process.
It also pushed back the final vote, which could happen at next month’s meeting. That’s set for Thursday, August 15th.
https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/fra...
A look at how the “divisive content” law in Georgia has targeted books in schools.https://www.americanoversight.org/the...
in August 2023, at least 30 recently acquired books with LGBTQ characters and themes were removed from high school libraries in Cobb County, Ga. They also show that certain classic works of literature, including some by William Shakespeare, were also flagged for review.
In 2022, Georgia passed HB 1084, a law banning classroom discussions related to certain so-called “divisive concepts.” The law directly addresses issues related to race but does not explicitly mention curriculum related to gender identity or sexuality. Education experts have warned the law’s vague wording has a chilling effect on teachers, who may avoid conversations about race because of uncertainty about what they are allowed to teach. SB 226, another bill passed in 2022, permits schools to remove books considered “harmful” to students.
n the Cobb County School District. For example, a lesson on planting trees that was designed for kindergarten through second grade classrooms was removed after review. The lesson incorporated the picture book “We Planted a Tree,” which depicts families across the world planting trees, with a true story of a student in Kenya fighting to stop deforestation.
The records also show Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “Antony and Cleopatra” were flagged for review because of references to suicide. “Dracula” was flagged because of “vampires drinking blood,” and “The Cage” for “Holocaust content … nothing too specific.”
While the school district’s policies state that schools will discuss the “topics of slavery, racial oppression, racial segregation, or racial discrimination, including topics relating to the enactment and enforcement of laws resulting in racial oppression,” the records indicate that curriculum reviewers flagged materials related to slavery, such as a question regarding the Civil War in an eighth grade persuasive writing unit. The material instructed students to describe the way of life that those in Southern states wanted to protect when they seceded. The sample answer stated, “The Southern way of life was a life of wealth and power that the people in the South enjoyed because of slavery.”
In another instance, reviewers flagged material about Dred Scott, an enslaved man whose unsuccessful fight for freedom was the basis of the Supreme Court case Dred Scott v. Sandford.
The records American Oversight obtained also included an extensive list of books and other materials removed — or “weeded” — from Cobb County school libraries in August 2023. As the Cobb County Courier noted, weeding is an “essential part of maintaining a library to keep materials up to date and relevant.” But the list of books removed from the school libraries included books that were newly acquired by the school district in 2021, 2022, and 2023, the Courier reported. Some of these newer books addressed LGBTQ themes and/or racism.
For example, a book about Aboriginal Australian boys’ experiences with homophobia and racism was acquired by a high school library in 2022 and removed from the library in August 2023. A book with a character who was afraid her family would learn she has a girlfriend was removed from a school library six months after it was acquired. “Out of Darkness,” about an interracial couple in Texas in the 1930s, was acquired by Wheeler High School in 2022 and removed in August 2023.
Good news Colorado• The new anti-book ban law in Colorado means that Durango Public Library has made it harder to ban books
https://www.durangoherald.com/article...
Requests to ban certain books from school and public libraries – some of which target materials aimed at marginalized groups – have surged in recent years in Colorado and across the United States, said Luke Alvey-Henderson, director of Durango Public Library.
The Colorado Legislature passed SB24-216, the Standards for Decisions Regarding Library Resources, this year to protect books and materials held by libraries from censorship. Now, Durango Public Library is updating its policies to remain aligned with the law.
Durango Public Library already prevents people from making batch requests to remove book titles, meaning a separate request must be made for each objectionable title. That effectively prevents people from trying to ban books en masse.
But until SB24-216, the identities of people who attempted to have books removed from libraries were kept confidential as a matter of privacy.
The bill renders attempts to remove books from public libraries subject to the Colorado Open Records Act.
The act introduces several other new standards: an individual seeking a book’s removal from a library must live within that library service area; a book cannot be removed while it is still under consideration for removal; two years must pass before a book that’s been challenged can be challenged again.
While all of the new standards bode well for public libraries across the state, Alvey-Henderson said requiring two years to pass between attempts to remove a given title is a welcome addition to Durango Public Library’s policy.
Despite expressing strong support for privacy, he said subjecting book ban requests to CORA is also an important new standard.
Alvey-Henderson said people have the right to privacy when they go to a library and seek out a book or resources. But book challenges are “the opposite of someone seeking materials,” he said.
“This is someone saying for the entirety of a community, ‘I want to move that item or remove it altogether,’” he said. “That is an act of exclusion, not of seeking information.”
Book challenges are an infrequent occurrence at Durango Public Library, something Alvey-Henderson credits to the library’s already strong policy. He said the last challenge was filed in 2019.
Alvey-Henderson said Durango Public Library adheres to the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights, which enshrines the concepts of open information, the enlightenment of all people, and that nothing should be censored or excluded based on a creator’s background, origin or views.
“It’s very important (that) we protect materials if they are challenged,” he said. “It’s also that libraries need to promote all points of view and should not be removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.”
Despite Durango Public Library’s commitment to keeping diverse books and the varying viewpoints, ideas, theories and histories within their pages open to the public, there are rare instances in which it is appropriate to remove books, Alvey-Henderson said.
“While rare, mistakes happen either on the library end or the vendor end,” he said.
At a library Alvey-Henderson previously worked at, a book vendor mistakenly sent an adult book with the same title as a children’s book, he said.
It didn’t take long for a parent to find the book and point it out to library staff. The library removed and returned the book, he said.
Sometimes, books are innocently placed into the wrong section at the library, he said.
CaliforniaBack to Lodi
Lodi Unified dissolves controversial book review committee
https://stocktonia.org/news/education...
Lodi Unified School District’s controversial book review committee has been dissolved and will not meet again, Superintendent Neil Young announced in an email to district community members on Monday.
The review committee was convened in June to examine a series of formal complaints challenging the use of ten books in district libraries and classrooms, notably “Push” by Sapphire. The committee — which had only advisory powers — mistakenly took votes on the status of three titles, spurring accusations that Lodi Unified had banned books.
Young added in an interview that the complaints that came before the committee are now considered closed, and that parents could still choose to opt their children out of the books under the district’s new policy on materials containing “mature topics, graphic violence, vulgar language, and/or s--ual content.”
Becky Harper, a district parent who served on the committee, said she was disappointed by the decision. Harper had filed formal complaints against half of the books, including “Push.”
Formal challenges from parents and community members have not been the only source of controversy over books.
Renee Campbell, a librarian at Lodi High School, claimed that district staff had been directed to use BookLooks.org, a controversial website frequently used in book-banning efforts, to review her regular order of new books for the library. After submitting the order at the end of the year, Campbell noticed in February that some books were missing.
“I compared it with what I actually ordered, and I could see that anything that was adult level or was a YA novel that showed up on BookLooks.org was omitted from that order,” she said. According to Campbell, 35 of the 138 titles she ordered had not shown up, ranging from “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika Sanchez to John Milton’s “Paradise Lost.”
After community members spoke to Young at a “Coffee with the Superintendent,” Campbell said, “then suddenly the books were released.”
Young said it was not true that BookLooks.org had been used, and said it was standard procedure for the district to approve orders from a school site.
“When it was brought to my attention about concerns of a delay of instructional resources, I ensured that … basically any library book orders would be approved,” he added.
However, BookLooks.org was used as a resource during the review committee’s meeting to look at certain passages from “Push,” as well as “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson and “This is Kind of an Epic Love Story” by Kacen Callender, according to meeting documents obtained by Stocktonia.
Harper, who filed a formal complaint against “Push,” said “there needs to be a line somewhere” with some material. “
“I think that there’s ways to depict hard situations in life without being s---ally graphic about it,” Harper said, referencing “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. "Even though that situation is still in the book … I would say that’s an appropriate way to depict something like that for a high schooler.”
Campbell said that despite the difficult content of “Push,” the book was still important to keep on shelves.
“From somebody who knows victims of incest and rape personally, it is such an important book that sheds light on that,” Campbell said, and referenced the fact that Precious learns to read and begins to overcome her challenges by the end of the book. “She brings herself out into the light, and brings her story out into the light, and is able to overcome her abuse and break free from her abusers.”
•The Charles Public Library board (MO) claimed they had no money and needed to shut down three branches because too many electronic items were being used by patrons. That plan is officially gone.https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/loc...
The board considered closing the libraries in May, but after pushback from communities and city councils, they are now ending all discussion on the original plan.
More bomb threats this week.• Ottawa Public Library (Ontario, Canada) received a violent threat last week.
https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/threat-that...
Even in Florida
• A bomb threat shut down the downtown branch of the Sarasota Public Library
Just before 8 p.m., a man at the library, later identified as Todd Williams, 67, claimed to have explosive materials in his backpack and made threats against others. The building was safely evacuated.
Members of SPD’s Explosive Materials Unit investigated the backpack and the items inside, and determined there were no explosive devices, police said.
Williams was arrested and charged with making terroristic threats.
https://patch.com/florida/sarasota/bo...
• Arkansas State Library received a bomb threat to its university library last week. This is the third specific university bomb threat in a week.
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2...
• Carol Heger in West Bend, Wisconsin, pens a letter to the editor because she doesn’t like that there’s a nonbinary character in The 57 Bus (which she challenged with another “concerned parent” last year) who uses “they/them” pronouns, among a whole host of unhinged book complaints. https://click.e.bookriot.com/?qs=3636...
• A Pinellas County School (FL) board candidate is spreading the lie that Gender Queer is in the schools. It was banned three years ago.https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
Pinellas County School Board candidate Danielle Marolf says she carries the graphic novel “Gender Queer” with her as she campaigns.
The book, which contains explicit s---al content including drawings, is both inappropriate and unlawful for Florida schools, Marolf said. Yet it appears in school libraries, and the public needs to know about it, she contended Monday during a candidate forum sponsored by the local PTA and the League of Women Voters.
School district records, however, tell a different story — one that two sitting board members were quick to point out.
The issue arose in response to a question about who should determine the age-appropriateness of materials in schools. Marolf answered that Florida law is clear about what types of content do not belong in students’ hands, and she said she knew some of those were in Pinellas media centers.
“I carry a book with me that is currently in our libraries called ‘Gender Queer,’” Marolf said. “‘Gender Queer’ has pictures inside of it, cartoon pictures of … oral things happening with minors, and I do not think that that’s appropriate.”
She questioned how the book got chosen, and challenged the oversight given to school libraries if such materials were allowed. “When I looked at our book list, there’s 800 of those books in our schools right now,” she added.
Two incumbent board members also on the candidate panel immediately rebuked Marolf. They noted that superintendent Kevin Hendrick, while in his prior role as chief academic officer, removed “Gender Queer” in 2021 from the two high schools where it was part of the library collection.
“At the Naval Academy, they say midshipmen cannot lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do,” said Laura Hine, whom Marolf is challenging for the District 1 at-large seat. Hine is a graduate of the academy.
“I’m chair of the Pinellas County School Board,” Hine continued. “We have five sitting school board members in this room. I will double-check about that book in our schools, but I am confident it is not in our schools.”
A review of the district’s online catalog indicates the district has one copy of “Gender Queer” located in the administration office, with none at any schools. Hendrick said the single book is available for teachers only, and not for circulation to students.
Challenged by Hine and board member Eileen Long, Marolf did not back down.
“I’d be happy to show the page that I looked at where it was today,” she said. “I do keep a very close eye on what’s in our schools. I make sure the information I have is current because I don’t want to be giving misinformation. I welcome all of you to look and see what’s in our public schools.”
Audience members also questioned Marolf’s statement that there were 800 of “those books” in the schools. They said it sounded as if she was suggesting the district had 800 copies of “Gender Queer.”
In a separate interview, Marolf clarified that she was trying to say the district has hundreds of inappropriate books in its collection. She said they could be found in the online listing, and did not offer other examples.
District media specialists have conducted regular administrative reviews of library materials as they learn about potentially controversial titles or prepare to purchase new ones. They have removed or reclassified a handful of books, not hundreds, as a result of those efforts.
The district also has held periodic public hearings for books that have been formally challenged for their content. The most recent two led to the removal of “Invisible Monsters” by Chuck Palahniuk, and the retention of “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold.
Missouri• St. Joseph School District’s Board of Education (MO) will decide whether or not to ban The Bluest Eye next month
https://www.kq2.com/news/sjsd-book-ch...
The board will have three options when it comes to the 1970s book. They can decide to keep it on the shelves without restrictions, remove the book, or keep the book, but with restrictions. If the board decides to keep the book with restrictions, they will have to decide what those restrictions are.
While the board members are not required to read the book before making their votes, school district officials have recommended them to read the book in its entirety.
The decision will be a district-wide decision and will be enforced at all three high schools.
Scary fascist news in Virginia a state I loved but I am so glad I never found a job in.• Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed a book banner to the state board of education. This book banner happens to be Antonin Scalia’s daughter and lost her own school board race by a LOT.
https://x.com/JackTueting/status/1816...
https://bluevirginia.us/2024/07/young...
Gov. Y appointed Meg Scalia Bryce to the Virginia Board of Education
“Scalia Bryce has vocally opposed ACPS’s antiracism policy, criticized legal protections for LGBTQIA+ students, and praised vouchers that would divert taxpayer funds to private and parochial schools. Scalia Bryce is supported by right-wing donors, including a former Youngkin appointee who spewed false narratives about the Civil War (including comparing Abraham Lincoln to Vladimir Putin), and another donor who publicly made bigoted comments about Muslims. Scalia Bryce personally donated to Republicans, and she publicly appeared at the White House with Donald Trump in 2019. Notably, Scalia Bryce is running for the Albemarle County School Board even though she pulled her own children out of public schools for ideological reasons.”
Washoe County Libraries (NV) canceled one of their branch’s drag story time events. https://www.kunr.org/local-stories/20...
A spokesperson for the Washoe County Library System confirmed Wednesday that Drag Story Hour events have been canceled.
The decision comes after a librarian was injured when a self-described First Amendment auditor tried to force his way into a recent Drag Story Hour at the North Valleys Library.
In a letter to library staff, county manager Eric Brown said the Workplace Violence Committee unanimously voted to recommend the events be discontinued over concerns for staff safety.
“Despite ongoing efforts by library staff and volunteers to enhance safety measures, including increased security presence and de-escalation training, the committee concluded that the risks posed to county employees have reached an unacceptable level,” Brown wrote.
Brown cited ongoing protests against the events led by members of the Washoe County GOP as a concern.
The decision came as a blow, according to Stacey Spain of Our Center.
“We are desperately disappointed,” she said.
Our Center, a Reno nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ+ residents, hosted the events in partnership with the library and paid for the drag performers.
Spain said that while they could find another venue for the events, it’s still a loss to the community.
“Separate is not equal,” she said. “The fact that we could produce Drag Story Hour at a venue that is not the library does not mean that it will have the same effect as having the program in the library, with other programs that celebrate other kinds of diversity.
The ACLU of Nevada announced its team was looking into the matter and would consider “every option available” to protect LGBTQ+ rights.
“Washoe County should be working to make sure everyone can express themselves safely, not pushing LGBTQ+ communities out of our public libraries because of the actions of a few extremists,” it said.
And Reno-based Our Center, a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ+ community members, called on county staff to reverse their decision.
“We call upon County officials to reconsider their stance and take proactive measures to protect all community events from harassment and intimidation.
But Republican activists, who had been pushing for such an outcome, had a muted response.
“I would categorize it as a wise decision,” said Bruce Parks, chair of the Washoe County GOP.
But Christopher Daniels was perhaps affected most of all. Daniels, who uses they/them pronouns, has been reading picture books to kids for the last six years as Miss Ginger Devine.
Daniels had been expecting the events to get canceled. But that didn’t make it any easier to take.
“When I heard the news, I was gutted,” they said.
Daniels added that losing the partnership that brought Drag Story Hour to libraries sends a message that LGBTQ+ people don’t belong in public spaces – and takes a valuable resource away from children who may be struggling with their own identities.
“To have a drag queen share messages of love and acceptance at a point in my life where I didn’t love myself and didn’t accept myself … would have done so much for me in my own journey of self-acceptance,” they said.
Now that Drag Story Hour has been forced out of libraries, Parks doesn’t plan to protest the events anymore. He insisted that his only problem with the event was its use of public resources.
Which actually is not true, "Our Center" paid for the program.
Florida. Still not making sense, still doesn't know how libraries run.• Volusia County Council (FL) just abolished its library advisory board. They’re going to instead rely on library friends groups to make decisions about the library.
https://beacononlinenews.com/2024/07/...
In the run-up to the new fiscal year, the Volusia County Council is looking to save money and avoid increases in taxes.
The latest effort to economize and streamline local government came July 16, when the council voted to dissolve the seven-member Library Advisory Board. How much money will be saved is not clear.
“My intent in bringing this up is not to make citizen involvement go away,” Council Member Jake Johansson said.
Johansson added he supports allowing the various Friends of the Library groups around the county to work to improve their own local libraries without having to secure approval or support from the Library Advisory Board. Johansson has been a leader in calling for the elimination of county boards and committees that may be unnecessary or too costly to retain.
The Library Advisory Board, whose members are appointed by the County Council, met once each quarter. The panel purview was public libraries around the county, and the advisory board’s meetings were open to the public.
“I’m giving them a little more flexibility without skirting the Sunshine Law,” he noted. “My intent is to provide an easier way for you to communicate.”
Because they were appointed by the council, Library Advisory Board members were considered county officials. That means that two or more of them could not meet or discuss — either face-to-face or over the phone or by written messages — the items or issues pending before the board without giving public notice of their conversation.
Community Services Director Brad Burbaugh said the local library-support groups are active.
“Eleven of our 14 libraries have Friends groups,” he told the council.
“So there will be an avenue for active participation from the public?” asked Council Member David Santiago.
“Yes, sir,” Burbaugh replied.
The County Council voted 5-2 to abolish the Library Advisory Board. County Chair Jeff Brower and Council Member Don Dempsey were the dissenters.
The council last year discussed getting rid of the Cultural Council, an advisory group that makes recommendations on grants for nonprofit organizations devoted to the arts, music and historic preservation. The eight-member Cultural Council makes recommendations to the County Council for the allocation of some $600,000 in grants for various private groups each year. The Cultural Council was saved after supporters of the grant program showed up in force at a County Council meeting and urged that it not be abolished.
Good news in MichiganLansing schools reverse plan on librarian cuts
https://www.wlns.com/news/lansing-sch...
Lansing School District will maintain a library staff of seven certified school librarians and 17 instructional assistants. Deputy Superintendent Jessica Benavides announced the plan Thursday in a statement to LSD staff and families.
This decision comes one week after a crowded school board meeting at which parents and community members shared their support for school librarians and expressed their concerns over a possible plan, at the time, to cut the number of certified district librarians.
Several district directors shared a plan during last week’s meeting that would have cut the number of certified librarians from seven to five in exchange for adding 34 assistants to their staff.
“After listening to the concerns expressed during the most recent board meeting, where families advocated for the reinstatement of all four of our current K-8 certified librarians, we have amended our plan,” Benavides said in the letter this Thursday.
“The new plan, which will be presented to the Board of Education on August 1st, includes: three high school librarians, four K-8 librarians, and 17 Instructional Assistants,” Benavides went on to say. “This structure will allow students across the district to benefit from interaction with a certified librarian and support from an Instructional Assistant to ensure continuous library services.”
The Deputy Superintendent also said she was “saddened and shocked by the misinformation” suggesting there may be plans to dismantle current school libraries or construct new schools without libraries.
“All of our current schools have libraries,” Benavides said. “The new building at Mt. Hope includes a central school library. At Willow, following the campus model, we have 10 innovative libraries: 8 classroom libraries in our PreK-2 classrooms, a 775 square ft. library space in the 3-5 pod, and another in the 6-8 pod.”
Benavides also said in the letter that LSD currently employs the most librarians in the tri-county area and is among only 8% of Michigan schools with full-time, certified librarians on staff.
“Our goal was to maximize students’ time with art, music, PE, and library services while meeting state metrics to help release us from Partnership status and stay within the current budget,” Benavides said.
Oklahoma At least 8 large Oklahoma school districts rebuke superintendent's order to teach Bible
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
The list of large Oklahoma school districts that said they will not alter their curriculum despite Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters' demand has grown.
Less than a month before Oklahoma school districts begin classes, the state schools superintendent issued guidance for how public schools might incorporate his directive that the Bible be taught in every classroom.
... While the controversial mandate has prompted outrage from civil rights groups and some Democratic lawmakers, Walters has argued that the Bible is "foundational for education" and a "cornerstone of Western civilization."
The guidelines from Walters detail how teachers should add the Bible to their lesson plans and how it should be taught for different grades.
“Immediate and complete implementation of these guidelines for the 2024-2025 school year is required,” Walters said in a memo sent to district superintendents. “This memorandum and the included standards must be provided to every teacher, as well as providing a physical copy of the Bible, the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Ten Commandments as resources in every classroom in the school district. These documents are mandatory for the holistic education of students in Oklahoma.”
But the list of large districts that have said they won’t be altering their curriculum despite the directive has grown to at least eight.
The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office has said state law already allows for the Bible to be taught in classrooms, but doing so is a district-by-district decision. Based on comments to the media and letters sent to patrons, most of the districts that don’t plan to implement the directive have leaned on that principle of local control in making their respective decisions concerning curriculum.
The Center for Education Law also has issued a memorandum to Oklahoma school districts calling Walters’ mandate invalid under state law. Earlier this year, the legal firm successfully represented Edmond Public Schools in the district’s lawsuit against Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education. Responding to that lawsuit, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled the content of school libraries was a decision to be made by a local school board, not the state board.
Piedmont Public Schools, in a letter to parents, said it adheres to the current set of Oklahoma State Academic Standards, which "acknowledge the significant influence of various religions in world history and culture."
"Studies include discussions on the impact of religion in shaping societies, traditions, and historical events," the Piedmont letter read. “However, it is important to clarify that while students learn about religion's role in historical and cultural contexts, teaching any specific religious doctrine or practice is not a part of the current standards."
...
Oklahoma House Democrats urged more school districts to join the eight that said they plan not to follow Walters' directive.
"The state superintendent continues to feel emboldened enough to make mandates he has no authority to implement,” said Rep. Cyndi Munson, of Oklahoma City, the House minority leader. "This is nothing more than an attempt to strip Oklahomans of their religious freedom. The state superintendent can say this Bible mandate is not for religious purposes all he wants, but his unlawful, unfunded mandate and clear disregard for the legislative process says otherwise."
The five-page document that lists the guidance says it “provides guidelines for teachers on how to approach incorporation in a manner that emphasizes only its historical, literary and secular benefits, ensuring compliance with legal standards and precedents.” It includes guidance on using the Bible to teach historical context, including its impact on Western civilization and U.S. history; as well as to teach its literary significance and the influence it’s had on art and music.
Under a section labeled “Implementation Strategies,” the document has subsections labeled “Textual Analysis,” “Comparative Studies,” “Historical Documents and Speeches” and “Critical Thinking and Discussion,” with ways Walters wants the Bible taught in classrooms.
The document also includes grade-specific guidelines, for students in grades five through 12. It also includes a “Legal Considerations” section.
[This is extraordinarily contradictory!]
“Ensure that all instruction is conducted in a neutral and objective manner. Teachers must not promote or favor any religious beliefs, focusing solely on the historical and literary aspects of the Bible.”
[Um isn't teaching the Bible promoting one religion over another?!]
“Acknowledge the Bible’s influence while recognizing and respecting the diversity of religious beliefs among students. Incorporate perspectives from other religious and secular traditions to provide a balanced view while remaining mindful of all rules for grade level and age level appropriate material.”
“Maintain open communication with parents about the purpose and content of incorporating the Bible as an instructional support into the curriculum. Provide information on how the curriculum addresses historical and literary aspects, emphasizing that it is not an endorsement of any religious belief.”
“The Bible must be used in student instruction for its historical, literary and secular value and is not to be used for religious purposes such as preaching, proselytizing or indoctrination.”
[Whose Bible? By default you're indoctrinating students into that particular belief system. ]
Neither the original directive nor the guidance provided Wednesday indicated who would pay for the Bibles necessary to include one in every classroom, as Walters wants. There also hasn't been any indication from Walters which version, or versions, of the Bible would be acceptable to teach from.
In ordering instruction on the Bible, Walters has cited broad authority under Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes, which governs state education. The law reads, in part, “School districts shall exclusively determine the instruction, curriculum, reading lists and instructional materials and textbooks, subject to any applicable provisions or requirements as set forth in law, to be used in meeting the subject matter standards. School districts may, at their discretion, adopt supplementary student assessments which are in addition to the statewide student assessments.”
In its letter to school districts, the Center for Education Law said it believes Walters did not follow the state’s Administrative Procedures Act (APA) in issuing his directive. The APA governs the actions of state agencies and requires administrative rules to be authorized by law and passed by the agency’s governing board.
The law group maintains the state Supreme Court, in its decision in Edmond’s lawsuit, “held unanimously that (the state Board of Education) may not exercise power unless the legislature has specifically delegated it that authority.”
Walters believes he has the authority to issue such a directive and issued a veiled threat to districts that won’t obey it: “Some Oklahoma educators have indicated they won’t follow the law and Oklahoma standards, so let me be clear: they will comply, and I will use every means to make sure of it.”
Florida where they don't understand the librarian's job literally is to curate a book collection for their students/patrons based on a)professional review sources, b)national book awards and c)the whole purpose of a library- to provide patrons with material they want! A random lay person can not "curate" a book collection with the best interests of ALL the patrons in mind, especially not when based on a few out of context passages on a citizen NOT peer reviewed book review site. ________________________
National authors ask Indian River School Board to reinstate books it's removed from shelves
https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/edu...
National authors spoke up this week, asking the School Board — which had removed their books from library shelves over concerns about their content — to reinstate their books.
Letters from young-adult novelist Jodi Picoult and children's book author Alan Gratz were among those read at Monday's board meeting, asking the board to return their books to the libraries.
Gratz's book, "Ban This Book," was removed in May by a 3-2 vote. Dr. Gene Posca, Kevin McDonald and Jacqueline Rosario voted in the majority, despite a recommendation from the district's book-review committee that the book remain on the shelves.
"The decision indicates that the removal was motivated by politics, and not what is best for the students and families of Indian River County," Gratz said in his letter. "The removal of 'Ban This Book' is a small part of a much larger epidemic of book banning across the United States. This backlash is a direct result of the incredibly modest yet hard-won gains we as a publishing community have begun to make in the diversification of children's books by or about traditionally unrepresented members of our communities."
He continued, "To remove my book because it dared to mention books you have already banned is erasure of the highest order."
The book was challenged by Jennifer Pippin, president of the Indian River County chapter of Moms for Liberty, over concerns it contained references to other works that had been removed because of s---ally explicit content.
"Our children ages 4-12 that the book was available to in this school district deserve better reading material than that," Pippin said.
[I don't think a 4 year old or 6 year old is going to be reading a middle grades novel let alone seek out the books referenced in the novel.]
Members of the local group Education Champions read the letters during the citizen-input portion of the meeting, saying the School Board's book removal has gained national and international attention.
"Please do the right thing, and place 'Ban This Book' back on the school shelves," said Marilyn LaVecchia, founding member of Education Champions of Indian River County. "We ask you to lead by example. Our children and the nation are watching and will judge us by your actions."
Some board members took exception to having their actions referred to as "book banning." Books are banned only when inaccessible, said Posca. Instead, he said, the books were "curated" from the school libraries. They still are accessible through public libraries and can be purchased on sites such as Amazon.com, he said.
"We took a children's library and we curated it free of p---graphic material," Posca said. "A lot of the books that we banned had things like little girls being r--d and extremely violent r--e scenes that really were disgusting and offensive (and) were put in a positive light."
About 140 books challenged for containing explicit s--ual content have been removed by the School Board in recent years. A few books removed last year were written by Picoult, including "Nineteen Minutes," a book about a school shooting and the effects of bullying.
"The reason it is banned is usually because of a single page that depicts a date r--e and uses anatomically correct words for the human body," Picoult wrote in the letter. "It is not a gratuitous scene, and it is not salacious, yet it has been challenged as p--n."
Picoult wrote that "hundreds" of children have told her "Nineteen Minutes" stopped them from committing a school shooting because it showed them they were not alone in feeling isolated.
"The book did not harm them. It gave them tools to deal with an increasingly divided and different world," she wrote. "That is what books do. They help kids see themselves in a different way. They help kids see the world in a different way."
OregonGood news
While book ban attempts increase nationally, one Oregon library has kept requests low
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2...
Earlier this year, state lawmakers debated how to handle this issue. Senate Bill 1583 would have prohibited school book bans that discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community, people of color or religious groups. The bill passed the Senate but did not make it through the House before the session ended.
One Oregon library is defying national trends and keeping the number of challenges down to single digits almost every year.
The Corvallis-Benton County Public Library has addressed concerns while keeping its collection more complete by using three key strategies: conversations with patrons, compromises and specific policies.
This, director Ashlee Chavez says, allows the library to fulfill its responsibility of serving an entire community — “people of all ages, all backgrounds and all lifestyles.”
The Corvallis library receives around six challenges a year on average, Chavez said. In most scenarios, patrons asked to remove or relocate specific books because they seemed too explicit for the intended audience. The challenges, she said, did not appear to single out any groups of people.
“There’s not too much political divisiveness in Corvallis,” Cleo said. The high schooler serves as the student representative on the library’s advisory board and is a member of the queer community. “The people who are against (LGBTQ+ issues) and would want to ban those books are going to be the minority.”
Still, some people have tried.
The library saw a kind of informal censorship, for example, when a person took some of the library’s anti-racism titles and put them in bathroom trash cans.
There have also been challenges from the other side of the ideological spectrum, like when people have challenged books for being derogatory toward women or racist.
“Censorship can fall on either side,” Chavez said. “It doesn’t really matter what your values are.”
One of the biggest ways Corvallis has kept the number of challenged book requests low, Chavez said, is by making connections with library patrons. The challenge form isn’t available on the library’s website; library officials hope that people will talk their concerns through with staff first.
“When someone comes up and asks or shares a concern, the first thing we do is try and have a conversation,” she said.
“I’m not here to try and change someone’s mind,” Chavez added. “It’s not something I think is gonna happen, and I don’t think I can really do it within the limits of my job.”
The library staff also work to find a middle ground.
For example, Chavez said a group of pediatricians a few years ago challenged a book that they believed inaccurately characterized vaccinations.
Ultimately, the library decided the book’s content didn’t warrant removal; however, they found a compromise. The pediatricians instead donated different books that they argued provided more accurate information to libraries around the area.
But one of the library’s policies in particular creates a crucial stopgap.
But in order to challenge a book in Corvallis, a patron has to be eligible for a library card. That means they live, work, go to school or own property in the county. This, Chavez said, helps prevent some of the bulk ban requests seen elsewhere.
The American Booksellers Association (ABA) and its free expression initiative, American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE), have launched a new campaign for Banned Books Week 2024 centered on the theme: Liberate Banned Books (#SetBooksFree). https://www.bookweb.org/news/abfe-lau...
Resisting book bans is about liberation. It’s about liberation for schools and libraries from the rash of book challenges that has exploded since 2021. It means liberating the more than 4,240 titles that have been challenged since 2021. It entails liberation for literary institutions who carry books that represent marginalized groups, especially books by people of color and LGBTQ+ people that have been disproportionately censored by book bans. And of course, it’s about liberation for independent bookstores, who offer their communities access to diverse literature and for that have been targeted in book ban legislation. Literature and liberation are inseparable.
Banned Books Week 2024 will be held from September 22–September 28. A
U.S. Dept. of Education Blog Post: “Book Bans Are Not Just Bad Policy; They Can Raise Civil Rights Issues”https://www.infodocket.com/2024/07/29...
Oklahomayes Walters, parents and bozos like governors ARE opting kids out of history, science and math in the name of "parental rights." So it only works when parents opt their kids out of things YOU personally disagree with? Parental rights doesn't work that way.
Parental choice': Nonprofit creates Bible opt-out form for parents, Ryan Walters reacts
https://www.okcfox.com/news/local/par...
"Parental choice has always been a thing in public education," Regional Director and parent Erica Watkins said. "This [form] is just to kind of solidify that, and show that there are parents who don’t want their children to be involved in any Bible-based curriculum.”
State Superintendent Ryan Walters tells Fox 25 it's unfortunate that parents "have been lied to by these radical, left-wing individuals."
"Look, it’s history," Supt. Walters said. "You going to opt out of history? You going to opt out of math? You going to opt out of science next? I mean, here’s the reality: the Bible is the most cited book in the 17th and 18th century from the writers in America.”
"We have more parental rights than any other state," Walters said. "We've brought in teacher pay based on performance. We have record signing bonuses, and we've driven up scores through our tutoring programs. Very proud of the work we're doing. Frankly, we're setting a blueprint for every state to follow on how to get education back on track. We are happy to take this state away from the path the teachers unions had it on: a Marxist dumpster fire, and putting it in on the right track to be a leader in the country."
Nonprofit co-chair for Payne County and Stillwater Public Schools parent Saralynn Boren says if her district has the Bible in the classroom, she will fill out the template.
"You don’t know what is going to be taught," Boren said. "When your kids go to church, they’re being taught by someone who is an expert in that religion, so you know that they’re going to be taught well. Whereas if you’re just having a random teacher teach that, you have no idea what that teacher’s background is. There's no telling what kind of lesson they're going to get from the Bible if you have just a random teacher teaching it. This is really not something that's in their area of expertise. We should let the teachers take the teachings of things that our kids need to be taught in school."
Walters reiterates that it's unfortunate how "leftists have lied" to parents.
"It's in its historical context," Walters said. "When it fits into the standards as they've been laid out for years now, we're going to make sure those standards are taught. There's absolutely moments, like when the pilgrims came to America so that they could practice their religious liberty, what religious liberty are we talking about? We're not going to lie to kids and say, 'Well we're not going to tell you that it was Christianity.' We're not going to lie to kids and not quote the Bible when Martin Luther King Jr. quoted the Bible."
The state superintendent offers a final thought to concerned parents.
"I’m going to continue to stand with the parents of Oklahoma who want to make sure their kids have history taught to them not through a Marxist perspective being pushed by the teachers unions and Kamala Harris, but a robust history that understands American exceptionalism and frankly, includes the Bible in its historical role."
Walters says he's not not forcing religion on kids, and that he wants to make sure they understand the Bible from a history standpoint. Watkins tells Fox 25 she doesn't believe that.
"Walters' rhetoric of saying that the Bible also correlates with American history is just nonsensical," Watkins said. "It's political pandering to his base. We see right through it."
Some thoughtful opinions on why Ryan Walters's mandate is wrong for Oklahoma schools and probably illegal.https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...
This comment from Carl DeFranco is very well thought as well.
"AS far as the Bible itself is concerned (actually not "A Book" but a collections of various writings over the history of the Hebrew tribes, kings, prophets, and their chosen land, I have no problem teaching it as interesting piece of history, and perhaps a source of some of our legal principles, but teach about it, not from it. While we're at it, let's also teach about the Koran/Q'uran and its significant influence on the history of the world as well. Until the 12th century or so, Islam was a major source of science and mathematics and adaptations of Arabic words still dot the literature, and still today is a controversial influence over radical Islam (as is the Bible an influence over radical "Christianity")."
This op ed expands further:
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/opini...
Silicon Valley parents are fuming over ethnic studies in schools. It’s a preview of battles to come across CaliforniaSilicon Valley parents are fuming over ethnic studies in Palo Alto schools. It’s a preview of education battles to come across California.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/a...
Mod
At least 8 large Oklahoma school districts rebuke superintendent's order to teach Bible
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n......"
Sure teach the Bible, but also teach other religious texts from multiple faiths and allow and in fact encourage, nay even demand criticism of said texts as well, including the Bible, the Quran, the Torah etc.
I know one thing, if I had to teach the Bible in my classroom, I would only teach it critically and in addition to other religions (and I would place no one religion over another as well).
Manybooks wrote: "Sure teach the Bible, but also teach other religious texts from multiple faiths and allow and in fact encourage, nay even demand criticism of said texts as well, including the Bible, the Quran, the Torah etc...."That's basically what all the educators and sensible people are saying. The kicker is when Ryan Walters claims the Bible - as in the Christian Bible should be taught in schools YET " Teachers must not promote or favor any religious beliefs, focusing solely on the historical and literary aspects of the Bible.” AND "“The Bible must be used in student instruction for its historical, literary and secular value and is not to be used for religious purposes such as preaching, proselytizing or indoctrination.”
By default, that's exactly what teachers have to do in order to follow orders - teach the Christian Bible and therefore place Christianity above all other religions and indoctrinate their students into whatever brand of Christianity comes with whatever Bible they teach. The comments in the Washington Post article are primarily thoughtful and articulate.
By this late in the summer, most teachers have their lesson plans done and ready to go. They can't just switch gears at the last minute and it sure sounds like most teachers don't plan to follow orders anyway.
I DO think Christianity 101 a basic overview should be taught as a history class foundation course so students DO understand history. Just a basic overview of what Christianity is, Medieval and pre-Enlightenment Christianity so students can draw their own conclusions and understand how people of the past thought and justified their actions that seem cruel and hateful to us. Yes to teaching the Constitution, something Walters fails to have read.
OklahomaSchools Must Teach Bible Or 'Go to California': Oklahoma Superintendent
https://www.newsweek.com/oklahoma-sch...
Speaking on "Fox & Friends Weekend," on Saturday, the state's Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters addressed the dissenting districts. "I'm going to tell these woke administrators, if they're going to break the law and not teach it, they can go to California," he said. "Here in Oklahoma schools, we're going to make sure that history is taught."
He added that the district was providing teachers with the necessary resources to teach concepts that he believes have been excluded by left-leaning influences. Walters said guidelines were issued to ensure that every teacher understands what is expected.
"We want our kids here in Oklahoma to understand American history better than any in the country, and we're laying out a roadmap for every state to follow," he added.
An opinion piece that shows how the book moving/removal process SHOULD work if followed correctly.Huntsville library board shows how book challenges should be handled
https://www.alreporter.com/2024/08/01...
Censors
Melissa Thomas
Board Chair Kevin Gray
voted to move All Boys Aren’t Blue to adult section
ACLU calls Grand Forks [North Dakota] Public Library board move of sex ed books 'soft censorship' https://www.grandforksherald.com/news...
Moving three children’s books discussing sex education at Grand Forks Public Library was a form of “soft censorship,” a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union’s North Dakota chapter argues.
Two weeks ago, board members at the Grand Forks Public Library voted to move three books — “Sex is a Funny Word,” “What’s Going on Down There?” and “Puberty Is Gross But Also Really Awesome” — to a revived young-adult nonfiction section after a resident brought a complaint to the board.
In doing so, a letter published on the Herald’s website Tuesday afternoon and in its Wednesday print edition says the library allowed the resident to impose their views upon others and restrict the books’ availability.
“Removing a book from the shelf isn’t the only method that amounts to censorship,” wrote Cody Schuler, advocacy manager for the ACLU of North Dakota. “Requiring parental permission to read it or moving it to a less accessible section for its intended readers, like what has happened in Grand Forks — are examples of soft censorship.”
Schuler told the Herald that moving the books from the age-appropriate children’s section (the books are intended for readers ages 8-12 or 9-12) to the young-adult nonfiction section made those books less accessible to their intended audience.
Proponents on the library board, which voted 4-3 to move the books, said the move would increase the books’ circulation and make them more visible to the appropriate audience.
“They’re probably going to see a boost because they’ve been in the news, but that’s not a reason to challenge or remove books,” Schuler said.
Board member Paul Sum said Schuler was free to express his views but he disagreed with the advocacy manager’s characterization of the board’s decision.
“The new section does not require parental permission,” Sum said. “The new section is not restricted. There’s not a gate. There’s no monitoring. It’s simply a new section.”
Library Director Wendy Wendt said the three books had been moved to the new section, as well as four other books the library moved to adult nonfiction last year after another resident, Sara Ellenwood, complained.
Schuler said while few libraries have removed books outright, more have moved books to new sections in response to pressure.
He said it was important the books be accessible to their intended audience, particularly in a state with limited sex education curriculum that is “not very friendly” to LGBTQ people.
Scary new law in Utah = banned books These titles are now banned from every public school
The Utah state school board on Friday ordered the removal of 13 book titles from every public school in the state, in accordance with a new law passed earlier this year.
The list’s publication comes only weeks before the new school year will begin. Six of the 13 titles were written by the same fantasy romance author, Sarah J. Maas.
Districts and charter schools must now dispose of the following titles, according to the Utah State Board of Education, marking a historical first for the state.
https://www.sltrib.com/news/education...
“Blankets” by Craig Thompson.
“A Court of Frost and Starlight” by Sarah J. Maas.
“A Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah J. Maas.
“A Court of Silver Flames” by Sarah J. Maas.
“A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas.
“A Court of Wings and Ruin” by Sarah J. Maas.
“Empire of Storms” by Sarah J. Maas.
“Fallout” by Ellen Hopkins.
“Forever” by Judy Blume.
“Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur.
“Oryx & Crake” by Margaret Atwood.
“Tilt” by Ellen Hopkins.
“What Girls Are Made Of” by Elana K. Arnold.
The books on this list had already been banned by select school districts or charters, but because of the new law signed by Gov. Spencer Cox in March, they will now be banned statewide.
The law, which went into effect July 1, requires that a book be removed from all public schools in the state if at least three school districts (or at least two school districts and five charter schools) determine it amounts to “objective sensitive material” — pornographic or otherwise indecent content, as defined by Utah code.
Since the law applied retroactively, school districts and charters were asked to reevaluate the books that they had already decided to ban before July 1 using the state’s new “objective sensitive material” criteria, a standard that did not exist before.
Once those reevaluations were completed, school districts submitted a list of the banned titles that they found met the new criteria to the Utah State Board of Education. Those submissions were then aggregated in a spreadsheet and the data was organized by book title, as well as district or charter, to determine which titles met the threshold, USBE officials said.
Both Davis and Washington County school districts each banned all 13 titles included on Friday’s list.
Alpine School District and Nebo School District each banned seven of the titles on the statewide removal list.
Jordan School District banned six of the titles. And the Tooele County School District banned one.
Kelly Jensen of BookRiot helpfully names all of the M4L endorsed candidates https://substack.com/@kellyjensen/not...
I'm shocked to see many in my own state. One old timer is running for US Senate (I knew that, she's Catholic, old and Republican, Trump butt kisser) plus a new one also running for U.S. Senate! OH HECK NO!
reminder of the horrors of the here and nowHuntington Beach, Calif. moving ALL kids' books to adult section so they can be evaluated for YOU KNOW WHAT that isn't in the library.
Huntington Beach council approves ordinance restricting minors' access to books with s--ual content
https://abc7.com/huntington-beach-boo...
The proposal drew criticism from the First Amendment Coalition, the Freedom to Read Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union, which co-signed a letter to the City Council opposing the measure.
David Loy, legal director for the First Amendment Coalition, said the ordinance was "unconstitutional." In an open letter, opponents of the ordinance cited multiple Supreme Court cases knocking down similar attempts at censorship.
Free speech is "especially salient in a public library," the First Amendment Coalition said in the letter. "Unsurprisingly, courts have rejected similar misguided attempts to restrict access to library books."
"Parents and children have the right to decide for themselves what library books to read," said Loy said. "The government does not belong in the censorship business."
When Councilwoman Gracey Van Der Mark proposed a change in library policy in June, she read passages from several books for young readers that she claimed were recommended by the state and were in the city library's children's section. One of the books she cited was "Gender Queer."
"I do believe parents have a right to know" about what books are available to check out at the library, she said.
"What I am asking is we look into different ways to protect kids," she said. "If you want this for your kids go for it... but a lot of parents don't know this material is in the books."
Van Der Mark suggested placing "a sticker on books to let parents know it is especially graphic."
Before the ordinance was a approved, residents addressed the councilmembers during the public comments section of the City Council meeting.
It could soon be illegal for librarians in Louisiana to join the ALAhttps://www.everylibrary.org/hb777sta...
Project 2025 calls for all teachers and librarians who grant access to books about queer lives to be registered as s-x offenders, and for all schools that teach “critical race theory” to be stripped of federal funding. https://static.project2025.org/2025_M...
Maggie Tokuda-Hall has a plea for Banned Books Week in September"Every year in September, libraries, independent bookstores, and schools all over the country celebrate Banned Books Week. Often, there’s a display put up with a hand-lettered sign featuring beloved and historically banned books like To Kill a Mockingbird, and Captain Underpants. But the time to quietly erect a display has come and gone. We are fighting a new fight now, one that depends on our fear. It is time to fight accordingly. It’s time to be brave.
After all—what have we been learning in the library for our whole lives? GK Chesterton knew: “Fairy tales do not tell children dragons exist. Children already know dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.”
As a founding member and national leadership team member of Authors Against Book Bans, I am so proud to suggest a list of action-oriented events we are suggesting to our membership, but also the literary community at large. Whether you’re a school, a book club, or an indie bookstore, or just a group of people who care a lot. Each of these events will put the focus on communities in need, the city hall, school board, and state legislatures where the decisions around book bans are made, and the down-ballot voting that is our most effective tool at winning this fight long-term
Make being a book banner an unelectable offense, and we still stop seeing candidates use bans as a springboard for their own political relevance. Show book banners that we are not afraid of them, and they too will scurry back to the shadows of irrelevance where they belong.
This year, Banned Books Week will take place from September 22-September 29 and we are hoping it will be the most impactful Banned Books Week yet. It’s an invitation to all of us to put a spotlight on this issue and use it as a galvanizing force to protect our children. Not from the books like Everyone Poops (which was banned for being p____graphic in Huntington Beach. Yes, seriously) but from the forces that would see our children cheated of a wiser, bigger, more resilient version of themselves. That we should lose this fight and cede public education to far-right extremists is not a foregone conclusion. The vast majority of Americans disagree with book banning. But similarly, the vast majority of Americans aren’t paying attention to book banning.
So. Panels are helpful for raising awareness. Displays can move titles that often get forgotten. By all means, do those, too. But this year, Authors Against Book Bans suggest that we focus on concrete actions like these:
• Statehouse, Town Hall, or Public Library Read-In: This kind of event is great to build community around this issue, and to protest bad legislation or decisions that have been made, or to call attention to the issue where there is legislation coming to the floor (such as OH or CA). It builds community around the issue and can also be a venue for a banned book drive if a local indie bookstore is willing. You can either have the event at one of these public places or you can have the event at a bookstore and then lead a banned-book march to the public place.
• Postcard/Letter writing party to support librarians/school leaders/legislators: Host a party to write and send postcards to the librarians at each school and local branch in your district telling them you are in their corner and that librarians are not alone to celebrate their hard work for leading the fight for the freedom to read.
• Banned book sale/drive to ship to a community in need: Raise funds or physically sell books to be shipped or taken to a community in need. You can also do this in places where book bans are a problem. This can be done in front of a city hall or statehouse to draw attention, or at an independent bookstore.
• Voter registration event: For these events, you are just collecting and encouraging voter registration with the goal of increasing turnout and communicating the necessity of “down ballot” voting, ie: voting on things other than the presidential campaign, which is considered the top of the ticket.
Lastly, no matter who you are, or how isolated you may be in your community on this issue right now, please know: you are not alone. None of us are alone in this fight. There’s a proud tradition of those who have fought for the freedom to read, and now we are all a part of that tradition. The literary community is, absolutely for the better, in this together. We are a powerful, passionate, smart group of people. We know more, because we’ve taken the care to actually read. And, most importantly, there are more of us than there are of them.
This is a fight we can win. "
Good news• A proposal to ban books in Knox County, Tennessee, schools, has failed
https://tnfirefly.com/20240712/knox-c...
The Knox County Board of Education voted Thursday to revise district policies regarding the removal of books containing s--ual or age-inappropriate content from school libraries, as required by a new state law that went into effect July 1.
According to Superintendent Jon Rycewyk, the district has been behind schedule in efforts to ensure compliance with the new law going into the coming school year. He said the district will begin identifying and removing books when librarians and other staff return to work next month.
“This will be a process,” he said during Thursday’s regular meeting. “We won’t be [fully] compliant with the law the day the kids come into school.”
Rycewyk noted that the district will initially focus on banning any “obvious” violations of the state law following the return of staff, adding that officials expect more guidance from the state about certain books or themes considered inappropriate under state law.
“We’ll start with obvious ones,” he said. “We’ll work on those and prioritize those first.”
The vote comes after several discussions in recent months about how to make sure district policies are in line with the language in the state law, which specifically addresses the need for schools to ban materials that contain images of s--ual activity. The proposal to revise district policy language to ensure compliance was brought up last month by board member Susan Horn but initially failed by a 4-2 vote.
...
Susan Horn, who represents Farragut area schools, advocated for the immediate policy change to remove "any material containing images depicting a s-x act(s), or s--ual activity" from textbooks or instructional materials. Even though the new law is on the horizon, she wanted to act now.
The board's four Republican members ‒ Horn, Kristi Kristy, Steve Triplett and Travis Wright ‒ voted in favor. Democrat Katherine Bike and independent member Jennifer Owen voting against it. Democrat John Butler and independent Daniel Watson chose to pass instead of recording a vote. Board chair Republican Betsy Henderson was absent.
In an interview to Knox News, Horn credited the conservative advocacy group Moms for Liberty for bringing the issue to her attention.
Triplett, who has been a vocal proponent for removing books with s--ual themes, implored his colleagues the approve the change and even made a comment against those who might have considered passing on the vote.
"I strongly believe what I’m asking is scripturally correct … but you don’t have to agree with that. We also have state law that agrees with that," Triplett said. "I encourage you not to pass. ... A pass vote is just like saying no."
In line with this week's earlier board discussion, members who did not vote in favor of the policy made a bid to send it through the policy review process, which is the typical route. They argued the policy changes fall within the newly amended state law that goes into effect July 1, just days away.
Horn wanted to be proactive, she told Knox News.
"I think that we need to protect students and I don't think that we're protecting them well by having inappropriate content available to them in schools," she said.
Horn's term on the board ends this year and she is not running again.
The district follows state guidance on educational materials. When a district need new books in a specific content area, administrators refer to state-approved lists of textbooks and materials. They have to choose from that list, Assistant Superintendent of Academics Keith Wilson told Knox News.
The district is forming school library councils and sensitive title review committees, Knox County Schools' academic resources supervisor Sarah Searles told the board in April.
The school-level councils will have five to seven stakeholders including a librarian, the principal or their designee, a classroom teacher, counselor and a parent. This group will identify each library's needs including making library spaces more accessible to the community and removing outdated titles.
Sensitive title review committees will be at each school level: elementary, middle and high school. Each committee will have a representative from each of the district's five regions. These committees will send recommendations to individual school library councils, whose decision will be final.
https://www.aol.com/news/l-o-c-colleg...
• A professor believes book challenges in Catawba County schools (NC)—which have been going on for 2+ years at this point—can lead to economic disaster for the area https://12ft.io/proxy
In March 2022, concerned grandmother Michelle Teague challenged 24 books in Catawba County Schools libraries. In November 2022, Teague was elected to the Catawba County Schools Board of Education.
It took two years for reading committees to review all 24 books. The decision on several books eventually landed in the hands of the school board, resulting in public hearings concerning the fate of the books. The last book hearing was on March 18.
Some books were moved to higher reading levels, four books were restricted and three books were removed from school libraries.
"What worries me is that if we move too far to the right, if we become too reactionary, people will go somewhere else,” Taylor said.
Taylor said he did not want to be alarmist, but in his experience, people find three things important: safe neighborhoods, quality of life and good schools.
“If any of those get out of balance, it’s like a stool,” Taylor said. “You kick one leg out from under a three-legged stool and it’s going to tilt over.”
Taylor said he does not think the county has reached the point of being known for book challenges yet.
The book challenges could be a roadblock in Hickory’s efforts to grow and attract young professionals, said Lenoir-Rhyne University sociology professor Katherine Gerlaugh.
...
Gerlaugh said in areas that are politically polarized, there is less community participation and volunteerism, as well as less willingness to work together.
“I do think that’s going to have an economic impact on places where we’re seeing this happen,” Gerlaugh said. “We’re already seeing it in Florida. Where people go, ‘This is crazy, I don’t want to live in this. I don’t want to live around this. I don’t want to participate in this.’”
In the context of book challenges, uncertainty in the market will be a serious concern for business owners and potential business owners in the coming months or years, said Professor Brian McManus, Economics Department Chair at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Business owners must look ahead and consider whether favorable circumstances for starting a business will remain favorable and allow the business to pay off, McManus said.
“And if there is substantial uncertainty in the local market, then … that by itself would be likely to dissuade somebody from making an investment in the area that takes a long time to pay off,” McManus said.
McManus said uncertainty comes in many forms and looks different for different businesses.
For example, McManus said uncertainty for a bookseller is regarding “the continued ability to sell the types of books that he or she wants to offer to a local population that wants to continue to buy them.”
...
The 24-book challenge added up to cost approximately $10,500 in Catawba County, according to an email from Marketing and Communication Director Kim Jordan. Jordan said the total does not include the time committee members at each level spent reading or in meetings.
The total breaks down to:
Court reporters: $4,512
Cost of books: $3,209
Security officers: $2,800
The books were purchased using the local instructional funds account, said Digital and Media Literacy Director Amanda Moose. It was not specified how the district paid court reporters and security at each hearing.
Committee members spent an average of 130 hours reading on their own time and were not paid to read on personal time, Moose said. Moose said this averages about 16 work days per committee member.
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Lee Miller said staff members were given five flex days to serve on the challenge committees.
• Since 2021, Florida has seen a 148% increase in book bans (that we know of). https://www.pnj.com/story/news/educat...
Escambia County led the charge with more than 1,600 books removed as of December, according to The Florida Freedom to Read Project, which published a list of books removed from Escambia County Public School District library shelves.
The list includes eight different encyclopedias and five dictionaries, including "The Guinness Book of World Records," "Ripley's Believe it or Not!" "Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl" and "The Autobiography of Malcolm X," among many others.
When the list was published, ECPS spokesperson Cody Strother contested that the books hadn't been banned or removed from the school district. He said that the district removed them to "ensure compliance with the new legislation."
State Republicans passed legislation last year that required schools to pull challenged books within five days of being flagged for being pornographic, harmful to minors or depicting s--ual activity.
Even before that law went into effect, Escambia County Public Schools was quickly flooded with challenges. Many of them came from Vicki Baggett, a veteran Escambia County language arts teacher. Baggett has challenged hundreds of books.
In April, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law that attempted to curb the number of requests to remove books, which lawmakers described as a "logistical nightmare."
Under the new law, residents who don't have a child in school will only be able to challenge one book per month.
• Mission Independent School District (TX), which agreed to remove nearly 700 books after a pastor complained, is now saying they actually won’t remove themhttps://www.progresstimes.net/2024/07...
The Mission Consolidated Independent School District says it won’t actually be removing or reviewing 676 books the school system’s former superintendent committed to purging earlier this summer.
In May Mission CISD, like other Rio Grande Valley districts, received an email from local representatives of a conservative advocacy group.
The letter urged the district to ban a list of books it deemed “filthy and evil.”
Former Superintendent Carol G. Perez unequivocally agreed to remove all of the books on the group’s list minutes after receiving their email.
Perez, however, left her position as the district’s chief last month and Mission’s new superintendent says no books were removed or are going to be removed based on the group’s request.
In fact, Interim Superintendent Cris Valdez says doing so would have gone against district policy that essentially limits requests for something like a book review to direct stakeholders in the district.
“It must be a parent of a student, a student who is 18 years of age or older, an individual employee or any district resident [who] may challenge an instructional resource,” she said.
In May, Perez forwarded the list of books to Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Sharon Roberts, who said she’d begin tracking them and having them removed.
According to Valdez, Roberts contacted another administrator who cited relevant policy that indicated the district couldn’t actually do that.
“She quotes she extracts excerpts from [local policy] and brings it to Dr. Roberts’ attention,” Valdez said.
....
Local representatives of Citizens Defending Freedom, a conservative group that’s challenged books nationally, made the original request asking for Mission CISD to remove those 676 books.
Dan Thomas, a spokesperson for the group, said Wednesday that they hadn’t heard anything new from Mission CISD since their exchange with Perez in May.
Mission was poised to be the group’s first unmitigated win in the Rio Grande Valley to have become public, though the activists have seen more modest gains elsewhere.
...
At least four area superintendents gave the activists in person meetings about their concerns this summer.
The group’s efforts also attracted the attention of Governor Greg Abbott.
• There’s a new trustee on the Lincoln City Public Library (NE) board and she doesn’t sound like she’s pro-book banning. But the story itself mentions that the public library has dealt with several challenges…all to the books you’d expect them to be about.https://12ft.io/proxy
Lincoln City Libraries Director Ryan Wieber on Monday introduced Terri Dunlap as the newest Library Board member, a position that requires City Council approval to a seven-year term.
Councilman Tom Duden asked Dunlap how she felt about keeping certain materials in the youth section — an issue that’s come up several times in the last year.
Last year, the five requests to remove items from the city’s library shelves or from the youth sections was the largest number of such requests in at least the past five years, mirroring a record number nationally.
Several of the items dealt with gender identity or s--ual orientation, which critics argue are too s---ally explicit.
The people who have requested books be removed from the youth section have found a supporter in Duden, who said Monday he thinks there are some inappropriate materials in the youth section of Lincoln libraries, and he believes they should be moved to the adult sections.
Dunlap said she isn’t yet familiar with how Lincoln libraries deals with such requests but does feel like it’s parents’ role to decide what their children read.
“I do believe that not all books are for all people, and I do believe that’s the parents’ job to help discern those decisions,” she told the council.
She said she’d thought about what her own reaction might be as a parent finding a book like those people have requested be removed. She said she would see it as an opportunity for discussion with her child.
“Even if I had the opinion he shouldn’t be reading that book, that is my chance to tell him but not necessarily to take that opportunity away from other people.”
Councilman James Michael Bowers, who is gay, came to the defense of diverse choices in libraries, saying he didn’t come out until his 20s, and libraries provided him the opportunity to find answers to questions he was too afraid to ask — or didn’t have anyone to ask.
“Access to libraries and making sure people have materials available to them is a form of suicide prevention and a way to protect mental health,” he said. “As someone who directly benefited from it, as someone who is passionate about making sure we create a safe environment, thanks to Lincoln City Libraries for saving my life in that way.”
The council approved Dunlap’s appointment on a 6-1 vote, with Duden voting against it.
AlabamaThey don't quit
Plaintiffs: Changes in Autauga-Prattville Library policies continue to violate rights
A federal lawsuit is challenging restrictive circulation polices at the library.
https://alabamareflector.com/2024/07/...
A group challenging restrictive policies at the Autauga-Prattville Public Library last week renewed its call for a federal court to block those policies, arguing recent changes by the library do not address their concerns.
Read Freely Alabama, a nonprofit organization that supports freedom of speech, along with the Alabama Library Association and patrons of the library, filed the motion in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, saying the amended policies unconstitutionally violate patrons’ free speech rights and discriminate based on content.
“Our clients renewed their motion for a preliminary injunction because the Board’s policy continues to injure library patrons every day it is in effect,” said Jessica Morton, senior counsel with Democracy Forward, a nonprofit legal services and research organization representing Read Freely. “In the two months since we filed our original complaint, more and more books have been removed from the library, in violation of their constitutional rights.”
The motion follows a motion from the library’s Board of Trustees to have the suit dismissed, citing recent state changes to circulation policies which it said made the original complaint moot.
Read Freely; the Alabama Library Association and individuals who use the library filed suit in May, arguing that a “selection criteria” adopted by the board was overly broad, restricted materials that are not obscene and violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Messages were left with the legal teams representing both parties seeking comment.
...
Read Freely Alabama also names several individuals who are not able to obtain materials that were removed from circulation because of the policies that the Board adopted in June.
Amber Frey, a Prattville resident, borrowed “The Hate U Give” several months ago, but the lawsuit states that the book is no longer available at the library because of the policies that were enacted.
Attorneys for the board argue that the policies that the plaintiffs challenged in the original complaint are no longer in place, replaced with language that aligned with the APLS administrative code changes that required local libraries in Alabama to adopt policies aimed at protecting children from obscene materials.
“The Board’s decision to terminate the challenged policies and adopt the superseding policies reflects a rejection of the challenged conduct that is both permanent and complete,” Taylor states in his motion.
The motion also argued that Read Freely and others lack standing when they filed the original complaint. The original challenge was that the policies interfered with their right to check out and read books that are part of the library’s circulation.
“No court throughout American history has ever held that the Constitution guarantees a right to check out and read books from a public library at taxpayer expense,” Taylor states in his motion to dismiss. “There is no such federal right. Nor has the Alabama Legislature obligated the establishment of public libraries in the state to guarantee any such ‘right.’”
The modifications were finalized after the APLS completed a process that took several months, which included accepting written comments submitted by the public along with hosting a meeting in which more than 100 people spoke to express their opinions on Ivey’s proposed administrative code changes.
• Crook County Public Library (OR) is dealing with an onslaught of challenges to LGBTQ+ material. https://www.centraloregondaily.com/ar...
Calls to remove LGBTQ children's books at Crook County Library increase
hildren's books with LGBTQ content at the Crook County Library are under fire and some county residents want them removed.
"We started seeing more community members come to our board meetings raising our concerns about book that they had found; books that are on a 'list' that is circulating through some organizations of 'these are the books you need to look for and see if they're at your library,'" said Library Director April Witteveen.
According to Witteveen, backlash against LGBTQ books started in September and has only increased since, citing nearly 100 people at the last public library board of trustees meeting in November.
The director was tasked by the board with writing a proposal that would give the books in question a section separate from other books.
"That's not in line with public library ethics at all," said Witteveen. "It's very clearly stated in American Library Association documentation that to approach any item from a perspective of 'warning' or applying a personal value to an item and then saying, 'I don't like this so you can't have it.' That's completely anathema to public libraries."
One woman Central Oregon Daily News spoke with said she can see both sides.
"Throwing the books on the shelves is going to tick off a lot of parents, but not having them available is not fair to the parents that want the public to be served properly in the ways they feel the public is growing and expanding," said Jessica Ely, a library visitor. (see both sides)
Another woman told us she does not think LGBTQ books have any place in the children's section and that she was tired of gay people "flaunting their sin." When asked if she could say those things on camera, she said she was not comfortable doing so in case someone from her community recognized her.
Ely said, while she does not want her children exposed to LGBTQ topics, she understands banning the books or making them less accessible would be discrimination.
"It's an important discussion and there's a lot of people who do want their needs met that are a very important piece of our community," said Ely.
There will be a library board of trustees meeting on Thursday where Witteveen will present two proposals: one that will require the library to make an "LGBTQ shelf" in the children's section and another that would leave everything as it is.
She has said she is completely against the first proposal and only wrote it because it was required of her.
If everything is left as it is without segregating the LGBTQ books, the library will monitor their visitor numbers and assess what, if any, impact to patronage there is.
Keep fighting, kids! ‘Had to do something’: How Houston-area students are taking on conservative school boards
https://houstonlanding.org/had-to-do-...
Rather than giving in to the common case of “senioritis,” recent Spring Woods High School graduate Cristopher Melendez spent his senior year determined to make his fellow classmates’ voices heard by Spring Branch ISD leaders.
Melendez created a student organization called the American Latino Advocacy Society — abbreviated to ALAS, or “wings” in Spanish — where students worked together to resist controversial changes in the district, often by contacting trustees and attending board meetings. The club soared to roughly 60 members when district leaders eliminated all librarians and unveiled budget cuts that closed programs and schools on the district’s majority-Latino northside.
As conservative school board trustees in several districts — including Conroe, Cy-Fair and Katy ISDs — have introduced policies that rankle the region’s more liberal youth, it has sparked a growing movement of students finding their voice by organizing to push back against their district’s leadership.
Generally, student opposition hasn’t done much to influence trustees’ decision-making. But students take pride in other wins, such as getting more young people involved in local governance and encouraging broader scrutiny of their districts.
Most students were inspired to speak in front of their school board or join an advocacy organization when a particular policy or issue hit close to home.
In Katy ISD, students came out in force against the approval of a “gender policy” which requires staff to disclose students’ gender identity to parents, among other protocols.
Heated debates over instituting the same gender identity policy, along with controversial book bans, mobilized students in Conroe ISD.
Students are increasingly speaking out after a Cy-Fair ISD election that flipped the board to a conservative supermajority was followed by librarian cuts and lengthy discussion of whether to allow religious chaplains as counselors in schools.
And in Spring Branch ISD, students pushed back against budget cuts that closed schools in lower-income parts of the district and eliminated all librarians.
Student advocates turn to social media to rally more of their peers behind their causes and encourage their friends to attend school board meetings with them.
This year, over 80 students across the region took part in the student advocacy organization Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, which aims to get more students involved in policymaking. Members often coordinate to push back against school board policies they oppose — with students sometimes traveling to other districts to speak out about issues.
Despite their efforts, students generally have not had much success in swaying their school board members.
Though they often expect their words to fall on deaf ears, students believe it’s still important to keep speaking up.
Jarred Burton, Katy ISD’s Tompkins High School: When you speak at a board meeting, you’re not just speaking to board members. You’re speaking to the community. … You’re not just speaking to the people in power, because they don’t get there by coincidence. There’s people that vote to put them there.
Some students have seen larger successes by persisting even after school boards make choices that they worked to oppose.
Their advocacy has had impacts beyond the boardroom. For some, it’s finding community in like-minded peers. For others, it’s discovering their path forward after high school.
https://www.instagram.com/studentsfor...
QNPoohBear wrote: "• The director of the Alpena Public Library (MI) just resigned from her position after being there only a year. The reasons are personal, as well as related to an unsupportive library board that is..."Follow-up
Alpena County residents speak out against commissioners
Concerned residents in Alpena County, who want to hold members of the Alpena County Board of Commissioners accountable for their vote to replace all of the members of the Alpena County Library Board, held an organizational meeting on Monday.
Those in attendance brainstormed what the most effective methods could be to ensure the proposed property tax renewal for the library passes and oust the commissioners from their seats.
The ideas included recruiting Alpena County residents from all of the districts to run as write-in candidates for commissioner seats during the November election, holding demonstrations, and organizing protests aimed at the commissioners.
People from each of the districts took on responsibilities to help push the group’s initiatives forward.
Monday’s meeting was organized by Molly Stepanski, co-owner of PIF Cider. There was little talk of a recall for the commissioners because recall laws changed after county commissioners’ terms were extended from two years to four years.
The commissioners are under heat because they voted last week to replace the members of the library board for failing to work with residents who expressed concerns about some books in the teen and children’s section that some residents deem p____graphic.
Some of the people who wanted the books moved started a campaign urging people to vote against a property tax renewal for the library next week.
The books in question are titled “Let’s Talk About It” which is located in the teen section for people 12-17 years old and “It’s Perfectly Normal” which is in the children’s section dedicated to children ages zero to 11 years old.
The commissioners and some people who opposed the location of the books in the library did not want the books removed from the library, but to have them moved to a section of the library they believe is more appropriate.
The library and its supporters say that violates the First Amendment rights of people who want the books.
Although the books were mentioned on Monday, it was the action of the board that drew the brunt of the ire of supporters of the library and others who were at the meeting who have concerns about the commissioner’s action.
About a dozen people took the microphone and talked about all of the programs and services the library offers that thousands of people in the county utilize and depend on.
There was never any conversation about working with the county or the library to find common ground or trying to reach a compromise.
In the near term, the group of concerned citizens intends to do their part to make sure the millage request passes.
A rally is slated for Saturday which will begin at the Alpena County Courthouse and the group will walk downtown and show off its support outside the library. Anyone who wants to show their support for the library is welcome to attend.
Voters will decide on Aug. 6 whether to renew the library’s 0.7462-mill property tax for operations.
• Huntsville-Madison County Public Library (AL) is trying to decide where and how to comply with the state’s new requirements to get financial aid. This is a really good piece and conversation they have about the position the state has put them in. The public library also dealt with a challenge to All Boys Aren’t Blue this week, and the board elected to keep it in the YA section where it belongs. Huntsville-Madison Library board weighs new state aid requirements
Board Chair Kevin Gray said the board must consider any new policy’s impact on the community and not just achieving state funding.
https://www.alreporter.com/2024/07/31...
While some libraries such as Ozark-Dale and Autauga-Prattville have already taken action in an attempt to comply with the new code, HMCPL board members indicated they are taking a more measured approach.
“We’re wrestling with it, we want to figure it out and we want to do it the right way; but at the same time, I don’t want to sacrifice our smaller branches and those populations that rely on the library that can’t run out and buy (a book) from Barnes and Noble or Amazon,” said Kevin Gray, board chair. “If some of these regulations, for us to be compliant, are going to deprive them of access–I think as a board, we’re not here for the state of Alabama. We’re here for the Huntsville-Madison County community.”
Gray noted that the board is watching the ongoing litigation against the Autauga-Prattville Public Library for current policies that patrons allege are unconstitutionally vague and overbroad while engaging in viewpoint discrimination.
Board member Melissa Thompson gave the board a rundown of the code changes, pointing out potential unintended consequences of the new language. For example, Thompson said, nonfiction research materials are generally located in the adult section so high school students doing book reports on historical figures would now need parental permission to check out books from the adult section to help them do those assignments.
Gray said some of the system’s more rural libraries also will struggle to create distinct divisions between youth and adult sections in one-room facilities.
Board members also touched on the lack of direction on material “inappropriate for minors,” which the new code requires libraries to address but provides leeway on defining those materials.
In Ozark, the library defined inappropriate minors in a way that only addresses s-----y explicit material, while the Prattville policy still appears to consider books with “mature themes including sexual orientation and gender identity” as inappropriate for minors.
Gray said the library board will be bringing new policy in time to qualify for state aid, so long as the policy can be drafted without creating a detriment to the community’s libraries.
The HMCPL system gets about half a million dollars in state aid each year, but is also one of the systems that can most afford to go without state aid thanks to generous donations from its member cities and county commissions. The overall library system budget exceeds $8 million.
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)
More...
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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Bytes Beat Bonfires:
How Blockchain Technology Can Make Banned Books a Thing of the Past
https://medium.com/@josi_book/bytes-b...