Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
I'm very confused. There's a book that contains incest, prostitution, genocide, fratricide, political assassination and many instances of rape and attempted rape (both straight and gay), and somehow it doesn't ever appear on any of these banned lists. Of course, the book I'm talking about is the Bible.
Mod
Yup, good point, Ivonne, and in particular in the Old Testament ...
There have of course also been moves to ban the Bible in the past (and which I am also very much against), but for the Religious Right (and not just Christians), the Bible is above and beyond any and all claims that there is inappropriate material to be found therein.
Manybooks wrote: "There have of course also been moves to ban the Bible in the past (and which I am also very much against), but for the Religious Right (and not just Christians), the Bible is above and beyond any and all claims that there is inappropriate material to be found therein.."Like you, I don't think the Bible should be banned. When I taught Advanced Placement English Literature, I used it because so much of Brit Lit before 1900 assumes Biblical literacy. But they should not be able to get away with a double standard. If they know that their bans will include the Bible, there's a chance they'll stop dumbing down schools and libraries.
Manybooks, I know you live in Canada. I have such a wonderful vision of Canada as a place where reason and tolerance flourish. Please tell me that you do not have Moms of Liberty in the Great White North. I want to believe that you guys are way more civilized than we are.
Mod
Canada is not as book banning happy as the USA, but there are areas where it happens and transphobia is rampant (Alberta for instance).
Manybooks wrote: "Canada is not as book banning happy as the USA, but there are areas where it happens and transphobia is rampant (Alberta for instance)."I'm stunned. How can someone in Canada look south and say, "Ooh! I want some of that! I want a big slice of anger, chaos and bigotry!"
Ivonne wrote: "Please tell me that you do not have Moms of Liberty in the Great White North. I want to believe that you guys are way more civilized than we are."
Yes they do actually. Maitoba and Alberta, provinces bordering the midwestern U.S. have seen a rise in conservative activism. The you know whos/similar parental rights people are also in the UK and every English speaking first world nation.
Attempts have been made to ban the Bible but that counts as a legitimate challenge and wastes taxpayer money and people's time to review. Kelly Jensen argues that's not the answer because when we say freedom of religion, freedom to read we have to mean it. Not just freedom to read what WE want because that makes us the same as the censors. Lawsuits are a better idea.
While so much of literature and history is based on the Bible, that's something personal for families to instruct or not instruct their kids in. I'm an advocate of teaching Medieval Christianity 101 as a historical subject. Just the what's like who God is and a basic overview of the what. I believe it would help students understand the mindset of the conquerors and colonists. However, in Oklahoma, the state commissioner of education is determined to put Bibles in every classroom and make teachers teach the Bible. The education department claims teachers can teach Hindu, Muslim, Judaism, etc. along with the Christian Bible and having the Bible will help students understand foundational literature. Well yes but teachers can still copy parts of the Bible or more likely students will look it up on Wikipedia which will give a summary of the reference and students will move on and read summaries of the books in order to pass exams.
This week's Literary Activism newsletter has the astounding costs of reviewing challenged books. Kelly Jensen points out this is what the censors want. They want to point to the expense and then take that money and instead open unregulated charter schools (White, Christian, Nationalist) without any of these books or educational materials on anything they don't agree with. The dark money people want to privatize everything they can, including schools and libraries and are funding well coordinated attacks on the Constitution.
Early voting is happening now. Take the time to look up where the candidates stand on book banning and who is funding their campaigns. I'm lucky to live in a super, duper liberal neighborhood where they're so against book banning, it's not even on anyone's radar except Kirk Cameron and also the neo Nazis who made trouble once or twice. I made sure to check the school board candidates and vote for the one that mentioned social emotional learning!
I'm voting for the one who says she opposes charters and vouchers. The other one was strangely silent on the subject....
Mod
"
Yes they do actually. Maitoba an..."
Manitoba is not too bad except in some very rural areas (and the Conservatives got their silly butts kicked during recent provincial election and the new premier is First Nations and totally against any type of book banning). But Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunswick are problematic (and Alberta has always been Social Conservative and the current premiers of both Alberta and Saskatchewan are close personal friends with Donald Trump).
Manybooks wrote: "the current premiers of both Alberta and Saskatchewan are close personal friends with Donald Trump"Yikes!
Arlington, Virginia (Washington, DC) Library Director Diane Kresh spoke to the media during Banned Books Week. https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/arl...
Mod
The Liberals have WON in New Brunswick (with Susan Holt becoming the first woman to be premier in NB history) and that Trump-like Conservative premier with his disgusting school pronoun use rules has actually lost his own seat!! Really super news!!!
Mod
Yes. it sure is.
Manybooks wrote: "https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-br...The Liberals have WON in New Brunswick (with Susan Holt becoming the first woman to be premier in NB history) and that Trump..."
Hooray!
What? NO! It's the librarians and teachers who choose which books should be included in schools. School board manages budget and gets new school buildings and curriculum materials. this judge should be tossed out on his ear if he doesn't know what the school board does. https://flaglerlive.com/school-board-...
Florida school board members don’t have to testify in book ban lawsuit
One of the more notable cases involves authors suing the Escambia County school district over the removal of their books, such as “And Tango Makes Three.” They have argued that pulling their books off the shelves violates their First Amendment rights. To prove the point, they’ve sought to depose school board members to get at the thought process behind the decisions.
A federal judge has stood in the way. Board members do not have to testify, the judge ruled, because of “legislative privilege."
United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho on Friday issued a 15-page order agreeing with the school board that members do not have to give depositions because of what is known as “legislative privilege.”
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include parents, authors, the publishing company Penguin Random House and the free speech group PEN American Center, Inc. The plaintiffs’ lawyers sought to question board members about their reasons for removing the books.
Pointing to previous court rulings, Bolitho’s decision in part said that the school board’s decision to remove or restrict access to books “bore all the hallmarks of traditional legislation.” The board “was making a policy judgment” when it decided that books should not be available to students, the judge wrote. “Indeed, deciding what educational materials should be used in schools and what things are age-appropriate for students to be learning is what school board members are elected to do,” Bolitho’s ruling said.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit contend that school board decisions to remove or restrict access to library books violated First Amendment and constitutional equal-protection rights. Litigation over book removals in schools has mushroomed as Florida and other Republican-led states have made it easier for parents and other people to scrutinize books and to challenge materials that they deem unsuitable for students.
IowaIowa book ban law: Plaintiffs ask judge reinstate temporary block
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/sto...
Plaintiffs in lawsuits against Iowa's book ban law have vowed to continue their legal challenges, filing new requests for a preliminary injunction against the law.
There are two federal lawsuits against the state's education law Senate File 496 — one predominantly led by a group of book publishers and authors, and the other involving LGBTQ+ youth advocate group Iowa Safe Schools, students and school staff. The plaintiffs in both lawsuits last week filed new requests for preliminary injunctions after an appeals court in August overturned a temporary block on the law.
SF 496 bans books that depict or describe s-x acts from schools, except for religious and health texts. It also prohibits instruction or curriculum about gender identity and sexual orientation through the sixth grade, which some schools have interpreted to include banning books with those themes.
The lawsuits against SF 496 were originally filed last fall, with plaintiffs arguing that the law is unconstitutional.
In a virtual news conference Lambda Legal and American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa held Monday, Nathan Maxwell, a senior attorney for Lambda, said the new filings reflect the appeals court's ruling and include a legal analysis the court required given the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the recent Moody v. NetChoice case. The organizations are part of the legal team that represent the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that includes Iowa Safe Schools.
Maxwell added there's also been changes to the plaintiffs. Puck Carlson, a student previously involved with the case, graduated high school and another, identified in the lawsuit by a pseudonym, left public schools.
But two new plaintiffs were added. Dan Gutmann is a fourth grade teacher at Des Moines Public Schools and Alyson Telford is a seventh grade teacher in Norwalk.
Gutmann talked during Monday's news conference about how the law has negatively affected him as a teacher who's also a gay man. He said an administrator told him he could not mention his husband in the presence of students after the law passed.
The district reversed its policy position after he objected, he said.
"Whether or not the state and schools are allowed to discipline me and other LGBTQ+ staff for our identities, the problem is that under Senate File 496, we don't know one way or the other if they will try. These are our careers on the line," Gutmann said....
Locher in December placed a preliminary injunction on the law's book ban and its restrictions on the instruction of gender and sexuality while the lawsuits continue. He wrote that Senate File 496 is too vague and presents constitutional concerns under the First and 14th amendments.
Judge Ralph Erickson said in the appeals decision that overturned the injunction that the district court's analysis had been flawed. "Given the pedagogical mission and the policy making authority possessed by Iowa, it is important in conducting a review and analysis to bear in mind that Iowa is not required to tolerate speech that undermines or is inconsistent with its central mission of educating Iowa children," Erickson wrote.
But the appeals court rejected the state's argument that the removal of books from public school libraries constitutes government speech.
The Des Moines Register has documented 3,400 books pulled from schools under Senate File 496, which has also prompted concerns from advocates about the effect on LGBTQ+ students.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/e...Ellen Hopkins ‘She’s 100 percent right’: Banned author visits 2 Las Vegas high schools
QNPoohBear wrote: "This is sickening. Way to NOT harm the children! Kelly Jensen of BookRiot reportsA South Carolina Public Library Won’t Buy New Books for Those Under 18
Thanks to a new proviso in the South Carol..."
Now they're saying no new books with s----ual content
HA! Good news.Texas county reverses classification of Indigenous history book as fiction
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2...
The Texas community of Montgomery county, near Houston, reclassified the book after creating a citizen review committee, making the committee’s meetings secret and removing librarians from deliberations – changes driven by a conservative Christian group.
“The recent decision by commissioner-appointed committee members has outraged not just our community, but the country as a whole,” said Teresa Kenney, a Montgomery county resident and founder of the Village Books store, at a recent meeting of county leaders.
“Nowhere in the approved policy is it under the committee’s purview to determine whose history is fact or fiction,” she added.
“To claim this book is fiction dismisses our perspective and history,” Debbie Reese, founder of American Indians in Children’s Literature, said in a statement at the time the book’s reclassification came to light.
“Books like Colonization and the Wampanoag Story are important to Native kids because they affirm our existence as Native people in the present day. But they’re also for non-Native kids, because those kids are being shaped by the information in books. This country is better off if we all know history in a more informed way,” Reese said.
..
In addition to putting a “stay” on all decisions of the citizens review committee, county commission members in Montgomery said they would create another committee to review library rules, including those around the citizen review committee. The new committee is expected to be made up of county staff members and to be advised by the county attorney,
This could be good or bad depending on which vendors they allow. https://www.wyff4.com/article/greenvi...
Greenville County Schools will resume hosting book fairs starting in January 2025.
District spokesman Tim Waller released the following statement about the decision:
"After thoroughly reviewing options and working with multiple vendors, the District determined a process for book fairs that balances the opportunity to promote literacy with students, involve parents, and fundraise for schools while also complying with SC Regulation 43-170 and maintaining a manageable process for staff.
"Vendors must sign a form acknowledging they have reviewed and will comply with SC Regulation 43-170 and will provide schools with a list of books that may be in the book fair at least four weeks in advance. Media specialists will review and vet the books, and the list will be shared with parents and guardians ahead of time for review. Students will need a signed permission form to attend the book fair. Multiple book vendors have already agreed to the process, and we anticipate additional vendors will be added."
I'm betting someone from the you know whos or whatever did this on purpose.https://www.ptleader.com/stories/zoom...
Zoom hack derails Quilcene school board's LGBTQ+ books decision | Port Townsend Leader
The Quilcene School Board’s Oct. 16 regular meeting opened the floor to discuss what was itemized as “an LGBTQ Library Books Proposed Resolution/Donation,” but the Zoom feed of the meeting was derailed by a hack that broadcast p-----graphy during the public comment section.
Quilcene School Superintendent Ron Moag sent out a letter the following day explaining that the disruption caused the Zoom broadcast of the meeting to be shut down, for which he extended an apology “for having to take those measures.”
Quilcene School Board Chair Jon Cooke confirmed that “some person got control of the screen, and with the large number of people virtually attending the Zoom meeting, our IT guy could not find the culprit, so we had to shut the Zoom broadcast down.”
Moag assured the public that “we are taking precautionary measures” with regard to its Zoom broadcast set-up to prevent it from happening in the future.
The rest of the meeting agenda went as planned, said Cooke, who emphasized the school board took the public input it received before the disruption occurred seriously.
Although the board went on to discuss the resolution regarding LGBTQ library books, it tabled the resolution without taking action during the Oct. 16 meeting.
“The board listened to more than 30 public comments,” Cooke said. “We appreciate people’s opinions on this issue, and the discussion included parent’s rights to limit the topics their children are exposed to, how our school library is operated, and the board’s role in the selection of curriculum.“
As soon as the public comment period opened several speakers warned against banning LGBTQ-related books. Ann Jesse and PEARL teacher Julia Kilcullen noted that Washington state passed House Bill 2331 this year, which prohibits schools from banning books based on race, religion, gender identity, or s--ual orientation of the author or the subject.
“I ask the board if you are here to serve all the students of this district, to ensure and help facilitate their academic success, to help them become the contributing citizens we need, to help them in their life after graduation with confidence, free from fear to become whole human beings?” Jesse said. “Or are you here to promote an agenda? Since two of you have taken office, the meetings have been dominated by attacks on teachers, the library, books in the library, the school-based health clinics and Title IX, explicitly targeting transgender youth sports.”
Kilcullen took issue with the phrasing of the board proposal, which she said “describes the books in question as containing controversial s--ual topics, and implies that their content is s--ually explicit. This is completely misleading and inaccurate. These books have no more s--ual content than any other books in the Quilcene Schools Library. The fact that something is about people in the LGBTQ community does not mean it is inherently s--ually explicit, and to imply that it does is appalling.”
Courtney Beck, who identified herself as a parent, English teacher and union president, asserted that books do not affect young readers’ sexual orientations, as she thanked Eli Allen, one of the Associated Student Body’s two representatives on the Quilcene School Board, for his role in organizing support for her bisexual son, who was recently outed without his prior consent.
“I hate sitting back here and listening to you all talk about something that affects my child,” Beck said. “I wanted him to come tonight, but I didn’t want him to see me. He goes to school, and all he sees is love. So if you are a teacher, or a staff member, or a student in the crowd, I just want to say thank you for supporting my openly bi son and my other transgender son.”
PEARL special education teacher Jenelle Cleland warned that “the current agenda does not appear to be supportive of all students,” and could further divide a community that had united around the levy.
“The focus seems to be on pushing out anything that does not align with the views of a select few individuals,” Cleland said. “It’s alarming to hear the board mischaracterizing inclusivity, suggesting that even mentioning the word ‘transgender,’ or acknowledging a student’s choice to use certain pronouns, is somehow inappropriate. One board member suggested that if teachers spent less time focusing on the LGBTQ issues, our academic performance would improve.”
Cleland said that no teacher in the district was pushing any child to be a certain way, particularly when it comes to gender.
“Our responsibility is to accept all students as they are, and foster an environment that supports each one of their unique needs,” said Cleland. “That is what you entrust us to do, and it is what we work diligently to do every single day. This isn’t about education. It feels like it’s about control, and it feels like we’re on a slippery slope toward an environment where power is prioritized over progress, and I’m worried about what’s next.”
I am saddened that some people are so frightened by LGBT persons that they do not think logically. I read Cinderella -- even saw the cartoon musical and the TV movie; yet, alas, I did not become a princess! Reading about gay people or seeing a trans child doesn't change who people are.
Ivonne wrote: "I read Cinderella -- even saw the cartoon musical and the TV movie; yet, alas, I did not become a princess! Reading about gay people or seeing a trans child doesn't change who people are."Exactly the same argument Shannon Hale made when she stated in her day in school she read the canon of white men and it didn't make her a man.
This week's new - the Montgomery County, Maryland plan to erase LGBTQ+ people continues as parents are still fighting over TWO silly picture books. Pride Puppy! a simple story about a puppy running away through a Pride Parade with seek and find in the back.
My Rainbow about a family's love for and acceptance of a transgender girl with autism. They work hard to make her happy and it's based on the author's family experiences.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/educat...
MCPS pulls two LGBTQ-inclusive books from the English Language Arts curriculum
Montgomery County Public Schools have removed the books, “Pride Puppy” and “My Rainbow,” from the district’s English Language Arts curriculum. The removal came amidst the school system’s legal battle regarding parents’ ability to opt their children out of instruction in which LGBTQ-inclusive books are being taught. The books remain available in school libraries. [The Washington Post]
I don't remember any adult content in Wacky Wednesday or anything else to object to. No David? That was funny and very popular when my mom was teaching nursery school.https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/...
Dr. Seuss novel among 400+ books removed from Wilson County school libraries
Due to a new state law, more than 400 books have been pulled from Wilson County school libraries, including a children’s book by Dr. Seuss called “Wacky Wednesday.”
“It’s heartbreaking that our school district had to make this choice to remove so many books,” said Erin Moore, Wilson County parent.
For years, book bans have caused heated discussions during Wilson County School Board meetings.
Why are these books that contain this kind of overt adult s--ual content within the walls of a children’s library?” School Board member Greg Hohman asked during a school board meeting a few years ago.
In the past, when books were challenged in Wilson County, they went before a book review committee. The committee would then recommend if a book should go on the “mature reading list,” which allowed parents to make the decision for their child.
“And so our community stood up and said, ‘We don’t want book banning,’ and it worked, but then our representative, Susan Lynn, who represents Wilson County, proposed this bill in the state legislature and turned it into law,” said Lindsey Patrick-Wright, Wilson County parent and former librarian.
Republican state Rep. Susan Lynn proposed a stricter law that led to librarians reviewing all their books and removing any with s---al content, excess violence and some forms of abuse.
“The goal of this law is to keep s---ally explicit materials out of the hands of minors,” Lynn told News 2 in August.
Some critics of the law have said it’s so vague, the Bible could be banned in schools.
Wilson County Director of Schools Jeff Luttrell warned about the potential impact of the law after it took effect in July.
“And what I don’t want is for our library and administrators, this is a tremendous amount of pressure on them,” said Luttrell.
Ahead of Thursday’s board meeting, Luttrell released a list of over 400 books removed from elementary, middle and high school shelves.
Patrick-Wright fears this is just the beginning, and more books will be removed in the future.
“We just found out recently that children’s books such as ‘Wacky Wednesday’ and ‘No, David!’ have also been removed and those weren’t even on the chopping block in the past couple of years, so these completely innocuous books have been removed that are beloved by children,” Patrick-Wright said.
Alabama- PUBLIC libraryhttps://www.wkrg.com/baldwin-county/b...
Battle of the books: What children should or should not read, new policy for minors at Fairhope Public Library
A new policy was implemented Monday at the Fairhope Public Library in response to the ongoing nationwide debate of what children should or should not read.
“S---ally explicit library books have been marketed to our youth in the Fairhope Public Library,” Baldwin County Conservative Coalition leader Brian Dasinger said. “Remove the s----ally explicit books and put them in the adult section.”
In Fairhope, all children 17 and younger now need parental permission to check out certain books, fully putting the decision of what children can read in the hands of their parents.
“We’ve created policies that are to give power to parents, but do not step on anybody’s constitutional rights,” Fairhope city councilman Corey Martin said.
A policy change by the Alabama Public Library Service required local libraries like the one in Fairhope to change some policies concerning parental choices to receive their full funding.
Minors must have their parents sign a consent form in person at the library allowing or not allowing them to check out books in certain sections. If a child attempts to check out a book that is out of their limits, the system will alert the librarian.
“We’re requiring parents to make a choice,” Fairhope Public Library Assistant Director Rob Gourlay said. “Do they want their minors access to the entire library collection, including the adult collections, or limit their child’s access to the teen collection and younger or just the youngest age?”
The policy is an effort to meet everybody in the middle while preserving what makes Fairhope’s library special.
Minnesotahttps://www.mprnews.org/episode/2024/...
Osseo school board passes policy allowing any resident to challenge library books
[T]he Osseo Public School Board voted 4-2 to revise its policy on how books in school libraries are chosen and challenged.
The revised policy lists procedures under which residents of the school district — as well as students, parents or guardians — can raise concerns about library materials.
Opponents call the measure a pathway to banning books — one that goes around a new state law widely referred to as a “ban on book bans.” Earlier this year, the Minnesota legislature passed a law blocking public schools from banning books because of the viewpoints or messages they contain.
Osseo Public Schools board member Tamara Grady, who voted against the policy change, said parents have the right to intervene in what their own children are reading, but other residents should not be able to do so.
“Why would they need to come to the school board unless it is part of a concerted, coordinated effort to remove books from our system, to ban marginalized identities and to remove the academic freedom for our students to learn to read and learn about themselves?” Grady said.
School board member Heather Douglass voted in favor. She and a spokesperson for Osseo Public Schools said the implication that the change is a precursor to book bans is misleading. She said residents already had the ability to give input on books in classrooms and libraries and the purpose of the change was to edit language to comply with a state law.
Douglass added, as taxpayers, all residents of the district have a stake in what happens in schools.
“We rely on our community for a great many things, including passing referendums and bonds in addition to property taxes so that we might better serve our students,” she said. “The majority of our voting community members are not parents, but there are stakeholders just as much as any parent, student or district employee.”
Libraries are on the ballot. Kentucky
Question 2
Constitutional Amendment 2 on the November 2024 ballot to protect public education funding and school libraries.
If passed, Amendment 2 would allow public funds to be diverted from the state's public schools, including their top-tier school libraries, to private institutions. Kentucky's school libraries, among the best in the nation, could see critical budget cuts, harming students' access to essential resources.
https://www.libraries2024.org/vote_no...
https://www.saveschoollibrarians.org/...
Utah Amendment A
This proposed constitutional amendment seeks to dismantle a long-standing mandate that safeguards funding for public education in Utah—something that will negatively impact schools and school libraries, which rely on stable educational systems for collaborative programming and services.
chool libraries play a critical role in fostering literacy, research skills, and lifelong learning. Without reliable funding for schools, school libraries may face cutbacks, reducing students' access to essential resources, technology, and reading materials. This would disproportionately impact students in rural and lower-income districts, where school libraries are often the primary resource for books and digital tools.
Amendment A will disproportionately impact underfunded school districts that rely on state education funding to provide equitable opportunities for their students. Without this constitutional protection, wealthier districts could continue to thrive while disadvantaged communities fall further behind.
Utah’s growing school voucher program, which diverts public dollars into private schools, stands to benefit if Amendment A passes. The legislature’s ongoing push toward school privatization will only intensify if this amendment removes the constitutional protections for public education funding, leaving public schools struggling to meet basic needs.
North Dakota Measure 4
Measure 4 would eliminate property taxes based on assessed value, a move that would strip local governments of essential funding sources for maintaining public services, including libraries, emergency services, and education. If approved, this measure would create a financial void of approximately $1.3 billion annually, with no clear plan for replacement, jeopardizing the stability and well-being of North Dakota's communities.
Public libraries, in particular, would suffer devastating cuts, impacting their ability to provide essential resources and programming that benefit all residents, from young children to seniors.
https://www.libraries2024.org/oppose_...
This sounds like Conservative media sensationalizing the story so I shall summarize. I'm betting the adult gets fired.https://www.wgal.com/article/lebanon-...
LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. —
The Palmyra Area School District board in Lebanon County
The Sexuality and Gender Alliance club advisor had a library of probably banned books. The kind they label you know what.
Katryna Griffin – a former nurse at the school – said she was the one who found the library and was appalled at the content of the books. Griffin said she delivered the book to her administrators the following morning.
[Yet they can find the same information and worse on their phones even innocently.]
She doesn't think it's OK to have explicit books in the reach of high school students.
"I actually would advocate for, instead of a secret library, a set of curated resources for our students, for parents, so that we could absolutely encourage these open discussions in a healthy, open way," she said.
The district said it conducted an immediate investigation after the incident and a second investigation when the topic was brought up in the last board meeting.
District officials said there is no evidence the book referenced was ever in the possession of students or in their presence. It wasn't part of the SAGA club's private collection of books. The district also found that no students in the SAGA club violated district policy or any laws.
The official statement:
"The District approved a student-run SAGA Club in 2015. The SAGA club is a student-run club that meets at the end of a school day on school property. Any student is welcome, but the club is mostly attended by LGBTQIA+ students and their allies. Like every student club, a District employee is assigned as an advisor, to oversee the activities of the club. This adult does not run the club, but simply oversees the club's activities, supervises the students, and ensures that they do not violate any school rules or policies. An assigned advisor is not a participant, but an observer.
"The allegations raised by the citizen were already brought to the Administration's attention, investigated, and resolved when it was originally brought to the Superintendent's attention in May of 2024. When the public comment was made at the last meeting, the District re-opened the investigation and re-examined whether it had missed any concerns. The District Administration investigated the concern, consulted with legal counsel, and determined the following:
It was discovered in May of 2024 that the SAGA Club had a student-held collection of books that was supported by their student-run club. The SAGA Club books were maintained in a high school classroom closet where the SAGA Club's meetings are held. The books in question were the private books of that club, were not part of the District's library system, and were not publicly available to the student body. The books were privately maintained.
The SAGA Club books had a sticker on the inside cover that identified them as the property of the Palmyra Area High School SAGA Club.
No evidence has been found to suggest that any of the books maintained by the SAGA Club have even been accessed by club members in approximately one year.
There is no evidence that any of the books maintained by the SAGA Club students were s---ally explicit or not appropriate to be in the private possession of the students on school property during SAGA Club meetings.
News articles have made mention of a specific book allegedly being possessed by an adult employee. Based upon the Administration's investigation, it is clear that there is no evidence that the book referenced in the news articles was ever in the possession or presence of students, nor was it part of the SAGA Club's private collection of books.
"As soon as concerns were raised about the Club's private collection of books, the District immediately requested that the labels be removed (to ensure separation from the District) and that the books be removed from the school setting during the pendency of the investigation. Since the completion of the initial investigation in May 2024, the books have not been returned. The SAGA Club no longer maintains a collection of books on campus.
"Nonetheless, the District recognizes the importance of student-run clubs that address a diversity of interests and positions. None of the actions of the SAGA Club students violated District Policy or state or federal law. The District promotes an environment that is welcome to all students and seeks to ensure no individual is subjected to discrimination.
"As to the concerns raised about a District employee, the District cannot comment on a personnel matter for confidentiality and legal reasons."
Katy ISD, Texas ponders new teacher training after a Native American book made White students "uncomfortable" https://www.houstonchronicle.com/neig...
Well, good! Isn't that the point of an education? Learning to think, ask questions and form opinions?
Mod
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/neig...-..."
White students are supposed to feel uncomfortable regarding Native Americans/Canadians, just like books about the Holocaust should make me as a person of German background feel uncomfortable.
What on earth? "S-e-xualizing children" is a Communist plot? That's a new one. Not real sure how a book about staying silent after sexual assault is either of those things. Wait WHAT? The real problem here is not employing librarians in the school district. What the what? Who buys books and recommends them and checks them out to students? Who is there to help the kids?
https://12ft.io/proxy
Five books will stay in the Selah High School library after the school board found a committee followed proper procedures in considering a community member's request to remove them.
Board members on Oct. 10 voted unanimously that members of the Selah School District's instructional materials committee followed the district's process for reconsideration of "The Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo; "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson; "Smoke" and "Perfect", both by Ellen Hopkins; and "Looking for Alaska" by John Green.
"That was our only role — to say whether the appropriate criteria were applied and the procedure was followed," board President Dan Peters said in an email.
A district instructional materials committee, comprised of parents and educators, spent all spring and summer reading the books in their entirety so that they could understand the context and themes of the books and not just select passages, he added.
"They then evaluated their suitability based on our policy standards," he said. "The board as a whole thanks them for this thoughtful and thorough service to our district."
"Speak" is also available in the Selah Middle School library. Those five books can't be challenged again for at least three years according to school district policy and procedures, said Selah Superintendent Kevin McKay.
Daylene Ackerman appealed the committee's decision, which brought the issue before school board members. Ackerman is a longtime Selah resident and has a granddaughter in the middle school, she said in a recent email.
"You can override this decision," Ackerman said during the Oct. 10 study session. "This is not a freedom of speech issue. If a student or a parent are OK with this type of material, this can be provided at home or somewhere else. It's not banned from society."
"This is not book banning. This is curating," she added.
Ackerman believes all citizens have the right to challenge books in school libraries and classrooms, not just parents of current students.
"According to our form of government, they have a say in such matters," Ackerman said in her email. "The reality, in this case, is that what the kids learn impacts the whole community."
Books available in school and classroom libraries are considered supplemental instructional materials. Public school districts in the state often follow guidance from the Washington State School Directors’ Association in creating polices and procedures governing requested reviews and removals of supplemental instructional materials.
Textbooks and instructional materials that are part of school curriculum can also be reviewed and reconsidered by following a set process.
McKay noted that a total of nine school library books were requested for reconsideration by Ackerman and another community member. Of those, Ackerman requested six for reconsideration. One — "Alice on the Outside" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor — isn't on Selah school library shelves, he said.
Ackerman appealed the decision of the instructional materials committee, but the other community member who requested three titles for reconsideration hasn't appealed, McKay said. Roy Dove challenged "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews and two more titles by Ellen Hopkins — "Glass" and "Burned".
Committee members went through the process, and the chairman reached out in writing to the community members about what was decided.
In speaking at the Oct. 10 study session, Ackerman said she is concerned that some books could be part of a larger communist plot. She read excerpts from "The Naked Communist" as examples of how communists could take control.
"So why are we seeing the s--ualization of children in our culture? Why is p-----graphy so ubiquitous and defended?" she asked the board. "Perhaps it has been orchestrated. Communists recognized that Christian principles are the strength of the country and that which had to be eliminated to bring down countries."
Issues can be written about and discussed without salacious details, Ackerman said. "There is a plethora of books to choose from that are relevant, don't have this content and actually stimulate academic growth," she said.
Ackerman read out loud excerpts from "Looking for Alaska" and "Me, Earl and the Dying Girl" that described oral se-, pausing briefly between excerpts. Board members had no reaction.
"That's what we are considering that is educational for our community, for our kids," Ackerman said. "And again I just ask you to consider your responsibility and your legal authority to decide what is in our school system."
Speaking as an individual board member, a parent of two Selah graduates and an English teacher with 30 years of experience, Peters said he agrees with Ackerman "that p-----graphy does not belong in our school libraries. However, these books are decidedly not p-------phic," he wrote in his recent email.
"I think there’s confusion about a book that talks about s-- and a book that encourages it. That's why it's important to read the entire book before judging it," he said. "The challenged books point out the complexities and sometimes dangers of these behaviors. They essentially serve as warnings against drug misuse, casual s--ual encounters, or toxic friendships."
Peters has read the books and supports the committee's decision, he said. "Not all books are for everyone, but these books are appropriate choices for our school library," he wrote in his email.
Peters doesn't believe the challenged books are part of a larger communist plot, he wrote. "On the contrary, the national movement to ban books seems undemocratic to me and sells our students short," he said.
McKay has been a superintendent for 20 years and is in his third year as Selah's superintendent. Up until this school year, McKay has not experienced challenges to instructional materials or library materials.
Earlier this school year a parent challenged the "Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State" curriculum, McKay said.
"From my experience, both at Selah and 20 years as a superintendent, this is not something that regularly happens," McKay added. "In talking to others, no library books have been questioned. There have been people who have come in and reviewed some curriculum in the school district and had some concerns from my time in Selah."
Organizations such as Take Back the Classroom encourage parents and others to find what books are in their local school district and provide guidance, including searching for books by state on its website.
Ackerman learned about the issue from a podcast that highlighted Take Back the Classroom's website, she said in her email.
"My concern is the innocence of our children, and the detrimental effects that s---ually explicit material has on the brain," Ackerman wrote. "I think we challenged nine books in Selah; there are others, and I'm sure we didn’t even scratch the surface."
When someone brings up concerns about school library books, the lowest possible level would go to the librarian. However, the Selah School District doesn't employ librarians anymore. The next step is the school principal; the principal in these cases "didn't feel comfortable" because of the number of books and passed it up to the executive director of student learning.
"By our policy, when it bypasses them, that's when the instructional materials committee gets involved in it," McKay said. Members of that committee "follow the same kind of process they follow for curriculum."
The instructional materials committee is made up of educators and at least one parent. It's a three-year commitment, and members are appointed by the school board. They also get involved when new curriculum is adopted.
Multiple parents and educators from all levels have been involved in the instructional materials committee. Secondary educators and three parents were involved with these library book reconsideration requests. The role of the committee is to review and ensure that district policy was followed.
from BookRiot's Kelly Jensen: "Ballard County Public Schools (KY) decided to pull books from library shelves because of a political mailer claiming there were inappropriate books in the school. This is meant to encourage voters to vote pro-voucher in the state and rob the public schools of taxpayer funds."https://www.lpm.org/news/2024-10-20/k...
A far western Kentucky public school system pulled some books from its high school library shelves after a mailer in support of Amendment 2 was sent out earlier this week questioning whether they were appropriate for students.
Some Ballard County residents received a mailer titled "Just Look What Your Tax Dollars Bought for Ballard County Public Schools” that quoted sexually explicit passages from a trio of books the group deemed obscene.
A social media post made by the district Wednesday said that the books had been removed from the high school library’s shelves in reaction to the mailer. In a subsequent interview, Ballard County Schools superintendent Casey Allen confirmed that the decision was a direct reaction to the controversial postcard.
“The explicit language that was printed on the card and sent to homes not by us, to me, was enough information that I needed to pull those from the shelves, at least for now,” Allen said. “I know that some people will act shocked … but I don't know every book that's in the two libraries that we have, and I didn't know that these books were in there. However, no one in the two days since that mailer went out has challenged the books.”
A bill passed in 2022 – sponsored by Republican state Sen. Jason Howell of Murray – mandated that school districts have a process in place when it comes to material challenges. It also defined what sort of material can be classified as “harmful to minors.” That bill passed into law without Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s signature.
Ballard County Schools had a procedure for challenges more than five years before that law went into effect. Allen said only one item has been challenged since it was put in place, and that it was removed from the school’s library.
The works cited on the card included Susan Kuklin’s “Beyond Magenta,” a collection of interviews with teens on transgender identity; the young adult mystery “Shine,” a novel by Lauren Myracle that follows a teenage girl investigating a hate crime involving the beating and near-death of her LGBTQ friend; and Alice Sebold’s memoir “Lucky,” in which the author describes being sexually assaulted as a teen.
All three have been the focus of challenges to materials in libraries across the country since their publications. Kuklin penned an essay that was shared on NPR in 2022 about her work and challenges to it. She said then that people taking passages out of context is mostly what’s led to her book’s controversial reputation.
The district’s post indicated all three of the books it removed had been in the library since at least 2016, with the oldest of the three works having been on the school library’s shelf for more than two decades. It also indicated that none of the three books had been checked out recently.
Allen, a former English teacher, added that students “need to be exposed to information on all sides” and said – though it was “shocking to see … printed on a card and sent directly to people's homes” – that it’s important to consider the context of the language being quoted on the mailer.
“It's still shocking language, but a book that is written by [someone who’s] a victim of r--e when she was 18 years old, you might expect to have shocking language,” the superintendent said. “So to pull an excerpt from that, print it on a card and send it to someone's home without explaining why someone was using language like that strikes me as being a little bit misleading, or at least disingenuous.”
The mailers were sent by Conservatives for the Commonwealth, a social welfare group with a mailing address in southcentral Kentucky. It urged people to “support school choice.” Kentuckians will vote on Amendment 2 in November, a ballot measure that would allow public funds to go toward private education.
Allen has been a vocal opponent of the ballot measure. He believes that it will drain resources from rural school districts like Ballard County.
“It just feels like a fight constantly to keep what we’ve got,” Allen said in an August interview. “But it’s a fight worth fighting.”
WPSD Local 6 obtained a statement from Conservatives for the Commonwealth earlier this week about the mailer and its purpose. In it, the group called the materials in question “po----graphic.”
"We wanted to make sure citizens know that even in many rural communities, public schools are not immune to ideological and inappropriate materials in classrooms and schools,” it read. “These books were paid for with taxpayer dollars. These same school districts are telling their citizens to oppose school choice, while their children are subjected to outrageously s--ual content in their own schools."
Higley Unified School District (AZ) Higley board reviews district's novel selection process again
Higley Unified School District (AZ) plans on reworking their book review process. They failed to ban books following the process this year,
Paywalled
https://www.yourvalley.net/gilbert-in...
Kelly Jensen of BookRiot is on it.
Higley Unified School District (AZ) has set up their book ban review panels which consist of 28 PEOPLE
https://www.gilbertsunnews.com/news/h...
The Higley Unified School District Governing Board last week reviewed a selection process for a committee of district personnel and parents that will review novels assigned to students by teachers.
The discussion comes after some Higley parents objected to the content of novels being assigned to their children in some classes and complained they did not get permission slips when the materials were assigned.
Brittany O’Neill, a Williams Field High English teacher, spoke at an August board meeting, stating that a parent of a child in her Honors Multilingual Literature class had been threatening legal action against her for the books she assigned.
Many other Higley parents and students came to her defense in the same meeting, with calls to respect the teacher’s judgment and to allow the high schoolers to broaden their world view by reading the novels.
Last month, Gilbert Police opened an investigation on O’Neill after the parent lodged an official complaint on the matter.
The district had previously updated its permission slips that allow a parents to demand a substitute assignment for a novel they found objectionable by indicating their reasons through checkboxes.
The parents have two weeks from the date of receiving the slip from their children to read and review the material assigned.
Simultaneously, the district updated procedures to for selecting community members to serve on a novel-review committee and its objectives in selecting books.
In the meeting last week, Mary Davis, Higley’s director of professional development, broke down the steps the district took to select a committee that will review books for students in grades 6 through 12. People could apply in August.
“Each school was provided with a snippet of information to include in their newsletter that they sent out over that time period, giving us a reach of over 15,000 people, which earned us 94 applicants – which was a much higher number than what I was expecting,” she said.
There are two eligibility criteria that the applicants must fulfill in order to be considered for selection. First, they must be a HUSD teacher, district office staff member, HUSD administrator, HUSD parent or legal guardian or a community member living within the district boundaries.
Applicants must also commit to reading a novel every four to six weeks and be open to complex works that might not be their usual preference.
According to Davis, seven members of the district’s educational services then randomly selected applications for each of the four stakeholder groups - district office staff, parent/legal guardian/community members, site administration and teachers.
The 28-member committee comprises one site administrator, three district office staff, 10 teachers and the remaining 14 are parents, legal guardians or Higley community members.
Davis chairs the committee and Shauna Miller, the district’s executive director of special education, serves as the co-chair.
Davis clarified that she and Miller are not participating in the novel selection process and their role is to merely facilitate the group with its work.
The committee members are expected to read the materials that are sent for review and provide recommendations for the board and the superintendent to approve.
The updated policy also states that recommended texts will be available for public inspection at the district office for at least 60 days before the board meets to approve and adopt them.
Information about the proposed texts will also be available on the HUSD website.
Davis said that the novel review committee had already met once last month to set expectations and provide the members with all the information and novel rubric to guide them in their reviews.
She also had received book requests which were assigned and will be discussed on Oct. 23 by the committee.
The same process was followed for the PreK-12th supplemental material review, which met Sept. 25, Davis said.
“The members are all very eager to get their hands into the work and start reviewing material,” she said.
Board member Anna Van Hoek, who had reviewed the final committee member list, said that out of the 28, 17 seem to be staff members and only 11 are from the parent stakeholder group.
“That was concerning for me. I do want it to be equal as far as the different categories,” she said.
Van Hoek also wanted to know if the committees had been properly appraised about the state statutes governing the selection of the educational materials.
She asked the board to add a future agenda point to discuss all laws and statutes regarding curriculum and book selection as well as the board’s process of approving the materials.
Remember York County Library (SC) which planned to stop buying all books for those under 17? Well, one of the pro-book buying moratorium board members didn’t like that this got reported and demanded it be stricken from the record. Now it’s “just” books with “s--ual content” that are banned from being purchased.https://www.heraldonline.com/news/loc...
The board members did not clarify what they consider s---al content. A reporter approached members of the board for clarification and was told “no comment.”
Board members Tim Steele and Carol Herring said the statement about not purchasing any books was incorrect. Herring went further, making a motion to retract the statement, rebuke and censure Witte and make her apologize for the statement. The board decided not to take those actions.
Steele said Witte exceeded her authority in posting the statement, which he said “caused unnecessary confusion and consternation among the library’s constituents.”
In the past the chairperson works with the director to craft a public statement without board approval, Witte said. She added, the statement was made in “good faith” and she believed, according to the discussion recorded in the minutes, that the board voted to end buying any books for minors indefinitely.
“There was no ill intent, there was no one deliberately trying to mislead the public, hurt the people, or make anyone look bad,” she said. Steele made a motion to prohibit board members from making statements without board consensus or until the minutes are approved. Steele suggested the board members could discuss matters privately without mentioning their role to “avoid confusion.”
A condition the board needs clarity on was proposed by S.C. Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg. His proviso would require public libraries to certify — in order to receive funds — that they would not to offer any books or materials that appeal to the “prurient” interest of children under 13, board member said.
During a public forum at Wednesday’s meeting, one speaker suggested the library intentionally puts the books at eye level of children so that unsupervised kids will pick them up. Another speaker said if the board removes books with s--ual content she will not be able to use the library for homeschool classes because books on biology, human anatomy and physical health are “now off limits.”
Read more at: https://www.heraldonline.com/news/loc...
The CEO of the St. Charles Public Library (MO) has resigned. Paywalled
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
Yes this is the way to do it. Curious that Ryan Walters is pushing the Trump Bible! Gee what a surprise!__________________
A group of public school parents have filed a lawsuit to end the new mandate of Bible lessons in Oklahoma Public Schools—and to curtail the spending of $3 million to buy Bibles for those schools.
https://journalrecord.com/2024/10/par...
“As parents, my husband and I have sole responsibility to decide how and when our children learn about the Bible and religious teachings,” plaintiff Erika Wright, the founder of the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition and parent of two school-aged children, said in a statement. “It is not the role of any politician or public school official to intervene in these personal matters.”
The plaintiffs are represented by several civil rights groups, including the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice.
The suit also notes that the initial “request for proposal” released by the State Department of Education to purchase the Bibles appears to have been carefully tailored to match Bibles endorsed by former President Donald Trump that sell for $59.99 each. The RFP was later amended at the request of state purchasing officials.
It is the second lawsuit filed in Oklahoma seeking to challenge Walters’ mandate. Another lawsuit filed in June by a Locust Grove man currently is pending in Mayes County.
Hello fascism in Idaho!Special collections is what I do. Old books, non-circulating collections, ephemera, etc. NOT restricted section. Actually some special collections do allow high schoolers doing research for school or allow minors with adult parent or guardian to accompany them.
Restricted section is the video store of the 1980s!
Pinehurst Public Library
https://shoshonenewspress.com/news/20...
Audience members ejected at Pinehurst Community Library Network meeting
The new "Children and Vulnerable Adults" law that went into effect July requires institutions such as schools and libraries to review and relocate materials found to be objectionable to minors to areas not accessible to minors if a written relocation request is submitted within 60 days.
If the institution does not act in accordance with the law, it will be forced to pay $250 to the party that filed the cause of action.
Trustee Tim Plass said that the last meeting revealed “a lot of comments at the meeting of this being ‘1984’ and tyrannical overreach” when his proposal for an Adult Access Only Restricted Areas draft policy was negated. His suggestions that library staff need to “control the room” included using a camera to hiring a guard to potentially firing staff if they let someone into the area who was a minor to using a lock with a combination that changes weekly and compared it to checking into a hotel and getting the Wi-Fi password. His concern was if there was signage would be that it would draw underage children to a restricted area and wants to ensure minors are deterred from “loitering” around adults-only access.”
Disagreements between Plass and Trustee Vanessa Robinson over what constituted “reasonable steps” over the new law and whether that exact phrasing even appeared within the language.
After appearing at his first Community Library Network meeting last month in his new role as CLN director, Martin Walters wrote a potential directive for the network to potentially implement the board’s vision for compliance with the law, but stated multiple times that he wanted to have more guidance on what was needed.
He said as a father to seven children, he is a strong supporter of parental rights, but that he would not state a preference with either removing all materials deemed “harmful” to children or just relocating titles as they were flagged by patrons.
Currently, there is no set policy on where to house materials across the library system.
He stressed to the board that the focus of librarians is to cultivate collections of the best materials for the public.
"It’s our job,” Walters said.
Space readily becomes a problem in smaller libraries like Pinehurst, which only had seats for 10 members of the public to observe.
Earlier in the meeting, Pinehurst Library manager Brenda Ludwig had mentioned during a library report during the meeting that story time in the children’s section frequently is too well-attended to be confined to the section, which Walters cited as also being an issue if they are required to have a special room for adult-only access to materials.
During the public comments at the top of the meeting Pinehurst resident Pat Williams spoke of being disturbed at the thought of books by authors like Harper Lee are in danger of being removed from being accessible to children.
“We cannot erase our history,” Williams said.
Jeff Lewis of Post Falls said he wanted to “dispel the myth” of special collections as being a new facet of library use and said he agreed with Trustee Karen Campbell that the library needs to “have obscene material out of minors’ reach.”
He compared the application to local libraries like the adult movies section of Blockbuster and movie ratings or parental guidance markers on the music tracks or CDs.
Smelterville resident Mary Sawyer said the hours for the library system being cut have become a hardship for library users, especially in the Silver Valley because of the limited access to computers in many households.
“As a child, the library was my safe place,” Sawyer said, adding that “closing at 3 p.m. limits access for kids.”
Her other concern lies with children being able to access what adults in the family deem acceptable, not the library system or other families.
“Books should be open to all and it should be a parent's discretion whether they can read it or not...It is my decision what my child reads,” Sawyer said.
Since Walters became the CLN director, he noted that there have been two books flagged by patrons, but said there needs to be a board resolution on the issue before he can act, especially with the Athol and Post Falls libraries preparing to reopen soon.
While library staff are sorting and shelving materials, direction from a board-approved policy on this topic is needed before he will be able to act definitively.
Vice Chair Tom Hanley proposed the CLN assess its own materials and try “segregating” materials before any more are flagged by patrons, “whether it’s 200 books or 2,000 books.”
CLN attorney Colton Boyles said he’s not worried about the liability issues related to relocation requests because staff would have to miss multiple steps in the procedure to put them at risk.
As issues arise, his suggestion as counsel is to bring in a professional to assess and make a recommendation within the 60 days period.
“I’m not concerned about the timeline,” Boyles said.
Plass asked Walters about his thoughts on having library staff patrolling an adult-access area to keep kids out.
Walters said that society no longer requires librarians to “shush” patrons or stop them from having a drink along with a book they are reading.
He believes the delineation is that parents/legal guardians are responsible for minors and library staff are responsible for their library collections.
The policy for the CLN is already for patrons to follow the rules of conduct, which would also go to special collections. Walters also stressed that if the CLN determines that the adult section becomes an adult-only collection, in most of the libraries it would be difficult for kids passing by to not be seen.
Two audience members ejected from the meeting after repeated outbursts, leaving the public section nearly empty and afterwards Robinson addressed one of their comments that there has repeatedly been no response to emails or comments sent to the board.
She stated that everyone is being heard even if there isn’t enough time to issue a response to everyone. Whether or not she or other members of the board agree with a particular stance, public comments are being heard and read by trustees.
News from Ireland!https://uk.news.yahoo.com/concerns-ra...
Concerns raised over far-right agitators planning to burn LGBTQ+ books from Irish libraries
As shown in posts shared on Facebook, some far-right agitators are planning to collect LGBTQ+ books from libraries across Ireland and burn them. The people involved appear to be the same who targeted libraries last year, harassing staff and threatening to destroy queer titles.”
Last year, there were numerous reports of far-right groups attempting to enter libraries and bookstores across Ireland and have LGBTQ+ books removed from their catalogues. Workers at the targeted locations were subjected to intimidation, harassment and verbal abuse, while they were filmed without their consent.
One of the individuals involved in these far-right groups shared a post on Facebook on Tuesday, October 22, seemingly outlining plans to collect books from libraries all over the country and burn them. The post included a photo of a man wearing a green jumper with the words “Protect childhood”, facing a pile of books where several LGBTQ+ titles are visible.
Accompanying the picture was the following caption: “I am now collecting as many books as possible throughout Ireland if you want to help and get involved let me know. Let’s have a fire.”
When asked for a list of books in the comments, the author of the post gave titles such as This Book is Gay and What’s the T? by LGBTQ+ author Juno Dawson, Trans Teen Survival Guide, It’s Perfectly Normal and other popular queer books.
The post also featured the hashtag #SovereignVoyage, the same used by far-right agitators during last year’s incidents. As part of their so-called “Sovereign Voyage”, these individuals travelled across Ireland by boat and targeted a number of facilities on their way, opposing the availability of LGBTQ+ books.
On several occasions, they were met by groups of activists and locals who organised counter-protests to protect the building’s entrances and prevent them from getting inside.
While many times, the far-right agitators failed to enter the libraries thanks to the presence of counter-protesters who showed up in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, their actions still caused unwelcomed disruption. In one instance, the Cork City Library was forced to close due to “safety concerns” ahead of such a demonstration.
Suffern Central School District (NY) has launched an investigation as to why an “unapproved” book was read to elementary students. The book is about racial injustice.https://hudsonvalley.news12.com/racia...
Suffern Central School District has launched an investigation after a book that was not approved by the district was read to elementary school students earlier this month.
The book “Something Happened in Our Town” depicts a white family and a Black family after a Black man is shot by police.
“District officials learned that this book was read in a few select classrooms in one of our elementary schools. As this book is not part of our approved curriculum, we stopped the book from being read and immediately launched an investigation. The investigation is still ongoing,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Erik Gundersen in a statement to News 12 on Monday.
Kate Finch, who has children in the district and is married to a police officer had issues with the book being read in class.
“The book stated that you can't even trust good [police officers] because they stick up for each other. So when you have a whole community of children with good police families then that's a huge issue for us,” she said.
She and other parents plan to speak out at the upcoming school board meeting on Tuesday.
"We also don't want anybody to think we are in any way against children learning about racial injustice. We know that's a problem. It could have been handled very differently," said Finch.
News 12 was told that the Suffern Central School District's investigation may be completed as soon as this week.
Marianne Celano, one of the book’s authors, spoke with News 12.
"What we're hoping is that the book resonates with all families and gives kids and parents a platform to talk about racial injustice and what kids can do to fight racial injustice,” said Celano.
She urges parents to read the caregivers’ note which responds to concerns they may have.
Kelly Jensen reports:"Christian County Library (MO) continues to be a mess. This time, the board president resigned due to how cruel and bigoted some members of the community were being. This library had a proposal to label all LGBTQ+ books, then the board was ransacked by folks with a dark agenda."
https://www.news-leader.com/story/new...
Within minutes of the start of the Christian County Library Board of Trustees' Tuesday meeting, only four trustees remained, three of whom have served on the board less than two years. Allyson Tuckness, who served as board president, resigned at the start of the meeting, making a statement against labeling LGBTQ material and citing a decline in her mental health due to the harsh criticism she has faced.
Pointing to her family as central to her decision, Tuckness said protecting her children from the "hatred coming from the mouth of people they share community with" was becoming increasingly hard. Proponents of labeling materials have said that those on the other side of the issue have been the ones who have been hostile.
"My time with my family is my most precious asset," she said, noting more closed sessions in the past three months than during the rest of her two-year tenure and numerous "unnecessary" emails at all times of day. "Many in here preach about the importance of family values, yet my time with my family is not valued."
In announcing her resignation, Tuckness made a personal statement emphasizing the dangers of labeling materials, and the people who read those materials, by drawing parallels to the censorship of reading material during the Holocaust.
"Here we are 91 years later, and censorship of ideas different from our own is a battle we are still waging," she said. "We should not and cannot label children by labeling books that include or explain LGBTQIA ideas. We are labeling the children who see themselves in these books as bad, as wrong, as someone who should be 'an other.'"
While the cataloging of certain subject headings and labeling LGBTQ materials have appeared on the board's agenda the past few months, the board has not yet taken any action to follow through with the idea. The Tuesday meeting drew an audience of more than 60 community members, including one who was holding a sign reading "Your role as board members is not to force the library to look more like yourselves."
Three of the four remaining trustees were appointed through a new process, introduced within the past two years, that left the appointment of trustees solely to the Christian County Commission. Last month, Presiding Commissioner Lynn Morris said he was hopeful the new process would lead trustees to work together and compromise. A couple of public speakers Tuesday night criticized this notion and instead accused the newer trustees of not prioritizing running the library over politics.
Despite the ongoing confrontations between community members about materials and public comment on the appropriateness of children's books at the library, most library patrons remain satisfied with their experience, according to a library survey. Director of Community Engagement Nicholas Holladay in his presentation Tuesday night pointed to a 92 Net Promoter Score, a common metric for customer experience, in the most recent September survey. The highest score possible is 100 and the lowest is -100, with anything above 80 classified as "world class."
In the absence of Tuckness, Echo Schneider, previously Alexzander, was voted president pro tem with trustee Janis Hagen opposing. Schneider was the one voted into the president role in August in what has been identified as an invalid election that prompted a lawsuit in September.
The lawsuit, filed by the Christian County Library District and Hagen against three of its own trustees, alleges violations of the Sunshine Law and the board's own bylaws when members elected a new slate of officers during the August meeting. With the vote being called illegitimate, those officers have not taken over the leadership of the board.
...
South Carolina teacher talks about the removal of a book from her class curriculum and how it was the direct result of elections.https://www.aol.com/told-not-teach-ta...
Quilcene Public Schools (WA) has been dealing with right-wing book banners performing at school board meetings. This opinion piece from a local is well worth reading, https://www.ptleader.com/stories/quil...
Laramie County Board of Trustees decided not to hear an appeal of a book labeled as having “s---ally explicit content” in the district schools. The label stays on Monday’s Not Coming.https://capcity.news/education-2/2024...
School board strikes down appeal on objectionable book
A community member who asked to hold the hearing said the book in question doesn't contain enough evidence to be labeled "s---ally explicit."
The Laramie County Board of Trustees shot down a chance to hold an informal hearing discussing whether one of the district’s books contains objectionable content.
Currently, around 30 books at LCSD1 are labeled as containing “s---ally explicit content,” a term created by the district to distinguish titles that contain objectionable material. However, one educator believes one book didn’t deserve to be labeled as such.
The school district’s controversial library policies were once again part of the discussion at Monday night’s school board meeting. Over the past year, the district has received three appeals for books that were reviewed and deemed s---ally explicit. Those appeals were submitted by Todd Reynolds, a professor at the University of Wyoming and parent of two students at LCSD1. Reynolds urged the board to consider holding the hearing so that trustees could “hold their [review] process accountable.”
...
Despite Reynolds’s recommendation, the board was unable to reach a consensus on whether to hold a hearing on the book. Two board members voted in favor of the meeting, while three didn’t. At least four board members had to be in favor of the hearing for the vote to pass, chair Tim Bolin said.
...
Any parent or guardian can submit a form to the district alleging a book available in a school library contains s--ually explicit content. Once a book has been nominated, the Division of Instruction forms a review committee to analyze passages of the book and determine if the excerpts meet the district’s definition for “se---ally explicit content.”
Two of the three committee members reviewing the book concluded “Monday’s Not Coming” contained s--ually explicit content. Superintendent Stephen Newton then certified the book as objectionable on April 29.
As soon as the book was added to the district’s list, an appeal was made. Reynolds wrote to the district April 29 stating that the review process lacked sufficient evidence to make any judgment on the book.
“Only 1 [passage] depicts an actual s-x act (page 246), and it does not describe anything,” wrote Reynolds, whose submission was listed anonymously. He confirmed to Cap City News that he initiated all the district’s book appeals thus far. “One passage (page 346) refers to another book, not the one being reviewed. One passage (page 298) refers to two characters, fully clothed, dancing on a dance floor at a party. … This is a challenging, 435-page book, and to argue that because of 1 sentence on one page it is s---ally explicit is just intellectually dishonest. This is not just a matter of taking passages out of context — it’s truly a matter of not comprehending the passages at all. There is simply not enough here to make that classification.”
Trustees Rene Hinkle and Brittany Ashby voted to hold an informal hearing on “Monday’s Not Coming.” Meanwhile, Christy Klaassen, Alicia Smith and Brooke Humphrey opposed it.
Hinkle has been an outspoken opponent of the district’s book policies and voted to approve the informal hearing on “Monday’s Not Coming.” At Monday night’s meeting, she said that she believes Jackson’s novel should be required reading for students and parents.
“It’s a very moving book,” Hinkle said. “It discusses many different topics, and if part of our library policy was to have to read a book and determine whether the entire content of the book is important or not, this would definitely not be on the s---ally explicit list.”
Hinkle added that the topic of s-x is brought up several times in the novel, but s---al acts are mentioned in passing and never explicitly shown. Further, she said that committee reviewers didn’t agree on what passages depicted “s--ual acts.” This demonstrates, she said, the general vagueness of the district’s book policy.
Trustee Alicia Smith, meanwhile, voted against the hearing. She said she finished “Monday’s Not Coming” and that it’s a great book but believes “there are parts of the book that are troubling.”
“As a mom, I would like to know before my child is able to check out this book,” Smith said. She said she opposed holding the hearing on the book as two of the three review committee members and superintendent found that the book contained sexually explicit content. “I appreciate that we have a process in place and I support what three out of the four [who] looked at the book and looked up the information have said.”
Klaassen said the point of the district’s book policies is to give power back to parents. Furthermore, “Monday’s Not Coming” won’t be taken off shelves for parents or students who want to read it.
“We don’t make a decision on whether [a] book is good or bad,” Klaassen said. “We just get the parent the information they need to decide if they think their minor is ready to read about s---ally explicit content.”
Ashby responded to Klaassen’s statement.
“I think that’s a little disingenuous,” Ashby said. “For the first policy, that is true. … But ultimately that list and the decisions we’re making about what qualifies as s---ally explicit are guiding the second policy.”
Ashby is referring to the district’s “Procurement Policy,” which tasks librarians with avoiding purchasing any books that contain s---ally explicit content.
Following the discussion, board members then voted to affirm the superintendent’s determination on the book. Trustees Bolin, Klaassen, Smith and Humphrey voted to ultimately uphold the decision.
Manybooks wrote: "White students are supposed to feel uncomfortable regarding Native Americans/Canadians, just like books about the Holocaust should make me as a person of German background feel uncomfortable.."
ALL of us should feel uncomfortable reading about the Holocaust. Just because it didn't happen in the U.S. doesn't mean we weren't complicit. I'm not seeing books about the M.S. St. Louis being banned but that's probably only because the censors don't know that story.
37 Days at Sea: Aboard the M.S. St. Louis, 1939
To Hope and Back: The Journey of the St. Louis
I read a completely different book but don't recall the title. Same story. Same depressing ending. Very educational.
Well it Gender Queer IS an adult book so that's Ok with me. The s-e-x ed books? No dice and thankfully they're allowed to stay.https://www.mymcr.net/news/library-mo...
Georgia
Library moves ‘Gender Queer’ to ‘adult’
https://www.mymcr.net/news/library-mo...
The Monroe County Library Board finally moved one book with homosexual content out of the juvenile section on Thursday, Oct. 17, upon a formal request from a Forsyth dad and grandad, Chris Soule. The board left two other books that Soule protested where they were.
Soule had asked the board to review three books: “Gender Queer” by Maia K[obabe] , “Home After Dark” by David Small, and “Sex is a Funny Word” by Cory Silverberg. Board members voted to remove “Gender Queer” from the Young Adult section to the Adult section and remove the ‘rainbow’ sticker from the book. The board voted to move “Home After Dark” from the Young Adult section to the Adult graphic novel non-fiction section. The board voted to leave “Sex is a Funny Word” in the Juvenile non-fiction section.
AlabamaBattle of the books: What children should or should not read, new policy for minors at Fairhope Public Library
https://www.wkrg.com/baldwin-county/b...
A new policy was implemented Monday at the Fairhope Public Library in response to the ongoing nationwide debate of what children should or should not read.
“S---ally explicit library books have been marketed to our youth in the Fairhope Public Library,” Baldwin County Conservative Coalition leader Brian Dasinger said. “Remove the s----ally explicit books and put them in the adult section.”
In Fairhope, all children 17 and younger now need parental permission to check out certain books, fully putting the decision of what children can read in the hands of their parents.
“We’ve created policies that are to give power to parents, but do not step on anybody’s constitutional rights,” Fairhope city councilman Corey Martin said.
A policy change by the Alabama Public Library Service required local libraries like the one in Fairhope to change some policies concerning parental choices to receive their full funding.
Minors must have their parents sign a consent form in person at the library allowing or not allowing them to check out books in certain sections. If a child attempts to check out a book that is out of their limits, the system will alert the librarian.
“We’re requiring parents to make a choice,” Fairhope Public Library Assistant Director Rob Gourlay said. “Do they want their minors access to the entire library collection, including the adult collections, or limit their child’s access to the teen collection and younger or just the youngest age?”
QNPoohBear wrote: "What on earth? "S-e-xualizing children" is a Communist plot? That's a new one. Not real sure how a book about staying silent after sexual assault is either of those things. Wait WHAT? The real pro..."
Well, she has a point. Child prostitution and pornography did not exist before Karl Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto. Oh, wait! Both have existed for thousands of years. My bad!
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)
More...
[Note how many times this guy uses the p-word]
https://wjla.com/news/local/loudoun-c...
A Loudoun County principal notified parents that a political representative handed out political materials to students in school that included “inflammatory language,” and the principal said this was against school policy.
The principal’s email does not mention the political representative by name, but 7News has learned Scott Pio is the person who handed out the material to students.
An illustration of two naked men kissing appears on the second page of the flyer. The illustration is from the book Gender Queer.
“The issues inside these pamphlets are everyday issues affecting parents in Loudoun County. The p--n in the schools,” said Pio. “The books with men laying with other men in a very vivid portrayal when you have graphic images in these books, or graphic content that describes how parties went last night, or how kids went to a party and how many s--ual things that they did at this party. These things are in the books. It's very frustrating.”
Pio, a father of four with one on the way, is the Chairman of the Loudoun County Republican Committee.
“My daughter being 13 years old, I pulled her out of school just last year, and it was because of the rapes that occurred,” said Pio. “I lost full outright trust for the school board. I no longer trusted them to keep my daughter safe. And when my daughter, being an avid reader, she'd bring home some of these books, I was outraged. That very same week, I met with the school principal, the school principal said he cannot do anything about these books in the libraries. The books are solely set upon those libraries by the school board, and he has no authority of the school library. So in the next two days, I pulled my daughter out of [the] school, and she has not been back to public school ever since.”
“The two issues that are really close to me is the school board and the p--n books,” said Pio. “I don't trust the school board and the p--n books.”
Pio said he was invited to speak to students at Loudoun Valley High School.
The flyer Pio handed to students stated, “Boys don’t belong in girls’ sports” and it names Loudoun County Democratic lawmakers who voted against legislation to require schools to notify parents about student overdoses.
The front page of the flyer states, “Democrats are putting Loudoun County families in danger” and the front page of the flyer comes with a disclaimer that states “Warning! The following is not suitable for children.”
he next page states, “Your child has easy access to pornography.”
The flyer includes a QR code that links to the Loudoun County Republican Committee website and displays books the LCRC says are sexually oriented books available in Loudoun County school libraries and classrooms.
And the flyer Pio handed out to students includes an illustration from one of the books, Gender Queer, that shows two naked men kissing.
“By your definition, this is p--n. So why did you hand this out to students in school?” 7News Reporter Nick Minock asked Pio.
“So by my definition, this is certainly p--n, but the legal requirements for this is, if it's animated, it's not p--n under Virginia law,” said Pio. “I would love to get that changed. But if it's animated, there's no reason for it to be porn. If it's of real value or a real person, then then it's considered p--n under Virginia law. So if the kids in the high schools already have access to this, they already know what's most likely in their libraries. They're just not speaking up about it. And when you go to a conservative club and show them that the conservative adults are speaking about these things, potentially, it gives them a reason to speak up or stand out.”
“If someone handed this to your child, would you be OK with that?” Minock asked Pio.
“I would be frustrated with it too, but I would come to realize that it's not the Republican Party potentially doing this, but rather, if these books weren't in the school system in the first place, it's the school board that's doing this, and we're just trying to show what's really going on in those schools,” Pio said.
The book Gender Queer was removed from LCPS school libraries in 2022 because parents formally challenged the book and the superintendent at the time did not find the book appropriate.
But some parents have complained it’s still available in some classroom libraries maintained by teachers.