Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Carroll County Schools (Maryland) may eliminate all of the librarian positions in their middle and high schools next year due to “budget cuts.” Maryland has an anti-book ban law. https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/ed...
School libraries without librarians? Budget cuts could do that in one Maryland county
Almost every middle and high school in Carroll County could be without a librarian next school year as the district cuts jobs to balance its budget.
The 14 media specialists on the chopping block are among more than 90 positions that could be eliminated next year. The cuts are necessary, Carroll County Public Schools officials say, to free up money to support high-needs students. But school librarians and reading advocates warn that the move could be detrimental to students at a moment when learning media literacy is critical.
“School librarians are not merely keepers of books; they are educators, literacy advocates, and technology guides who equip students with the critical thinking skills necessary to navigate an increasingly complex information landscape,” the Maryland Association for School Librarians wrote in a letter to board members on Thursday, urging them to reconsider.
Other positions on the chopping block include 15 reading specialists and 15 math resource teachers.
[SUPPOSEDLY because]
"At a Wednesday school board meeting, school officials explained the fiscal 2026 operating budget is out of balance by $3.6 million. On top of that, they need to use $44 million to support students learning English and students who qualify for free and reduced-priced meals as required by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a massive set of policies to improve the state’s public schools. “This is the equity part of Blueprint, where we have to take from areas … of the county that do well and give them to others that are not doing so well,” said board president Tara Battaglia on Wednesday. ."
Of the 15 librarians currently in the middle and high schools, 14 were pitched to be cut. The plan is to staff most middle and high school libraries only with media clerks, who are library assistants trained to perform clerical tasks. The 22 elementary schools, meanwhile, would keep their librarians but lose their clerks.
Superintendent Cynthia McCabe said at Wednesday’s meeting that the proposed cuts were not made lightly.
n emailed statement on Friday, the school system said the larger plan to be compliant with the Blueprint not only includes reductions to librarians but to “approximately 280 positions across CCPS over two years.”
The Maryland Association for School Librarians wrote in a letter to school board members that media specialists provide diverse and high-quality resources and foster a love for reading. Research, they wrote, shows that having certified librarians can improve student achievement.
Jacob Gerding, a member of the association, said librarians teach students how to research and introduce them to different genres of literature. They even offer professional development to teachers for accessing databases and other digital resources. And with artificial intelligence becoming more common, Gerding said, students will need to be taught how to use the tech legally and ethically.
The Charles County librarian said the job cuts in Carroll would violate the Code of Maryland Regulations, which says each school library program must have certified school library media personnel and support staff.
While media clerks can assist with some of the library operations, they “don’t have the training to do what a certified librarian specialist would do,” Gerding said.
“Librarians are essential in providing students, even the youngest, with safe spaces and reliable resources to navigate the digital overload of today’s world,” said Trish Brennan-Gac, head of the literacy nonprofit Maryland READS.
She called the role of librarians “indispensable” and described them as crucial partners to teachers and parents who offer “guidance on reliable and age-appropriate materials as well as emotional support in a time of mental health crisis.”
Probably not good news for Alpena Public Library in Michigan. There’s a new opening on the library board.https://www.thealpenanews.com/news/lo...
The Alpena County Board of Commissioners will again appoint a new member to the Alpena County Library Board.
The commissioners appointed two new members in December, and now, a recent resignation will allow them to add another new member.
There has been a large shake-up on the library board after the commissioners last year said they intended to replace every member on the board following a debate about some children and teen books that some people say are s--ually graphic were found on the library shelves.
The commissioners said they wanted the books moved behind a counter or into a more age-appropriate area, but the library board at the time refused to do so.
The books are still where they were originally shelved, but the library has since implemented a new book organization system.
The commissioners later had a change of heart and instead of replacing the entire board in one swoop, they decided to make appointments when terms expired or someone stepped down.
Alpena County Administrator Jesse Osmer said Quintin Meek is resigning from the board because he is relocating. That opens the door for the county to appoint someone of their choosing.
Alpena County Commissioner John Kozlowski said many people applied for the appointments on the library board late last year and a selection could come from those who were not selected the first time. It is also possible, he added, that the opening could be posted and allow others who are interested to apply.
When the commissioners were considering replacing the entire board, some of the commissioners said they wanted a library board made up of people with different viewpoints, beliefs, and political leanings. However, their first two appointments happened to both be people who objected to the books being in the children’s section.
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Kozlowski said the county’s personnel committee will review the committee candidates and ultimately make a recommendation to the full board of commissioners for approval.
'Not enough kids in these meetings': Students weigh in as 1,100 books banned in Tennesseehttps://www.tennessean.com/story/news...
Book removals in public schools under a controversial Tennessee law hit a new high in 2024, with nearly 1,400 books spanning 1,155 unique titles pulled from school library shelves across the state.
The Age-Appropriate Materials Act, passed in 2022, has spurred heated debates that have spilled over from the statehouse into school board meetings over the last two years. An expansion of the law last year means school libraries are now barred from having books with "nudity, or descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual content, excess violence, or sadomasochistic abuse."
Familiar books like “Wacky Wednesday” by Dr. Seuss and a graphic novel rendition of “Time Machine” by H. G. Wells along with recent popular releases like "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo and "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens have been removed from libraries across the state over the past year. ...
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Meanwhile, parents, school leaders and students have raised more questions about the wide-reaching effects of Tennessee’s law. The Tennessean caught up with several of them to hear what they think as book removals continue to rise.
The Tennessean interviewed more than a dozen high schoolers about book bans. Some had little to no knowledge of the issue, while others shrugged it off because they hadn’t read the books banned in their districts or didn’t feel personally affected by the removals.
But several were surprised at the push to ban books, whether in their districts or others. Those students largely agreed that books with explicit sexual content or violence may be inappropriate for younger students. Still, some were leery of schools banning books altogether.
While their perspectives varied, several also agreed on another key point: High schoolers should be able to choose what to read for themselves or, at the very least, that decision should be between students and their parents.
Here's a snapshot of what students had to say about book bans in Tennessee.
Hannah Hollings, 17, Brentwood High School (Williamson County Schools)
Hollings said she spent time studying the state's Age-Appropriate Materials Act and feels its language is too vague, leaving room for confusion about what is appropriate. She also said there's an important voice missing in the discussion.
"There's not enough kids in these meetings where they're talking about whether they want to remove books," Hollings said. "I feel like the students should have a bigger part in the conversation."
Hollings worries parents and leaders are censoring content for students due to misguided political or religious beliefs. As a Black student, she is alarmed at the removal of books that deal with topics like racism. Additionally, she's seen a pattern in some districts of books about LGBTQ+ issues being banned.
"I just feel like that's a strong target," she said.
Jackson Sanders, 17, Mt. Juliet High School (Wilson County Schools)
Sanders said he took an interest in politics at a young age and supports conservative values — he leads the Young Republicans chapter on his campus. While he understands why parents or school leaders may want to remove books that are sexually explicit or too violent for younger students, he sees it differently when it comes to high schoolers.
"I think it should be on the high school student, compared to a school official or teacher," he said. "If people want to read that stuff, then that’s on them."
Sanders also said he feels the conversation has taken focus away from more important issues, like addressing the growing youth mental health crisis and school safety.
“It’s tough," Sanders said. "I think people have made such a big deal out of these book bans. It's now become a big priority in schools, and I just disagree with it. ... I just think there's so many more topics that could benefit people more than just book bans."
Daisy Ezell, 14, Mt. Juliet High School (Wilson County Schools)
Ezell is also part of the Young Republicans club at Mt. Juliet High, alongside Jackson and several others. As she looked through the list of more than 400 books recently removed from her district’s libraries, she was especially surprised to see several books by her favorite author, John Green. ...
Like the others, Ezell said there may be times that books are too explicit or violent for younger children. But she doesn’t understand or agree with many of the decisions to remove books from her district and others.
“I don't think that (a book) should be banned for every kid in the school just because one parent has a problem with it,” she said.
Ava Craighead, 15, Gallatin High School (Sumner County Schools)
Craighead has been an avid reader for most of her life. In summer 2023, she spoke at a Sumner County Schools board meeting as leaders considered removing "The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” a young adult novel by Stephen Chbosky, from its campuses.
Craighead said the book carries important messages on mental health issues like suicide, along with sexual assault and trauma. It also follows a closeted gay character and explores LGBTQ+ issues. The board ultimately decided to keep the book in schools.
However, a few counties away, Williamson County Schools voted in December to remove it.
"It makes me a little disappointed in the educators over there," Craighead said, noting how districts often "preach" about the importance of mental health. "It's very contradictory and very hypocritical on their part."
Craighead also said she’s concerned about books that feature people of color and describe racism being banned in several counties. Given a chance, she’d challenge the adults pushing to ban books to rethink their approach.
“Is this harming (kids) or is it just something that makes you a little uncomfortable?” she said.
Violet Wombacher, 14, Summit High School (Williamson County Schools)
The book "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is deeply meaningful to Wombacher, who identifies as bisexual. Like some of the other students, she is concerned over how many books with LGBTQ+ themes are being banned.
She sees “Wallflower” as a book that can help people who are navigating social issues, abuse and self-acceptance. She disagrees with the notion that the book is inappropriate and wonders if it was targeted because it includes a story about a closeted gay teen who endures abuse because of his sexuality.
... Wombacher also believes books that tackle LGBTQ+ issues and advocate for mental health can help build understanding and empathy among people who see things differently. As a Christian, Wombacher said, she’s faced judgment and hurtful conversations about her sexual orientation from other Christians.
“I don't think God would like us to use him as a way to hate someone,” she said.
Wilson Webster, 15, Battle Ground Academy (private school in Williamson County)
While Webster attends a private school, which is not subject to the state book law, he is dismayed by districts removing access to books for his peers. He zeroed in on one particular book: "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas. The book chronicles the story of a Black teen who attends school at a primarily white campus and also experiences racism, police brutality and gun violence.
"For a person like me, an African American at a predominantly white, affluent school, it's just good to know that there's representation for you in literature," he said.
He said the main character, Starr, goes to school each day and deals with racist microaggressions from people she calls her friends.
"I've gone through the same exact things many times," Webster said.
Lilly Urfet, 17, White House High School (Sumner County Schools)
As a member of Youth in Government and Model United Nations, Urfet said she and her peers have talked a lot about book bans. She feels there’s a disconnect between what students take away from books that contain s---al content or violence and what adults believe they do. She sees books as a way to help kids feel seen and represented, and to help them understand the experiences of others who are different from them.
Urfet, who identifies as bisexual, said she was especially surprised Wilson County Schools banned “Girls of Paper and Fire” by Natasha Ngan. She wondered if it was because the main character is gay. While she understands that may make some parents uncomfortable, she doesn’t understand why it would drive them to pull the book off shelves.
She also sees a theme of strong female characters who push the boundaries of societal norms among banned books.
“I almost feel like quite a few ... are trying to push for a feminine archetype,” she said. “Like you love a man, but not so much that you're publicly affectionate. You have ambitions, but they can't be crazy. And you value freedom, but you don't have your own in the same way that the other people do in this book.”
For Revida Rahman, the topic of banned books fits into a much larger conversation she’s engaged in for years through her work with One Willco, a grassroots group she co-founded in 2021 to advance racial equality across Williamson County Schools.
Over the last few years, she’s worked with other advocates to host public discussions about the importance of diverse books in schools. She adamantly opposes banning books from school libraries, saying they’re hypocritical, a violation of First Amendment rights and a form of censorship.
When it comes to the topics of s-x, racism, violence and other sensitive topics, her answer is simple: “Let them read what they want to read. I’m just happy they’re reading.”
She also believes the decision on what children read and what they learn from it is up to parents, not school officials.
Wilson County Schools Board Member Joseph Padilla sees the issue much differently, standing by the 425 book titles purged from his district’s libraries last year. He expressed staunch support of Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act.
Padilla said parents can visit local public libraries or shop online and in bookstores to find books that were removed from Wilson County Schools libraries, if they wish. He champions reading as an important part of development and learning for children but believes the plan his district formulated abides by the state law and removes books that are inappropriate for children.
“Our current society is hyper-sexual enough,” Padilla said. “Why not let public schools be the place a child can escape this push to sexualize everything and let them just learn? School should be a place for students to gain an education, but somehow s--ual preference, s--ual identity and s--ual perversions have found their way into our learning environments. Let kids be kids without putting the weight of topics too mature for their developing minds.”
Idaho - Kootenai County libraries approved every relocation request for its mature collection with one notable exception: The Biblehttps://www.spokesman.com/stories/202...
The library system in Kootenai County is moving 16 young adult books into its new adults-only room as it vets materials that have drawn concern from members of the community as being inappropriate for children.
The library system did not consider a request to move the Bible into the mature content room.
The Community Library Network board of trustees last month approved the creation of its mature content collection for materials it considers “harmful to minors” under the state’s new Children’s School and Library Protection Act. The materials will be held in a room for adult access only at the Post Falls Library.
The library network oversees six libraries in Kootenai County outside Coeur d’Alene and Pinehurst Library in Shoshone County.
Since last summer, the network received requests to relocate 17 titles to the mature collection. A public records request confirmed that all of those requests were approved for the collection except one.
ommunity Library Network officials say the new policy is designed to comply with the law and is not an attempt to censor books. They also say it is not book banning because the library is not removing the books from its catalogue; it is merely relocating them.
However, the library network is taking a more aggressive approach than many other Idaho libraries by preemptively reviewing books that were not specifically requested by patrons.
It is not clear when the room will be open or how the age restriction will be enforced.
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The Community Library Network left the American Library Association in 2023.
Many of the written relocation request forms match verbatim, including ellipses and excerpts from the website Book Looks, which catalogs content it considers objectionable for children. Several requests attach the entire Book Looks summary while underlining or highlighting some sections.
The names of those who submitted each relocation form were redacted.
Two books by Ellen Hopkins are among the first approved for the mature collection. Hopkins’ books frequently appear on most-banned or challenged books lists. She is also the author with the most titles on the list of 140 titles the library is separately reviewing.
In an interview with the Spokesman-Review, Hopkins said her young adult novels are recommended for ages 14 and up, but it depends on the reader. Regardless, the books are meant for the young adult category, not adults , she said.
“There are kids that are maybe 12 that could read those books because of things they’ve already experienced in their lives,” Hopkins said. “The books are super important for the kids who need them,” Hopkins said. “They’re not right for every kid or everybody, but they are certainly right for some.”
Readers have told her the book saved their lives.
When asked if there is any room for mature themes in teen literature, especially in a cautionary tale or for those who have already experienced abuse, library board chair Rachelle Ottosen wrote in an email:
“There is no legal justification for libraries to make p----graphic materials available to minors. Parents can check out whatever books they wish, and share with their own children as they feel appropriate. I don’t believe s---ally abused teenagers are going to be able to make sense of their abuse by viewing or reading p---graphic materials; I believe it furthers the harm already done. There is space for other mature topics, so long as it doesn’t violate the law.”
Hopkins said the problem with relying on a parent to access a book is that most books are discovered browsing the shelves.
“How are they going to know to look for them if they are in a room where they can’t even see them?” Hopkins said.
A request to relocate “The Summer of Owen Todd” by Tony Abbott says the book contains s---ual conduct and s--ual excitement, in violation of the statute, and attaches a hyperlink to the website screenitfirst.com “for specific pages & excerpts.
Abbott, like Hopkins, says the book isn’t for every young reader.
“It shouldn’t be forced on students who are not interested or ready,” Abbott said.
Yet it is about a situation some young people find themselves in, and Abbott said they should have access to it.
“To have it in a prison away from children is not a good idea,” Abbott said.
He acknowledged that keeping the book sequestered in a separate room is better than banning it altogether. If a child were interested in reading the book, they could make the case to a parent or trusted adult to check it out for them, which would be better than having no access to it.
But the barrier of not knowing how to talk to an adult about a sensitive problem is a theme of the book.
“When a child is in trouble, in many cases they tend to keep it to themselves,” Abbott said. If they are being groomed, they might not know what is happening or how to explain it, or they might think it’s their fault.”
Abbott said a child could simply hand this book to a parent or a teacher and say, “I think this is what is happening to me or my friend and I don’t know what to do.”
“Wouldn’t that be a valuable tool for a child if he or she knows something wrong is going on without having to go through the agony of describing it?” Abbott said.
But Abbott takes a nuanced view, acknowledging there could be value in adult gatekeepers, but both sides should be considered when talking about restricting access to books like this.
He said it’s difficult to say where the book should be shelved, but suggested the young adult section rather than the children’s section as a happy medium. Although the book is below the young adult reading level, a teenager could benefit from it. Or perhaps a teen reader would recognize what is happening to a younger sibling and report it to an adult without the sibling even needing to read it.
“The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” by Emily Danforth is about a lesbian teenager growing up in rural Montana in the ’90s who is sent to a gay conversion camp. It won the 2012 Montana Book Award and was adapted into a 2018 film.
Danforth, who grew up in Montana but lives on the East Coast, said she has been following the Idaho law among other censorship efforts across the country and says it is one of the most “draconian” state laws she has seen.
Her publisher, HarperCollins, joined a lawsuit this month along with other publishers, parents and the Donnelly Public Library challenging the law.
Danforth said when her book has been banned, it’s almost always because it is about a gay protagonist, even if the complaint tries to hide behind vague labels like “obscene” or “p---graphic.”
She said attempting to sum up a nearly 500-page novel with a few pages of quotes out of context misunderstands how meaning is conveyed in literature. It’s not how English teachers have their students approach reading.
“To reduce the book to a list of scenes or moments you might find objectionable is such a shameful reduction of what it is to read a novel,” Danforth said. “A list of objections about a book is not a novel.”
She said it is also dismissive of teenagers’ intellect. When she was a teenager, she sometimes read books she struggled with or didn’t like, but that’s part of growing up, she said.
Danforth often hears from teens, especially from small towns, who identified with the book, and it helped them confront their fear about coming out or their uncertainty about their identity.
A request dated Oct. 11, asked that the Bible, specifically any version with Genesis 19, be removed.
Library Director Martin Walters said in an email that the request was neither denied nor approved because it failed to meet the requirement to “use one form per item.”
Under author, the form listed “King James or other.”
The King James Version is available in large print at Post Falls Library and as an audiobook from Hayden Library.
The quotes match the New International Version rather than King James. Large print editions are available at Athol and Pinehurst libraries.
“I would feel comfortable with my own children reading and understanding what is described in the section of ‘Lot and His Daughters’ but what about other children?” the requester writes. “I think this type of story shouldn’t be read without the company of a pastor or parent to provide context.”
The request continues: “What if a child reads these passages and decides to experiment on their father or another adult? Morally speaking, the acts described in these passages of Genesis do not reflect our community values and have great potential to harm the unaccompanied minors who could encounter them.”
Library board members said via emails they do not believe the Bible belongs in the mature content collection.
“The Bible mentions some mature topics, including why and how they are harmful. It does not include any graphic descriptions that appeal to the prurient interests of minors and does not meet the legal definition of harmful to minors,” Rachelle Ottosen, chair of the board, wrote in an email.
“The Bible is located in the adult, non-fiction area of the library,” Vice Chair Tom Hanley wrote. “The contents are not presented in a salacious manner. This ‘classic’ is a history of the Jewish people. It instructionally teaches right from wrong.”
[jaw drops!]
Here’s what to know about this library’s systems codification of book censorship.
https://bookriot.com/community-librar...
Also, here’s the internal memo from the Community Library Network on how they want to deeply restrict children and teen access with their library cards.https://www.spokesman.com/stories/202...
As the Community Library Network of Kootenai County works to restrict children and teen access to books in the district’s collection that its board deems inappropriate, those restrictions will also affect minors from other libraries.
The CLN library board last month voted to restrict all of its children’s library cards from accessing a larger network of books: North Idaho’s interlibrary loan consortium, the Cooperative Information Network. An internal document obtained by The Spokesman-Review says that move was reciprocal: children under 18 from other libraries in the consortium will no longer have access to the CLN’s books.
The move raises questions about the future of the Community Library Network’s relationship with the consortium, which includes libraries throughout North Idaho as well as Liberty Lake Municipal Library and Pend Oreille County Library District in Washington. The CLN oversees seven libraries in Kootenai and Shoshone counties.
The upheaval follows the Cooperative Information Network moves to restructure and reincorporate under a new name: Inland Northwest Libraries. Once incorporated, it will need to approve new bylaws and a joint powers agreement, according to draft minutes from the consortium’s Jan. 15 meeting.
Community Library Network Director Martin Walters abstained from voting on the articles of incorporation at the meeting.
The following day, the Community Library Network’s board of trustees voted to revoke all open-access library cards for minors, meaning children will no longer have access to the consortium’s physical materials or online content. The change affects about 8,900 children.
The board changed the policy in conjunction with creating the library network’s mature content collection. The collection will hold materials the library deems “harmful to minors” under Idaho’s Children’s School and Library Protection Act in an adult-access-only room at Post Falls Library. The library is reviewing a list of 140 titles – mostly young adult novels – for possible inclusion in the collection.
Previously, parents had three types of library cards to choose from for their children: access only to the children’s collection (geared for ages 0-12), access to the children’s and teen collection (geared for ages 13-15), or open access to the entire library collection including the Cooperative Library Network.
According to the library director’s January report, 8,906 child cards had open access, while 813 had one of the more restrictive options. There were nearly 37,000 adult cards.
Under the new policy, parents have only two options for children’s library cards. A limited access card allows minors to use the minor collection intended for ages 0-17. A general access card for minors allows them to access all general adult materials. Neither card allows access to the mature content collection. Children will still have access to books from other Community Library Network libraries within their restriction level.
A memo of talking points guiding library employees how to tell patrons about the new policies says all existing cardholders will maintain their current borrowing privileges until the changes are fully implemented “in the coming weeks and months.”
Cardholders will be notified of the changes through press releases, newsletters, the website and social media.
“If your child visits a CIN library, your child’s card will not work at that library after the implementation process is complete,” the document says.
It also says that Cooperative Information Network minor cards will not work at Community Library Network libraries. The document advises staff against recommending parents obtain a Cooperative Information Network card if they want their child to access digital materials, because staff “should encourage members to operate within the boundaries of CLN policy.”
Staff were guided to respond to questions about the mature content collection by comparing it to other special collections within the library, for example: a children’s collection, a large print collection, an inspirational fiction collection or an audiobook collection.
Community Library Network trustees said at the January meeting the new card policy was to protect children from accessing materials from Washington state libraries not bound by the Idaho law and other Idaho libraries with less restrictive policies.
Library staff and the board’s attorney advised the board against immediately approving the policy in order to give advance notice to the Cooperative Information Network and the public about the change.
The policy was approved in a 3-1 vote, with Trustee Vanessa Robinson in opposition and Chair Rachelle Ottosen abstaining.
GAAHHH New Hampshire! My mom says they'd be happy to be a separate country if they could. They're certainly not acting like they belong in this region. Senate Education Committee Given Two Choices to Regulate Public School Materials
https://indepthnh.org/2025/02/18/sena...
The Senate heard two proposals Tuesday for schools to handle parents’ complaints about allegedly objectionable materials in public school classrooms or libraries. One sets up a committee to review complaints asking to remove material from school libraries and to make recommendations with the final decisions left to the local school board. The other sets up a process that opponents said is overly broad and lacks well-articulated standards, but the prime sponsor said would ensure the rights of parents to object to material in public schools without being demonized or shamed.
Sen. Kevin Avard, R-Nashua, the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 33, to require school boards to establish policies regulating public school materials and procedures to process complaints that material is harmful to students.
“This gives parents the right to speak up about material in a public manner being taught to their children,” Avard told the Senate Education Committee, “and will be done in a public fashion so you know who approved that material the next time you go (to vote.)”
Senate Bill 208 would require local school boards and public libraries to adopt curation policies, but the bill’s prime sponsor, Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, told the committee the section on public libraries should be dropped from the bill.
She told the committee many of the concerns raised by parents over what they consider objectionable material are already addressed in law under the reconsideration statute.
Under her bill, a complaint seeking the removal of material from a school library would be received by six member committee appointed by the school principal, including the principal or designee, school librarian or media specialist, a teacher familiar with the material, a person appointed by the school board, a school parent other than the complainant, and a student other than the complainant if the material in question is for grades nine through 12.
The written recommendation would be submitted to the school board, who would make a decision and give its reasons.
Under SB 33, the complaint concerning any questionable material used in school including assemblies or outside speakers would go to the school principal in writing describing the allegedly harmful material and propose an action.
The principal would have 10 days to investigate the allegations and file a written decision within five days based on the standard that “the material is or is not harmful to minors, age-inappropriate, or otherwise offensive or inappropriate for use in the child’s school or for use in the context in which the material is being used.”
The principal’s decision could be appealed to the school board and would be placed on the next board meeting’s agenda for public discussion.
The board’s decision would have to be signed by board members indicating their support or opposition, and the material would have to be placed on file at the reception desk for public access.
“A parent has a right to object based on preference,” Avard said, “and they should have that right and not be drowned out.”
Gilles Bissonnette, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union NH, opposed the bill saying it creates a standard to remove material from schools that is overly vague and will lead to arbitrary decisions
He suggested the state’s harmful material statute has clear standards that are needed for this bill.
“This bill does not have those types of standards,” Bissonnette said, “to meet constitutional protection.”
What are you trying to regulate that is not already regulated in the criminal statute, he asked, noting “harmful to minors, age-inappropriate, or otherwise offensive or inappropriate for use in the child’s school or for use in the context in which the material is being used” lacks definition.
He noted students have a right to obtain a wide variety of material, and that “materials cannot be removed due to their viewpoint.”
It is not the process he objects to, Bissonnette said, but the standard used for removal.
Ann Marie Banfield, a parental rights advocate, supported SB 33, telling the committee she worked with a Bedford parent concerned about a book on financial literacy that had a Marxist bent. The process worked as the school board decided the book should not be taught in the financial literacy course, Banfield said, but would be available in the library.
She said the bill would help to keep families in public schools, instead of parents removing the child and entering the EFA program.
But she testified that SB 208 did not go far enough in protecting parental rights over what their child may access.
Banfield said school books need a rating system like there is for movies, so parents could determine if they want their child reading it.
She said p----graphy does not belong in school libraries, it can be in public libraries in the adult section, she noted, adding “it is OK for the state to say ‘this is not OK material.’”
She said SB 33 is not a book ban but limiting what is accessible to children when they go on their Chromebook.
Megan Tuttle, president of NEA — NH noted most school districts have reconsideration policies in place, but said the policies need to be clear and understandable to school staff, administrators and parents.
She, like others, was concerned SB 33 would limit students’ freedom to access diverse materials, and also that the reach was so broad it could mean every piece of paper a teacher uses in the classroom would be subject to reconsideration.
Jacquelyn Benson, a New Hampshire author and member of Authors Against Book Bans, said the bill would limit choices for students by removing access to books that may inspire them and help spark their passion for reading.
Under SB 33, a single parent would be able to limit and restrict viewpoints and ideas, a limit that would not be supported by “parents like myself or all parents.”
Debra Howes, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said SB 208 finds the right balance between the rights of parents and the rights of students, by allowing a committee to review the entire book or material, not just a single person.
“Something could not be removed by one parent for all students,” she said.
SB 33 “does not respect students’ First Amendment rights to access a wide variety of materials to spark interest and fulfill their learning needs,” Howes said. “We want students to be life-long learners.”
Heather Robitaille of Merrimack, called SB 33 severely restrictive and said it undermines those with the experience to make decisions in favor of “personal and political agendas that have no place in our schools.”
“Our children should be taught to be critical thinkers,” she said, “not subject to the censorship of personal or political ideologies.”
The committee did not make an immediate recommendation on either bill.
Kelly Jensen of BookRiot reports:"The book banning legislator in Arkansas wants to remove the degree requirement for library directors. This opens the door wide for unqualified politically-advantageous folks to be put in positions of power in libraries, as well as devalues and undermines librarianship as a profession. A similar bill passed in Louisiana last year."
https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/20...
Library directors’ degree requirement to be dropped under latest bill from ‘Book Ban Dan’
State Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro) —[previously defunded his hometown library system in 2022 and in 2023 made an effort to criminalize librarians who allow young people access to books on s-x education and s--uality ] ... introduced two bills aimed at libraries. On Tuesday, members of the Senate Committee on City, County and Local Affairs greenlighted Senate Bill 181, which will now go to the full Senate. SB181 would substantially reduce academic standards for the state library director and regional library directors, repealing the requirement that they hold master’s degrees from programs accredited by the American Library Association.
Long a detractor of the American Library Association, Sullivan has offered up a series of pieces of legislation to block the group from having any influence in Arkansas.
“The ALA is one of the most far-left lobbying groups in the nation. They are not affiliated with any government organization,” Sullivan said Tuesday.
He noted that Arkansas law currently says that library directors must have masters degrees from an ALA-accredited program. No such programs are offered in Arkansas, he said.
His bill would let the State Library Board (which, incidentally, he wants to abolish) and local library boards sub out work experience for a degree.
The bill passed on voice vote at a sparsely attended, hastily held meeting as a winter storm careened toward Central Arkansas. No one testified in support or opposition, and no lawmakers asked any questions about the proposed legislation.
Provisions in the bill were discussed, however, at last week’s meeting of the State Library Board. Former state Sen. Jason Rapert, a hyper-conservative Republican appointed to the board by Gov. Sarah Sanders, tried to convince his fellow board members to adopt similar policy changes, the Arkansas Advocate reported. At the meeting, State Library Director Jennifer Chilcoat noted that it’s difficult to find quality library science degree programs not accredited by the ALA.
Sullivan’s Senate Bill 184, already approved by the Senate and now with the House, would abolish the Arkansas State Library Board and the board overseeing Arkansas PBS, and would give the power held by those boards to the Arkansas Department of Education directly.
The New York Civil Liberties Union is planning to get involved in a lawsuit related to a pastor who has been trying to get books removed from Clyde-Savannah Schools.https://www.fltimes.com/news/educatio...
The New York Civil Liberties Union on Friday indicated it wants to get in line behind the state’s public teachers’ union and the district’s library specialist in opposing a minister’s continuing attempts to overturn the state Education Department’s decision to leave five books in Clyde-Savannah’s secondary school library.
Emma Curran Donnelly Hulse, a NYCLU attorney, filed court papers stating that on Feb. 28 she intends to submit a motion “for leave to file a proposed brief of amicus curiae” in support of the defendants in the case brought by the Rev. Jacob Marchitell and Moms for Liberty, Wayne County Chapter.
Hulse is a Skadden fellow in the Education Policy Center at the NYCLU, which is an affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union and a non-profit, non-partisan organization with more than 85,000 members and supporters. Through the policy center, the NYCLU advocates for equitable access to quality education for all young people in New York.
Meanwhile, the American Center for Law and Justice, which represents the plaintiffs, has filed briefs opposing New York State United Teachers and Emilie Bastain, the librarian, joining the case. ACLJ’s papers argue that the union and the librarian have no standing in the matter. They also did not consent to the NYCLU’s request, according to Hulse’s papers.
Attorneys for the teachers’ union and Bastian have filed counter motions that decry the ACLJ’s objections.
Marchitell and Moms for Liberty brought the appeal into state Supreme Court because they say the books are p---graphic and the Education Department overstepped parental rights by leaving them on the shelves.
The motions, including a district request to dismiss the case, were scheduled to be argued on Feb. 14 before Acting Albany County State Supreme Court Justice Denise Hartman. Court records indicate there were no appearances, but Hulse’s initial motions were filed. Records do not indicate Hartman has issued determinations on any of the motions.
Marchitell and Moms for Liberty initiated an Article 78 proceeding in Wayne County in August, appealing the Education Department’s April decision affirming the school district’s choice to have the books remain in the library. ...
The union previously supported Bastian and another teacher when they brought a complaint to the Education Department regarding the books, which had been removed from the library’s shelves initially at Marchitell’s request. The district’s school board voted to return them before the Education Department could intervene.
Marchitell and Moms for Liberty appealed. Meanwhile, NYSUT filed an amicus brief “opposing the book ban and supporting intellectual and academic freedom.”
State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa dismissed the appeal in April, upholding the decision of the Clyde-Savannah Board of Education to retain the five challenged books in the school library’s collection.
The Minnesota school that decided to use BookLooks to make book ban decisions now is hearing calls to revisit this new policy.https://www.hometownsource.com/educat...
Educator asks SFAS board for second look at book ban
In November 2024, the Saint Francis Area Schools Board made a change to its Policy 606.5, which deals with the selection and removal of library materials. Now, a St. Francis educator is requesting that the board take another look.
St. Francis educator and Education Minnesota St. Francis President Ryan Fierek approached the board members, asking them to reconsider policy 606.5 during a regular Feb. 10 meeting.
A controversial November 2024 decision caused BookLooks.org, a website with no affiliation with the district, to become the primary decider on book inclusion. Anything higher than a “three” on its zero to five scale is automatically banned.
...
Previously, Policy 606.5 allowed a book review committee to review and recommend action on books challenged by members of the public. Fierek shared concerns that members of St. Francis Area Schools do not have any representation with BookLooks, which therefore makes its decisions and ratings without the representation of SFAS.
“I understand there are concerns with lewd or inappropriate information in books, I think the community has made it loud and clear it’s a concern,” Fierek said. “And I think we should respond to that by seeing the original process through, which would have landed it at the school board where they would have made the decision. I trust the individuals here to make that decision.”
The decision to add BookLooks into Policy 606.5 came shortly after the book review committee decided to keep “Me, Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews in school libraries after receiving a removal request. The book is rated at a three on BookLooks.org.
“I get it, some folks might not agree with what the book review committee came forward with,” Fierek said. “But that’s part of the process. Nobody here even got the download of what the committee reviewed. They said to keep it, I would hope that the school board would be able to review it. … We haven’t even tried the process once, and it was turned over to a website.”
Terrifying. My heart is bleeding. (Also unconstitutional)Legislative committee endorses prosecution of librarians who lend books deemed harmful to children
Bill would also subject employees of schools, universities and museums to potential jail time
https://southdakotasearchlight.com/20...
A South Dakota legislative committee advanced a bill Wednesday at the Capitol in Pierre that would subject schools, universities, museums, libraries and their employees to criminal prosecution and jail time for allowing children to view material defined in state law as obscene or harmful to minors.
An opponent of the bill said it would put “librarians in handcuffs” for lending a book to a child that some adults might consider inappropriate. One member of the House Education Committee who voted in favor of the legislation, Rep. Travis Ismay, R-Newell, suggested an arrest might be insufficient punishment.
“If a librarian rented this out to my son or daughter, you’d be lucky if you got hauled out of there in handcuffs,” Ismay said. “So, yes, if they’re breaking the law anyway, why would we have any problem with librarians getting hauled out of the library in handcuffs?”
Ismay and other committee members who voted for the bill focused some of their comments on the book “Tricks,” which is marketed as a young adult novel from author Ellen Hopkins about five troubled teenagers who work as prostitutes. Several supporters of the bill criticized the book in their testimony as inappropriate for children and said it’s available in many high school libraries in the state. They said parents have had difficulty convincing local school administrators and school boards to remove such books from school library shelves.
Opponents of the bill said criminalizing the lending of a book with a class one misdemeanor is an out-of-proportion response to concerns about a book’s content. Eric E. Erickson, a lobbyist for the South Dakota Library Association, said that’s the same class of punishment applied to hiring a prostitute and committing simple assault, with a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
“Locking up our librarians, our professors, our teachers, our museum curators is not the answer,” Erickson said.
Other bill opponents said some parents may not like the local procedures available to request the removal of a book from a school library, but those procedures are the appropriate venue for complaints. Rep. Mike Stevens, R-Yankton, who voted against the bill, said parents unhappy with the outcome of those procedures already have the ability to file a lawsuit.
Stevens sponsored a bill adopted by the Legislature last year that requires public schools and libraries to publish their policies for restricting minors from accessing obscene materials. He said that requirement, which took effect on Jan. 1 this year, is a better approach to the problem than the bill endorsed Wednesday by the committee.
The sponsor of the new bill, Rep. Bethany Soye, R-Sioux Falls, said last year’s bill is ineffective because of the existence of another state law. That law exempts schools, colleges, universities, museums, public libraries and their employees from prosecution for disseminating material harmful to minors and related offenses. Soye’s bill would repeal that exemption.
State law defines material harmful to minors as any description or representation of nudity, (view spoiler) is patently offensive to prevailing standards about suitable material for children, and is without “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”
Soye said the protection for material with “literary, artistic, political, or scientific value” is sufficient.
“This is not a ban on any books,” she said. “If, specifically, we’re talking about a public library, you can still have the books. Adults, obviously, can read anything they want. We’re just saying this is material that’s harmful to minors, so you can’t check it out to a minor.”
Opponents of the bill said it would infringe on free speech and subject employees of the targeted institutions to prosecution for making subjective decisions.
“Many people will have a fundamental disagreement on what is defined as obscene,” said Sandra Waltman, of the South Dakota Education Association. “Often it comes down to a difference in values — something that should not be criminalized.”
The committee voted 10-5 to send House Bill 1239 to the full House of Representatives.
Indiana proposes cutting the popular Dolly Parton Imagination Library program from their budget.https://bookriot.com/indiana-cuts-dol...
"In a state racing to pass as many anti-library and anti-education bills as possible in a single legislative session, cutting Dolly Parton’s much-beloved Imagination Library from the budget may be most indicative of the desire to create an illiterate–and therefore dependent–citizenship.
Imagination Library is a book-gifting program that sends children from birth to age five free books every single month. The program launched in 1995 and serves children in all 50 states, as well as children in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
Indiana allocated $1.6 million for the Imagination Library program in the 2023-2024 budget and $2.5 million in the 2024-2025 year. This accounts for 50% of the cost to run the program, with the remaining cost fulfilled by local United Way chapters or other local nonprofits. The state budget for 2025 is $51.3 billion dollars, making cuts like these about the cruelty, rather than about any cost-saving measures.
The Imagination Library program has been cited as part of why Indiana’s child literacy rates have increased from 19th to 6th nationwide. Research shows that the greatest predictor for childhood reading achievement in low-income households is access to print materials. This is precisely the role the Imagination Library fulfills by automatically sending books on a monthly basis to all those 5 and under enrolled in the program.
Just this January, Indiana’s former Governor Eric Holcomb bragged about the impact of the program on the state. He wrote, “One of these days, Dolly Parton will pay us a visit to celebrate the statewide embrace of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, another tool to help our kids read.”
Cuts like this directly impact young people statewide. It is yet another attack on the rights of young people to learn and read, all under the guise of fixing the budget. Programs like these are not about Dolly, nor are they about the good work she’s done to help provide goods to young people. It’s about the young people being denied the right to learn to read and being denied the right to continue seeing their reading and test-taking skills improve due to their access to print material.
If you’re an Indiana resident, get on the phones and into the inboxes of your state representatives in the House and Senate.
Between a bill that would kill public libraries through a new tax scheme, the bill on deck to destroy public school districts in the state, and this, it is clear that Indiana legislators are eager to deny independence, literacy, and bright futures to their youngest and most vulnerable population."
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Legislative committee endorses prosecution of librarians who lend books deemed harmful to children
Bill would also subject employees of sc..."
So basically, the only way that university and college librarians would be able to protect themselves would be to very strictly and without exception ban ANYONE under the age of majority from using and even setting foot in their libraries (and I guess that would have to mean college and university students under the age of majority as well, even if they are are enrolled full time and need to use the library for their degrees).
Manybooks wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "Terrifying. My heart is bleeding. (Also unconstitutional)Legislative committee endorses prosecution of librarians who lend books deemed harmful to children
Bill would also subj..."
So, basically, you either have to wait until you're 18 or get legally emancipated to go to college now? Do these people never investigate the likely consequences of their actions?
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Legislative committee endorses prosecution of librarians who lend books deemed harmful to children
Bi..."
Not technically I guess, but these new rules would likely end up with this being the case, for if a full time or part time college or university student were not legally an adult, anything that he, she, or they signed out of the library for whatever reason (including assignments etc.) could in my opinion at least get librarians fired or arrested if someone (anyone) complained or if the books fell foul of what is deemed dangerous and inappropriate for minors by the state (and frankly, even for adult college and university students, if helicopter parents were to complain about what their "children" are signing out from the library and using for assignments etc., this would likely now have both college and university librarians and also instructors and professors on the hook).
And no, these morons do not consider the consequences of their idiocy but also likely do not care either (and let's face it, book-banning happy states and their politicians and lawmakers would probably want to not have students become educated and to completely control what is being taught both at school and at the post secondary level, just like was the case in Nazi Germany and is the case in Russia, North Korea etc.).
Ivonne wrote: "So, basically, you either have to wait until you're 18 or get legally emancipated to go to college now? Do these people never investigate the likely consequences of their actions?"Some libraries will or won't comply according to what their lawyer thinks will cause a lawsuit but no, they don't think because that would require thinking and thinking is now banned in many cases. Thinking leads to questions and questions lead to loss of control.
No, legally you don't have to be 18 to take college classes but there have been some complaints about texts used in AP classes which come from college course syllabi. Some AP courses have been downgraded and what the heck? If the student doesn't take the AP exam, they don't get college credit which is the whole point of AP classes in the first place.
One of the arguments they keep making "it's not a ban" because parents can just go on Amazon or go to Barnes & Noble and buy the book for their kids if they think it's appropriate for their child. That is, in fact, the very definition of BAN. Many families, especially in my city, can't afford books. When the neighbor elementary installed a book vending machine, many kids were beside themselves with excitement at owning a book either for themself, a younger sibling, a parent or grandparent who is learning English. It's those kids who get hurt the most when they can't access the books they need.
A charter school next to that elementary school has a little free library (one for younger kids and one for older). I popped some brand new books in there the neighboring children would like to read and relate to, likely would be banned in anti-CRT districts but featuring kids and issues these neighborhood children can relate to.
Florida wants to go the way of Texas and rewrite their textbooks. This bill proposes rewriting the textbooks to remove references to ... wait for it... The Gulf of Mexico! When I went to high school in the mid-90s the textbook said Ronald Regan was president and no one cared. Plus now teachers have Chrome Books to show kids updated maps if that's required. How much of a waste of taxpayer money is it to rewrite the textbooks?https://bsky.app/profile/flbaloney.bs...
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So I guess if students keep calling the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of Mexico, they will be disciplined?
Manybooks wrote: "So I guess if students keep calling the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of Mexico, they will be disciplined?"Doubt the students know or care. I don't think the bill says. You can look it up and see if there's a proposed penalty. HB 549
It doesn't say in the memo I saw on Blue Sky. Waste of taxpayer dollars so I doubt it will be popular if it passes. Google Maps already updated so why don't the teachers just you know do what modern teachers do these days and LOOK IT UP on their Chrome Book! Every kid has a Chrome Book and every teacher has one in the classroom. If they REALLY want they should ask the parents to cut and paste over every mention in every textbook. Saved money voila! Everyone is happy now!
Join @everylibrary.bsky.social, @lwvflorida.bsky.social, and @flfreedomread.bsky.social as they discuss the current school library policies that are actively allowing Florida to restrict access to books. Learn from experts on the topic and RSVP with the link in their bio https://bsky.app/profile/supportisove...
Tabloidy style but ...Dolly Parton Calls Out Indiana Gov Over Plan to Dump Her Imagination Library
https://www.thedailybeast.com/dolly-p...
“We are hopeful that Governor Braun and the Indiana Legislature will continue this vital investment by restoring the state’s funding match for local Imagination Library programs,“ Jeff Conyers, president of the Dollywood foundation, said in a statement to the Daily Beast.
”The beauty of the Imagination Library is that it unites us all—regardless of politics—because every child deserves the chance to dream big and succeed."
From Kelly Jensen at BookRiotNew Iowa Bill Would Revoke Funding for Library Affiliation with the American Library Association
"Iowa House Representative Helena Hayes, whose bill to criminalize librarians has moved rapidly through the legislature and which spawned a copycat bill in the Senate, has brought another anti-library bill to the House this week. House File 284 would cut off certain state funds to libraries if they are dues-paying members to the American Library Association (ALA) or the Iowa Library Association.
Those funds are called Enrich Iowa and they provide around $2.1 million in aid to public libraries statewide. Most of those funds are in the form of direct grants. About 450 libraries in the state receive these funds, and while they are not significant, all libraries squeeze what they can out of every penny.
Hayes claims the reason such a bill is needed is because the ALA opposes ratings placed on books in libraries. She’s frustrated that the ALA does not condone book censorship.
The ALA is the largest organization for library workers. Libraries become members of the association because membership provides not only ongoing education and support, but it allows access to further funding for library projects. Iowa libraries have benefitted from these funds. ALA grant money has gone to help add Iowa public libraries add accessible meeting rooms to facilities, recover following devastating weather events, and provide mobility tools for patrons to maneuver their library.
Lawmakers repeated the same lies about “inappropriate material” and “indoctrination” related to the ALA that have been spewed throughout the country over the last several years. When pressed to point to where and how specific books in public libraries are causing harm, legislators could not cite examples. Per reporting by the Iowa Capitol Dispatch, a state lobbyist for the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition claimed seeing a book called He’s My Mom at the Des Moines Public Library was objectionable.
Attempts to choke out libraries and librarians from affiliation with their professional organization are not new . This is fueled by misinformation peddled by the far right, who see the ALA as some kind of machine that encourages librarians to fill their shelves with “p----graphy,” “obscenity,” and “inappropriate material,” as well as one that trains library workers how to undermine parents through diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. As outrageous as that sentence sounds — do we see the same kinds of arguments lodged at, say, police professional organizations, despite the fact they, too, seek to educate law enforcement officers about diversity, equity, inclusion, social-emotional learning, and so forth? — it underscores what these book bans are actually about. It’s not the books. It’s about eliminating anything outside the far-right Christian agenda from American democracy.
When the book bans themselves are not enough to get the job done, ALA is a prime next target. By demonizing a professional organization, these individuals and groups are able to further damage the actual professionalization of the field — one that goes back to 1876. Disaffiliation is harmful to the libraries themselves, too, as the ALA provides grants and projects that are available only to those who are affiliated with the group (something pretty standard across all professional organizations, as membership dues help fund these things). ALA also helps libraries follow policies, procedures, and standards to ensure that these institutions are strong stewards of public money, that they follow ethical and legal guidelines, and that they actually serve the whole of a community. ALA lobbies on behalf of its members, too, ensuring that libraries are being funded and respected as one of the few democratic institutions in America.
Hayes’s bill plays into the ongoing moral panic around “inappropriate” material in libraries, and it seeks to further deprofessionalize libraries by setting up a system by which in order for Iowa libraries to get state-supported funding, they need to withdraw from their professional organization. Going a step further, House File 284 also applies to Iowa’s state library association, meaning that libraries would need to be completely unaffiliated with organizations that support their interests and development in order to receive Enrich Iowa funds.
Without question, Hayes seeks to destroy public libraries statewide. She and her affiliated legislators are drafting bills based on a moral panic they themselves created and continue to stoke. There are no inappropriate nor obscene materials in public libraries, as those are illegal to publish and distribute. The Miller Test has been eschewed in favor of “just trust me” politics–and at the speed these bills are being written and pushed through Iowa’s legislature, the future for Iowa public libraries looks particularly grim.
Just last spring, Louisiana legislators tried, but failed, to pass a bill that would criminalize librarians for being members of the American Library Association. It would not be out of the question for Hayes to draft a similar bill. House File 284 is written in a vague enough manner that while it seems as though it applies only to libraries with an American Library Association or Iowa Library Association membership, that vagueness is enough for those seeking to target public library workers to claim it also applies to anyone affiliated with the library, period.
House File 284 was introduced on February 10 as part of Hayes’s flurry of anti-library bills, and it was referred to the House Education Committee. It passed out of the Committee with recommendation on February 24, 2025."
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Good for Reddit, but I wonder how long before Trump and Musk make criticism etc. of them illegal on Reddit!!
And frankly, anyone who does not now think that Elon Musk is a full fledged Nazi and Trump certainly shows Nazis tendencies is at best massively naive.
Manybooks wrote: "Good for Reddit, but I wonder how long before Trump and Musk make criticism etc. of them illegal on Reddit!!."
Soon. They're already regulating the free press. The Washington Post's claims of democracy dying in the darkness just happened and the Freedom of Information Act people were just fired. Substack is a safe space for news right now and former Twitter/X users supporting freedom have decamped to Blue Sky.
From Red, Wine and BlueRead This: The Costs of Conflict
February 27, 2025 | Book Bans, Cost of Extremism, Easy A, Parents’ Rights, Public Education, School Board
https://redwine.blue/read-this-the-co...
Two-thirds of the schools in the study were experiencing moderate or high levels of “culturally-divisive conflict.” Only 2.5% reported no conflict at all.
When schools become the center of these culture wars, districts and school boards have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on:
Hiring lawyers and paying legal fees to fight the challenges.
Increased security to protect board members and educators at meetings.
Paying for additional staff hours spent responding to overwhelming public records requests, emails, and online disinformation.
Community and government relations.
Recruitment of teachers due to high staff turnover rates. 29% of the superintendents interviewed in the study had lost teachers due to culture wars!
We can all agree, this is not what mainstream parents want. We can think of a lot of ways that $3.2 billion could be better spent, and so did the study. Things like: hiring more counselors and teachers, upgrading supplies and technology, offering nutritious meals to all students, and providing more opportunities for kids and educators to prepare for the 21st Century.
https://redwine.blue/costs-of-conflic...
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Good for Reddit, but I wonder how long before Trump and Musk make criticism etc. of them illegal on Reddit!!."
Soon. They're already regulating the free press. The Washington Po..."
I am still going to be critical of Trump and his muskoxen on Reddit. They cannot really arrest me and I frankly do not care one bit if they delete my account and block me. And if Trump and Musk invade and annex Canada I am certainly not going to be silent.
Manybooks wrote: "QI am still going to be critical of Trump and his muskoxen on Reddit. They cannot really arrest me and I frankly do not care one bit if they delete my account and block me. And if Trump and Musk invade and annex Canada I am certainly not going to be silent.."Supposedly you can't criticize Musk on X if you work for his companies.
I don't see many new stories today but here's what I have.
Kelly Jensen of BookRiot reports:Livingston Parish Library (LA) has removed tens of thousands of books from their YA shelves. Why? Librarians are being forced to read them all and remove books with “explicit content.” No such thing exists, but now 30,000+ books have been banned in this public institution and taxpayers are on the hook for a lot of wasted time, energy, and money.
Paywalled story
https://www.nola.com/news/livingston-...
VERY chilling news from the Dakotas this week.The South Dakota House of Representatives has advanced a librarian criminalization bill.
https://www.argusleader.com/story/new...
North Dakota’s bill banning “s---ally explicit content” in public schools and public libraries has moved forward. (Even though we all know there’s no such thing and it's a coordinated attack to erase LGBTQ+ lives.)
https://northdakotamonitor.com/2025/0...
This is so un-American and so Nazi/Fascist/Chinese Communist!European Department of Defense Education Activity have two more weeks to be in compliance with the executive order to pull books. There is a private organization now opening an investigation into what books need to be pulled or removed.
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/euro...
But a private organization that advocates on behalf of military children in Europe is urging Congress to pause the implementation of those orders for much longer and require Pentagon leaders to give Department of Defense Education Activity schools clearer direction.
“This lack of clarity is leading to widespread censorship, librarians being forced to remove books and clubs being canceled due to ‘possibly’ being out of compliance,” the European Parent Teacher Student Association said in a message this week to lawmakers.
The letter, dated Tuesday, is addressed to the House Armed Forces Subcommittee on Personnel and has a subject line of “Protection from Censorship, Book Removal and Clarity Needed in DODEA Schools.”
A review period of six months to a year would allow for staff training and correct implementation, the letter says. “Our military children, who already face unique challenges, deserve better,” the letter states. “They need access to diverse perspectives and resources that empower them to navigate life’s difficulties with grace and compassion.”
Kristen Smith, the Europe PTSA vice president of legislation and the person who signed the letter, said Thursday that the speed with which DODEA has had to carry out the executive orders has caused confusion and mistakes. For example, rainbows, which were removed from some kindergarten classes, are now allowed as long as they aren’t used as a Pride symbol, she said. “That’s proof that a lot of people were acting out in fear, and that also, DODEA is paying attention and willing to recognize those things,”
Smith said. The European PTSA is compiling a list of items shared with its members that the organization believes may have resulted from misinterpretation of the policies directed by the Pentagon. Examples include the removal at one school of a Rosa Parks poster, and at another, a poster in a classroom of a child in a wheelchair. At still another school, a student book report on a child with autism was stopped, Smith said.
The PTSA at one school was told it could no longer hold its Fasching event, a traditional German celebration featuring costumes and carnival-like festivities, Smith said. Some schools removed all artwork or posters of Martin Luther King Jr., while some just removed the Black History Month title from similar posters.
“The amount of detail they have to be concerned about, and the ins and outs of it all is incredible in following these policies and these laws,” Smith said. DODEA schools have been ordered to comply with the recent executive orders titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” and “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling.” A third executive order, issued Jan. 31, prohibits Defense Department agencies, including DODEA, from using official resources to host celebrations or events related to cultural awareness months.
In Europe, schools had been given until Tuesday to comply, but the deadline was extended until March 3 “by senior leadership to conduct a thoughtful review of materials,” DODEA-Europe spokeswoman Jessica Tackaberry said Wednesday. The other regions have a similar deadline, she said. Schools are reviewing the curriculum and books to ensure they align with the White House directives and Pentagon guidance, DODEA officials have said.
A few lessons were identified earlier this month for removal during the review period, including elementary school reading assignments on immigration to America, Black History Month social studies material and chapters on sexuality and gender for high schoolers. As part of the review, instructional resources “potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics” as defined in the executive orders “will be identified for disposition,” Tackaberry said in a statement Wednesday.
No books have been permanently removed from school libraries, pending completion of the review, Tackaberry said. At Ramstein High School, more than 50 books were set aside for review. Jasmine Vu, a sophomore who is part of the school’s library management team, said the librarian explained the general guidelines used to pull books. “Gender ideology means anything regarding trans people, we’re taking it out,” she said. “Discriminatory equity ideology is anything that goes ‘This group of people is better than that group of people.’ ”
...
“I’m in the library club. You see that big stack during meetings, it’s kind of sad and depressing,” Vu said. The European PTSA has met with staffers of five congressional lawmakers so far, with more to follow. The group is encouraging parents and students who are concerned about possible policy misinterpretations to talk with a school administrator, teacher or counselor. The next step would be to write a letter to Congress, and the European PTSA has a template for that on its Facebook page. Some parents who have raised issues say their schools haven’t been helpful.
...
[A] parent said her child’s class was reading “Hidden Figures,” a book about the barriers that Black female scientists faced while doing work for NASA and its precursor through the 1960s. The teacher was forced to end the discussions and lessons planned for the unit, she said. “They had to pivot to making the lessons about paper airplanes and how math can help with something,” the parent said. “No conversations about women in science … none of that is allowed anymore.”
Vancouver, Washington PUBLIC libraryDrag queen story hour and banned books debate dominates Vancouver library board meeting
https://katu.com/news/local/drag-quee...
Back in 2019, the Vancouver Regional Libraries hosted three sessions of Drag Queen Story Hour. According to library officials, the goal was to help highlight the LGBTQAI++ community to create an inclusive space for all voices in the library.
Executive Director Jennifer Giltrop tells KATU, currently, there are no current plans to bring back the Drag Queen Story Hour. Although, several parents on Tuesday night say it’s important for their kids.
“Representation matters to children. It matters in adolescence; it matters to adults honestly,” one parent said.
When it comes to banned books, according to Giltrop, there’s a way to formally challenge a book title. Once submitted, all challenges will then be reviewed through what’s called the “collection review process” that’s found under the library’s collection policy.
In 2024, just seven formal challenges were received. According to a spokesperson with the Vancouver Regional Libraries, no material was removed from the collection.
Watch out Canada, here they come. Ignorant bigots who create a moral panic over books they've never read and don't even know the titles of.Politicians in Canada are mimicking the nonsense panic over p____ in school and public libraries as well.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/...
Wally Daudrich, a Manitoba Tory leadership candidate, alleged books describing (view spoiler) are found in schools throughout the province, but he didn’t say where, or name the alleged books.
Good grief!Six months after it was halted, Brevard Schools book review committee to resume in March
Since 2022, at least 38 books have been restricted or banned districtwide, with many more banned at individual schools.
The school board has the final say on book bans and has overruled the committee's recommendations on several occasions.
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/ne...
The committee, which stopped meeting in September 2024 after two positions on the five-member committee became vacant, will resume meeting on March 12 to discuss three novels. It's been through numerous iterations since its formation in 2022, when concerns about the content of books in classrooms and libraries came to a head in Brevard.
...
BPS policy dictates that committee members must be appointed by board members, with each board member appointing one member.
The review committee reads books about which community members have submitted formal complaints and gives the school board a recommendation on whether or not to keep, restrict or fully ban the titles. Ultimately, the decision is up to the board, who votes on reviewed books at subsequent board meetings. They do not have to take the committee's recommendations into consideration when they make the final decisions.
"We can go against what the committee recommends," said Board Chair Gene Trent at a February 2024 meeting, when the board flouted a recommendation by the committee for the first time since its formation and opted to ban a book after receiving advice to keep it for high schoolers. "That’s not only our option, but that’s our duty."
According to the most updated version of the district's policy, each board member appoints a committee member, and a media specialist — staff members who work in school libraries and collaborate with teachers to help provide learning opportunities for students through reading — chairs the committee in a non-voting position.
...
Most of the books that were banned violated HB 1069, according to the district. At least one — a Japanese LGBTQ graphic novel, or manga titled "Sasaki adn Miyano, Vol. 1" by Shō Harusono — did not violate state statute, both the committee and board agreed. However, the board voted in August 2024 to ban it anyway, with Megan Wright saying it was "inappropriate" and that she had concerns about it being written "backwards." Manga books are read right to left and back to front because they are a literal translation of Japanese text.
The ban prompted the National Coalition Against Censorship — an alliance of nonprofit groups from around the country working to protect the freedom of expression — to issue a letter in partnership with PEN America, American Booksellers for Free Expression and the Authors Guild to Brevard's school board. The group expressed concern that the board may have been in violation of the First Amendment.
People have repeatedly spoken both for and against the banning of books at school board meetings. In August of last year, after the list of 169 books was circulated online, Rachelle Jolley spoke at a board meeting, referencing book bannings in Nazi Germany.
"As you can see from the very beginning, banning books, controlling information and who has access to that information, is not about protecting people," Jolley said. "It's about controlling them."
The book review committee has seen a variety of members and undergone slight changes to how it operates since it was initially formed in 2022.
The initial committee included media specialists, but it was halted in fall 2022 soon after Wright and Trent took office, with Wright, Trent and Susin saying they wanted to restrict voting power to appointed committee members, citing concerns about a "conflict of interest" in allowing media specialists to have a vote.
The policy was revised to remove decision-making power from media specialists, and the committee resumed again in June 2023. It was stopped again that same month, with board members raising concerns about language in HB 1069 and what they called harassment toward committee members.
The policy was revised again in October 2023 to include language from HB 1069. This revision shifted the final decision-making power to the school board rather than committee members.
The committee resumed once more in December 2023 before it was halted in September of last year. On numerous occasions, the board ignored committee members' recommendations regarding whether or not to keep, restrict or ban a book. These decisions were largely made based on board members' own interpretations of HB 1069 and their personal feelings about a book.
MichiganThe Lapeer District Library has seen several rumors related to their board and its potential interests in banning books. They say the rumors aren’t true.
https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2025...
A crowd of about 75-100 Lapeer County residents filled the Lapeer Center Building on Thursday, Feb. 20, for the meeting.
The board voted unanimously during a May 2023 meeting to deny two appeals to remove two books, “Gender Queer” and “Fred Gets Dressed,” from the library’s shelves.
The appeals were made after the library’s former director, Amy Churchill, denied the initial requests to remove the books.
Following Churchill’s decision, according to a Bridge Michigan article, Lapeer County Prosecutor John Miller considered criminally charging the library or Churchill for allowing the books to remain on shelves, but he later claimed that this never happened.
New rumors have recently swirled throughout county that the board plans to remove new director, Danielle Brigati, for continuing to allow these books in the library.
These rumors coincide with concerns the board’s newest trustee, Peggy Brotzke , plans to remove books from the library.
Brotzke was recently appointed to the board as its Lapeer Township representative. Thursday’s meeting marked her first on the board.
“I wanted to be very clear that I have no intentions of banning books,” Brotzke said. “There’s a rumor going around on social media and I’ve gotten several emails too. People are concerned that I have a list of 2,500 books that I plan to pull off and destroy, and I’m keeping these books from parents. It’s not true.
“We agree that parents should be first and foremost making decisions on what their kids read. The problem is that not every child has a responsible adult to guide them.”
Brotzke also encouraged concerned residents to “respectfully” email her to explain why they believe it’s her or the board’s intention to remove books.
While she addressed concerns about potential book bans, Brotzke declined when asked to comment on rumors regarding the potential removal of the library’s director after the meeting.
Several residents spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, with the overwhelming majority of them speaking out against any potential plans to remove books from the library.
“It’s a vital time to support public libraries like Lapeer’s because staggering misinformation and ignorance are on the rise,” Lapeer County resident Amy Conger said. “A person can decide that they do not want to read a particular book and that they do not want their child to read a particular book, but they cannot decide that an entire community cannot read a particular book as a citizen.
Another resident opposed to removing the book, Jan Watz, said she spent 20 years on the Lapeer District Library board and now serves as president of the Flint Area League of Women Voters.
She said the organization is against the removal of books from libraries and believes decisions regarding materials in libraries should be left up to the library directors and staff.
“Removing and banning books from public libraries is a slippery slope to governmental censorship and the erosion of our country’s commitment to freedom of discussion,” Watz said. “What has always been a nonpartisan community resource has become a political football.”
Just one resident, who wouldn’t provide their name, expressed concerns with the inclusion of books like “Gender Queer” in the library’s catalogue, arguing the illustrations in the book and its LGBTQ+ content are s--ually explicit and inappropriate for children.
She said she’s particularly worried that seeing such content “has the same impact as actually having experienced physical abuse.”
Following a closed session, during which the board discussed Brigati’s performance evaluation as well as other personnel and legal matters, Bryan Cloutier addressed the board.
Cloutier is the director and CEO of Oxford Public Library and a member of the Michigan Library Association.
He threatened to take legal action against the board if it makes any attempts to remove books from the library or fails to follow the legal advice of its attorney, Anne Seurynck.
“Your attorney here is the best library law attorney in the state,” Cloutier said. “If you think you’re not going to listen to her advice, you’re going to learn very quickly that the people behind me, the ACLU, and I will be meeting a lawyer.”
Following the meeting, Trustee John Deangelis said there have been no discussions about any plans to remove Brigati as the library’s director.
He clarified he has no intention of banning books.
“I love the library, and everything they got up and spoke about, I agree with,” Deangelis said regarding the residents who spoke during Thursday’s meeting. “I mean, they’re just trying to do the right thing too, and they get misguided.
Board trustee Kari Kohlman also denied having any plans to remove books from the library.
“That is a rumor. I don’t know where it’s coming from,” she said. “I have never had the intention to ban books.”
The board did not take any action regarding the library’s director or any past book removal requests during the meeting.
In Indiana, Lake County library leaders anticipate more book challenges and bans throughout the state, including in public libraries.https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/0...
When the Crown Point Community Library underwent a building project at its Winfield branch, workers had to move the branch’s bookshelves. After they’d been moved, staff found books that had been hidden.
All books that were found had been challenged, said Julie Wendorf, the library’s director and president of the Indiana Library Federation.
“They’re mostly LGBTQ materials that are found under the shelves,” Wendorf said. “It’s quite suspicious that they would only be of that topic matter.”
The library has seen other methods to remove challenged books, such as finding them in trashcans.
Library staff have found books that aren’t challenged hidden as well. In 2023, a patron asked about Christian books, found them near Islamic books and moved more than 30 books throughout the library, either in between or behind shelves.
Wendorf doesn’t expect to see the book challenge trend decrease in the next four years.
...
In 2023, Indiana House Enrolled Act 1447 required school libraries to implement a process for people to contest books or other materials that are deemed obscene or harmful to minors, according to Post-Tribune archives. School librarians can be charged with a Level 6 felony if they are determined to have shared harmful materials with children, Wendorf said.
Public libraries were originally included in the legislation.
Wendorf spoke against the act, and the Indiana Library Federal negotiated against public libraries being included.
“The major danger in censorship is you’re eliminating access to materials,” Wendorf said. “The items that typically get challenged could include racial books but also often LGBTQ books. (Censorship is) limiting access to books, and those people can’t see themselves represented in books.”
...
If patrons have an issue with a book, they can go through the library’s reconsideration of materials request. Library staff can connect patrons with the person who bought materials, and after that, patrons can fill out a form that says what their concerns are. Wendorf will look over the form and respond with the library’s decision.
Patrons can appeal the decision if they don’t find it satisfactory.
Typically, people who hide challenged books aren’t submitting reconsideration requests, Wendorf said.
As president of the Indiana Library Federation, Wendorf said she’s heard other libraries have issues with missing challenged books.
“I think it’s something that happens in a lot of libraries in terms of having materials go missing,” she said. “But, we do have areas where we have very active book-banning movements.”
The Lake County Public Library has seen challenged books go missing, said Executive Director Carol Daumer Gutjahr, but it’s difficult to tell if they’re missing on purpose.
For instance, the library has two missing copies of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which has been included on the ALA’s most challenged books list, most recently in 2020.
“We do see books that are lost all the time, but we don’t always know the reason for that,” Daumer Gutjahr said. “That could be because they were actually lost. Maybe they left it, by accident, at the airport when they went on vacation and can’t return it to us. Maybe it was damaged, and the condition is too poor to bring it back, so they’ve just kept it.”
Daumer Gutjahr is sure that people have purposely taken challenged books to get them off library shelves. Library staff know that popular and challenged books might go missing, and they’re going to make every effort to replace them.
“If the intent is to steal it and keep others from reading it, it’s not going to work,” she said.
The LCPL doesn’t track how many challenged books go missing, Daumer Gutjahr said, but staff can find data on lost books in the system.
The executive director said she thinks large library systems have difficulties tracking challenged books that are missing because they have a larger amount of circulating materials.
The LCPL buys materials that are representative of the community and what patrons might find interesting, Daumer Gutjahr said.
“We’re making sure that (materials are) properly balancing subjects within our collection,” she added. “We want to make sure that we have all viewpoints. We don’t want to have anything one-sided, we want people to be able to come in and see the pros and cons.”
Daumer Gutjahr doesn’t know if libraries will see issues with more challenged books in the next four years. In 2024, the LCPL didn’t see more objections to materials, but it’s difficult to tell what the future holds.
“Patron involvement is always welcome, but we will look at any request to remove materials very carefully,” she said. “We will thoroughly look at it before we make a decision.”
ONE Arizona grandparent objected to novel selections in a Higley Unified School District 11th-grade class. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/...
Grandparent's complaint prompts Arizona school district to change how novels are chosen
A Gilbert teacher was investigated by police and placed on leave after a grandparent complained about a book assigned for class.
Some worry the new policy will discourage teachers from assigning challenging books and limit students' exposure to diverse perspectives.
Matthew Boye began the final quarter of the 2023-24 school year by assigning an individual reading project, just as he had the previous four years. Students in his 11th grade English class at Williams Field High School in Gilbert could choose from five books: "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky, "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini, "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult and "Paper Towns" by John Green. Permission slips with summaries of the books went home to families, and students and their guardians were allowed to suggest an alternate title.
Nearly all of Boye’s 140 students returned the permission slip with a book selected. But the grandparents of one student took issue with the list.
Bob Parrish brought his concerns to the Higley Unified School District’s elected leaders. ... “Introducing this into our schools only exacerbates the moral decline of our youth,” Parrish said.
Parrish’s granddaughter remained in the class and chose an alternate novel. ...
Bob and Kelly Parrish complained to district administrators and ultimately to the Arizona State Board of Education about the five books suggested for the assignment.
...
Higley Unified placed Boye on paid leave for seven school days, he said. The district investigated but found no wrongdoing. Parents of the 12 students in Boye's class who chose "Nineteen Minutes" were called multiple times to make sure they still gave permission for their child to read the book — which they all did, Boye said.
Higley Unified spokesperson Jessica Bautista said in a statement that the district followed “all district and state policies and procedures" regarding the complaint against Boye and its inquiry "resulted in no findings.” Boye did not find out that the State Board of Education had cleared him in its investigation until the fall, he said.
During the May board meeting, Bob Parrish acknowledged that Boye’s assignment had required a guardian's signature. But, he said, “it had no content warning for any of the novels.”
“If there was a warning stating the books contained s--ually explicit material, obscenities, drug and alcohol use, s--ual acts, (view spoiler), suicide, abortion and police racism and brutality — those are all reviews from the internet on these five books — I believe parents would have exercised more caution and actually reviewed the books before signing a permission slip,” Bob Parrish said. He asked the district to standardize the parental consent form “requiring specific details regarding all objectionable content.”
Over the summer, Higley Unified decided to do just that.
Higley Unified has long had a list of novels approved for teacher use. Before this school year, when a teacher wanted to assign a novel that was not on the list, they would obtain parental permission.
Now, teachers must stick to the approved novel list. That means that two of the five books on Boye's list — "Nineteen Minutes" and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" — can no longer be assigned to students.
For novels on the approved list with sensitive content — sexually explicit content, violence, drug or alcohol use, "sensitive content to race and ethnicity," offensive language or content related to mental health or suicide — the district created a more formalized and thorough permission slip. The slips tell parents what sensitive content the book includes. Students whose guardian chooses not to permit their child to read a suggested novel are given alternate assignments. Previously, the content of permission slips was determined by individual teachers and schools.
Because of violence, permission slips are now required for books like "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding and "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. "Animal Farm" by George Orwell needs a permission slip because of violence and sensitive content to race and ethnicity. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, which is read in ninth grade, gets a slip for sexually explicit content and violence. "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison, assigned to seniors, needs a slip because of sexually explicit content, sensitive content to race and ethnicity and violence.
Most novels assigned in Advanced Placement classes — college-level courses that students can take to obtain college credit with an end-of-year exam offered by the nonprofit College Board — require permission slips.
Now, if a teacher wants to introduce a novel into their class that is not already on the approved list, the book must go through a new committee review process. Teachers must plan ahead; the process takes a full school year.
The committee, which was formed at the beginning of the school year, identifies sensitive topics in each novel while weighing them against the literary merit of the book. Committee members note how prevalent each of the permission slip's sensitive content areas is in each book. Mary Davis, Higley Unified’s director of professional development and the leader of the novel review committee, likened it to a "rating system."
Arizona law requires parental permission for student exposure to s----lly explicit material at school. The remaining sensitive areas identified by the district are an effort to be more transparent with parents...
Board member Anna Van Hoek asked during a July board meeting if “sexuality” could be included as one of the areas noted on the permission slip, but the district’s lawyer advised against it.
After the committee votes to approve books suggested by teachers, the public has 60 days to review them and provide feedback before the Governing Board decides whether to approve them for classroom use.
More than 90 people applied over the summer to serve on the novel review committee. ... The district narrowed the pool to 28 members with a random draw. Half of the committee is made up of district staff, while the other half is made up of parents and community members.
This school year, the committee reviewed 17 books requested by teachers. All were approved, and the committee decided permission slips should be required for about half.
Over three meetings, committee members noted instances of profanity, alcohol use, smoking, murder, racial discrimination, abuse and anything else they anticipated might raise concerns among parents.
This school year, the committee reviewed 17 books requested by teachers. All were approved, and the committee decided permission slips should be required for about half.
For "The Devil’s Highway" by Luis Alberto Urrea, requested for an Advanced Placement 11th grade class, the committee wrote that there were “descriptions of medically accurate death in the desert,” brief “allusions to instances of border patrol groping and raping women” and “critiques of border patrol, but does also show the other side of that as well.”
For "They Called Us Enemy" by George Takei, which was requested for ninth-grade students, the committee noted that the book mentioned war, bombing and protests and was “critical of the American government during WWII and their involvement in Japanese internment camps.”
[In other books] committee members noted a teenage pregnancy and instances of stalking and children running away; an adulterous relationship in colonialism, racism and discussions of mental health and suicide; an inference of premarital s--ual relations; the creation of a new religion.
They checked passages against the Arizona statute requiring parental consent for student exposure to s--ually explicit materials. Those concerns will be presented to the Governing Board before its members vote on the novels.
Although the novel review group resulted from concerns about sensitive content, much of the discussion in committee meetings centered on the books' positive elements and, ultimately, why they were being recommended for approval. Committee members discussed books’ potential for engaging students, their representations of unique perspectives, the valuable lessons they offered and their literary qualities, focusing on elements like imagery, symbolism, vocabulary and character development.
The Governing Board will be presented with those positives, too....After the public review period, this school year's batch of books is set to go before the board for final approval in May.
Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the director of the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom [said] "These regulations treat books as items that can cause harm." She thought Higley Unified’s process would stigmatize certain topics and likely dissuade teachers from recommending "any literature that might touch on a theme that a parent might find controversial or sensitive." That could limit the availability of challenging, enriching literature for students, she said. It puts the onus on the district to flag “anything that might trip up a parent’s sensitivities” rather than “relying on the parent to take responsibility for guiding their children’s reading."
Mindy Brocker, a parent in the district, called the process an “unnecessary bowing to a screeching pressure from a very noisy minority” during a July board meeting.
“We’re limiting our students’ intellectual growth and their ability to engage with complex and sometimes uncomfortable topics that are part of our shared human experience,” Brocker said, adding that the committee was “deceptive” because the Governing Board would have the final say on the books.
For Kelly Parrish, the new permission slips are "better" but insufficient. Permission slip signatures can be forged by students, she said, or signed quickly by parents who skim over them. "They need to do a better job of contacting parents" and ensuring they are truly aware of what is in the books, she said.
She said that she thought the district was trying to "normalize deviant behavior."
The first reading assignment of the 2024-25 school year in Brittany O’Neill’s multicultural literature course — an honors class for seniors that offered Chandler Gilbert Community College credit — was "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi. ... An alternate text was offered for students whose parents chose not to let their child read the book.
But by the end of the first week of school, a parent had accused O’Neill of grooming and disseminating child p--graphy because of the "Homegoing" assignment.
The parent was concerned about a s--ual assault scene in the book, she said.
“By the end of the second week of school, this parent had called other parents of students in my class, attempted to have the police open an investigation against me and spread lies about my course in an attempt to irrevocably damage my reputation, not only as an educator but as a human being,” O’Neill said during the public comment portion of a board meeting in August.
In September, the Gilbert Police Department began investigating O’Neill on suspicion of committing two crimes by assigning "Homegoing" to her 12th-grade students: furnishing harmful items to minors and the production, publication, sale, possession and presentation of obscene items, both felonies.
O’Neill said she felt like “intimidation tactics were being employed.” During the investigation, a detective from the Gilbert Police Department’s Special Victims Unit showed up at Williams Field High School twice while she was teaching, she said.
Mod
Politicians in Canada are mimicking the nonsense panic o..."
Do NOT give Social Conservative BIGOTS in Manitoba the attention they crave. There is a reason why in the last provincial election the NDP won big time.
This is all so completely ridiculous.Upper Adams School Board (PA) updated the district’s library policy. It’s now going to lead to loads of bans. “"the district “will avoid library materials with sexually explicit content” and/or “excessive profanity.” It also states that materials that “disparage religious beliefs” will be avoided.” Last year, this district tried to ban books with profanity in them.
https://gettysburgconnection.org/uppe...
In a split vote, the Upper Adams School Board approved a new library policy that could lead to books being removed from shelves.
The board on Tuesday voted 6-3 to adopt the new version of Policy 109.1, “Selection of Materials for Libraries/Media Centers.” Susan Crouse, Kay Hollabaugh and Jim Lady voted against the policy update.
The vote came nearly a year after board member Loren Lustig introduced proposed changes to the policy that sparked a strong response from the community. In the time since, parents, staff, alumni, and students spoke against the proposal in several public meetings. Board meetings that were usually held in the small meeting room were often moved to the auditorium to accommodate crowd size.
Under the updated policy, the district “will avoid library materials with s--ually explicit content” and/or “excessive profanity.” It also states that materials that “disparage religious beliefs” will be avoided.
Regarding materials with profanity and s--ual content, a librarian “may request an exception if the librarian believes that the book’s overall quality warrants it,” the new policy reads.
Such exceptions would need approval from the superintendent and school principal. The new policy states exceptions will be “infrequent, not common.”
In addition, the school board will be informed at least once a semester of any library materials that were granted an exception. Written justification for the exception will be kept on file as long as the library material remains in the district.
Any materials with s---ally explicit content and/or excessive profanity that are granted an exception will be kept in an area that is not accessible to students, the policy states.
A new “parental control” clause in the policy offers parents an “opt-in” form that must be signed if they wish to give their student permission to access library materials with excessive profanity and/or s--ually explicit content.
Prior to this update, the district already had a system in place to evaluate and denote which materials contained mature content. Librarian Nicole Starner told the board in April that librarians can set up an alert on a student’s account that pops up when they try to check out a book.
The new policy ensures that parents can discover what books their students are checking out. The policy states library records of a minor student will not be kept confidential from their parents/guardians, except in cases where doing so is required by law.
In addition, under a new subsection titled, “Matters of Public Concern,” the policy states that library materials should cover “both sides” of issues fairly.
“The district has a legitimate interest in students understanding current events and matters of public concern, at a level appropriate to the age of the students. When a district media center includes materials that cover a matter of public concern, the media center will be responsible to provide, in an unbiased fashion, materials covering both sides of the issue fairly,” the updated policy reads.
The new policy expands upon the process to challenge library materials. The district “encourages” taxpayers, district residents, and parents and guardians of students to bring concerns about library materials to the district in writing, according to the updated policy.
Interim Superintendent Don Bell said a complainant’s identity would remain confidential.
If library material is challenged, a material review committee will be formed to consider the complaint. The committee will be comprised of the building principal and school librarian and, if the material in question was to be used for a class, the committee will also include at least one language arts teacher and one teacher from the grade level or curriculum area in which the material is used.
The committee will give their recommendation to the superintendent, who will share the recommendations with the board. The challenged library material’s fate would lie with the school board, which would make its decision at the next regularly scheduled public meeting.
Previously, the policy stated that a complaint would be reviewed by a materials review committee consisting of the principal, librarian(s), and two or three members of the teaching staff, including one from language arts and one from the curriculum area or grade level in which the material is being used.
No more than three challenges will be processed in one year, the updated policy states, and an individual is limited to one challenge per year.
Former Superintendent Wesley Doll in April said the district never received any written complaints challenging books in his 16 years there.
Before the vote Tuesday, Lady criticized his fellow board members for what he described as failing to listen to the concerns of the community. “I do believe that quite a few board members have sat here with total disregard for our community,” he said. “We’ve sat here for almost a year listening to our community tell us that they didn’t want this.”
Lady said the board should have never started down this road.
“This board has wasted a lot of time, a lot of energy, a lot of money, a lot of volunteer time by teachers, our librarian, for the last year, again, trying to fix something that was not broke,” he said.
One resident made a final plea for the board to reconsider.
“Many have spoken before the board, and signatures have been collected to show that we, the people, do not approve this policy rewrite, but to no avail,” district resident and former employee Leslie Callahan said. “As board members, I feel it is your duty to listen to the public and vote for what the public wants, not what you want. Even if you disagree with public opinion, your duty is to vote the way of the majority of the people.”
Callahan said Policy 109.1 served the district well before changes were proposed.
“It is a fine policy as originally written, and it is doing the job it was intended to do,” she said. “It is keeping indecent books out of the students’ hands. Let’s stop all this nonsense right now.”
The new policy is set to go into effect next school year.
The district will begin to review library materials to ensure they are in compliance, Bell wrote in an email.
Librarians will use a number of resources to evaluate books, according to Bell.
These sources include but are not limited to the following: Common Sense Media, Novelist Plus, BookLooks, <--- (REALLY not a valid review source) TeachingBooks.net, Booklist Online, LibraryThing (<<---Not a valid review source) & Goodreads, (<,---Not a valid review source) Publisher’s Website, Scholastic, WorldCat, TitleWave, Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD), Publisher’s Weekly, Library of Congress Catalog, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), Epic!, BookBrowse, BiblioCommons, NetGalley, and Fantastic Fiction.
“The librarian will cross-reference the information that is available with these sources with the current book collection in the Learning Commons and review our collection, as needed. If upon review the librarian finds justification per the guidelines in Policy 109.1 to remove accessibility to any of those books for students, they will do so,” or seek exceptions through the board, Bell said.
The transition will take time, Bell said, and he does not expect titles to come off the shelves in large droves.
“In my short time in the district, my review of the specific changes/additions made to Policy 109.1 and the possible books that might be affected, I wouldn’t anticipate any wholesale or noticeable bare shel[f] changes in the district libraries. I would anticipate a very methodical process to be completed on a continual basis by the librarians,” Bell wrote.
Eagle Library in Idaho is still without two board members. This is the library where a state legislator is trying to get a whole bill written because he’s mad that the city council can’t just fire this library’s director and I believe this is the board where candidates have been rejected because they have served on the board or had library experience.https://www.idahopress.com/news/local...
PAYWALLED
Unpaywalled free story
https://boisedev.com/news/2025/02/19/...
Last Tuesday evening, Mayor Brad Pike brought forward a fourth name to be considered to fill the remaining vacancy on the Eagle library board for the Eagle City Council’s up or down vote. Again, as they have now done three times in the past, the council voted unanimously to deny the appointment of Elizabeth Gray, a nurse practitioner at the Boise VA Medical Center.
“I took the time to review each application and resume attached and so my opinion is after review of Ms. Gray’s application and resume, I don’t believe she’s the best candidate for the open seat although she has a tremendous professional background in nursing and the medical field, which is very impressive,” Russell said. “I think there were other candidates not selected for any consideration that bring specific experience that match the responsibility and duties of the library board of trustees.”
Russell specifically noted one of the 15 applicants for the board has been a school board member for the Ambrose School, a private Christian school with a campus in Northwest Boise and his experience with school budgeting and academic standards make him more qualified. The school’s website says it focuses on Christ-centered education “we acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord over all life and the Bible as the final authority in matters of life and thought.”
After his selection of Gray was turned down, Pike reiterated to the council that he decided which candidates to interview for the seats based on whether they submitted a resume with their application. Without a resume, he said he immediately rejected them.
Rochester Pride cancels visit by author of controversial children’s book over ‘safety concerns’Instead, the nonprofit plans to host an event to give away copies of “The Rainbow Parade,” which was removed from an elementary school due its depiction of public nudity. [Fake news! It shows the bare backside of a person carrying a purse-type bag!]
https://www.startribune.com/rochester...
The organizers of Rochester’s annual Pride festival canceled an appearance Monday by author Emily Neilson due to unspecified safety concerns.
The visit by Neilson, whose children’s book “The Rainbow Parade” was pulled from the shelves of a local elementary school... was scheduled to take place at a local church.
Organizers declined to share details about the reason for the cancellation out of concern “for the safety and privacy of those involved.” However, Rochester Pride said on social media that it does not believe there is an ongoing threat.
The nonprofit, which has already purchased 250 copies of “The Rainbow Parade,” said it instead plans host a book giveaway event in the near future.
Rochester Pride had invited Neilson for a book reading and signing in the wake of Rochester Public Schools' decision to remove “The Rainbow Parade” from a media center at Franklin Elementary School.
Good gravy. Not my cup of tea but I know it was huge back in the day.SC parent asks school board to ban ‘The Hunger Games’ from Midlands middle schools.
ONE PARENT complained! ONE
Read more at: https://www.thestate.com/news/local/e...
The Lexington 1 board is holding a hearing on Tuesday on a parent’s challenge to the use of “The Hunger Games,” a dystopian novel that spawned multiple sequels and a blockbuster film series since its publication in 2008. School board members are scheduled to hold a 40-minute hearing prior to their monthly meeting at school district headquarters on Tarrar Springs Road, beginning at 4:15 p.m. A parent at Lakeside Middle School asks that the book be restricted to high school-grade students in the central Lexington school district. The parent’s complaint form doesn’t cite a specific concern with the book — instead referring to a binder of materials and documentation that was submitted separately — but author Suzanne Collins’ teen novel has been the target of challenges in schools and libraries across the country for years.
On Tuesday, board members will hear from the complainant and a district committee that reviewed the book. Board members will question both sides before opening the floor to public comments. The hearing will end with a decision from the board on whether to retain or restrict access to “The Hunger Games” in Lexington 1 schools.
This challenge is being heard by members of the local school board, but in recent months the State Board of Education has also taken on reviewing book challenges as well under new state regulations. If the state board upholds a challenge, that book must be removed from all schools in the state. The State Board of Education, which is mostly appointed by state legislators, is empowered to hear appeals from local board decisions, but its members are not required to read a challenged book before making a decision.
Huzzah good news! Lexington One School Board votes to keep popular book on shelves
https://www.wistv.com/video/2025/02/2...
Meridian Library in Idaho)has had four new book challenges. The first book challenged was considered this week. Idaho’s law allows parents to complain and if they don’t get their way, they can sue.https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/l...
More Boise-area book challenges could spell trouble for libraries. How one is responding By Rose Evans February 26, 2025 4:00 AM| 9 State Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa, speaks to an Idaho House committee in January 2024 about his bill to restrict library books deemed “harmful” to minors. The Legislature later passed the bill, and Gov. Brad Little signed it. The law lets patrons request that such books be removed or relocated to limit access, and to allow patrons to sue for damages.
Another Treasure Valley library has received complaints over books in its collection that some believe are “harmful to minors.” The Meridian Library Board met Feb. 19 to hear the first of four requests to relocate or remove books that it has received since a new state law took effect July 1. The law governs how libraries must respond to materials deemed harmful or obscene. Each request named one book. The first request the board considered was for “Prince & Knight,” a children’s picture book by Daniel Haack.
Under the new law, school and public libraries can be liable for allowing minors to access “harmful” materials, which are defined as having descriptions or representations of nudity or s--ual conduct, including homosexuality, that (view spoiler) as judged by the average person.”
If a minor obtains materials that meet these standards, the minor’s parent or legal guardian can submit a Request for Reconsideration form. If the material is not removed or relocated to an adults-only section within 60 days, the parent or guardian can sue the library.
The law has resulted in multiple book challenges across the state. In Eagle, the library board voted in September to move 20 books from its “young adult” section to its “adult” section and to put three additional books behind its circulation desk after receiving a series of 25 requests for reconsideration from an Eagle woman. The vote took place after the board deliberated for an hour in closed session, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
Nick Grove, director of the Meridian Library District, told the Statesman in an email that four requests received in the past 60 days were the first the district had received under the new law. According to the library district’s website, one request was submitted on Jan. 8 and three were filed on Feb. 4. Three individuals filed the requests. In the email, Grove wrote that the last three requests “seem to have transpired after parents at Doral Academy were unhappy with books their students checked out from the MLD Bookmobile while chaperoned by Doral staff.” The academy is a public charter school for students in kindergarten through eighth grades.
On Feb. 19, the board met to deliberate the Jan. 8 request, which criticized “Prince & Knight” for being “perverted and not appropriate for kids,” (Unlike say, Sleeping Beauty?) according to a copy of the request form, which is a public record, posted on the library website. The requester sought for the book to be moved from the children’s section to an adult section. “It is not appropriate to have book with gay/‘queer’ in childrens section on display,” the request read.
At the start of the Feb. 19 meeting, the board heard comment from members of the public expressing views on whether access to certain books should be restricted based on potentially harmful content.
A Bisexual parent spoke out : “As a parent, I recognize not all books are for all people, and not all books are for all ages, but that is my responsibility as a parent to determine that for my family,” said Lindsay Van Allen, a Meridian resident. “Not the government, not other people in the community, and I don’t think I have the right to determinate that for anyone else.” “I’m also bisexual, and my family deserves to see ourselves reflected in our community library,” Van Allen said. Van Allen said she is grateful she is able to check out books that reflect her and her family’s identity.
Another commenter said he typically speaks before the Legislature and wanted to know why materials “outlawed in the private sector” are available to minors in libraries, including in Meridian. “You can’t go into the Hustler store and check out p---graphic material as a minor,” the commenter, who did not announce his name, said. “You are ID’ed. Why does this library not ID the participants that come in to check out p---graphic material?”
The commenter said he was disturbed by “pe---p---ia” in “Two Boys Kissing” by David Levithan, which he said is available to minors at the district’s Cherry Lane branch. One of the four requests for reconsideration the board plans to hear is for that title. “Two Boys Kissing”.
...
After hearing public comment, the library board’s chair, Jeffrey Kohler, opened deliberations over the request to relocate “Prince & Knight” by reviewing the criteria books must meet to be considered “harmful to minors” under the law. Kohler said the library director conducted a review of the material, as is library policy, and recommended that the book be kept in the children’s section.
According to a copy of the director’s recommendation on the district’s website, “Prince & Knight” has been checked out once so far this year and nine times last year. The recommendation states that the book does not meet “harmful to minors” standard and does not violate the Meridian Library’s collection development policy. On the contrary, the director judged the book to meet all applicable criteria in the collection development policy, including standards for literary and stylistic quality, attention of critics and reviewers, and cost and availability. “To remove the material based on a portion of the contents that an individual finds disagreeable would be an affront to the Library Bill of Rights .... and a violation of the First Amendment,” Grove wrote in the recommendation.
Vice Chair Destinie Hart affirmed the director’s findings and said she found it “disappointing” that the requester failed to fill out a substantial portion of the request form, in particular a section where requesters can detail what aspect of a book they believe violates Idaho code.
“Our library staff and board are committed to a good-faith review of these requests,” Hart said. “I would encourage the community to use this process for legitimate concerns, rather than an outlet for sort of expressing opinions or biases toward certain sexualities, ethnicities, um, any other criteria than that listed in the actual bill. “It’s not a good use of our library staff’s time. It’s not a good use of our volunteer board’s time, and it is certainly not a good use of taxpayer funds,” she said.
The board deliberated for roughly 10 minutes before voting unanimously to affirm the director’s recommendation and keep the book in the children’s section, to applause from the audience.
Kohler told the Statesman that he was pleased with the civility of the public comments and affirmed the board’s commitment to “transparency” in the review process under the new law. “We’ve been through a lot of this,” Kohler said, noting that he’s seen other library boards “struggle” to adjust to the new law, which he called “ambiguous.” “It really leaves libraries in limbo, understanding how it is we’re supposed to walk that fine line between both sides of the issue about restricting books,” Kohler said. Kohler said the board is committed to following the “harmful to minors” law and Idaho’s open meetings law. “The only thing we do in executive session are the things we are required to do an executive session,” he said. “And that’s a pretty small list.” Kohler said the board will consider the next three requests for reconsideration at a future board meeting, in accordance with the 60-day timeline in the law, after which a patron could sue the library.
Read more at: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/l...
PennsylvaniaPine-Richland School Board sees their new book banning policy coming closer and closer to passage.
https://community.triblive.com/c/pine...
Heated debate surrounds Pine-Richland School Board's library policy; final vote next
A final vote on Pine-Richland’s controversial library policy is in sight after another contentious meeting Feb. 24 set the stage for a third and final read of the proposed rule changes.
The three-hour meeting was the latest in a series of often embittered discussions during which community members have lashed out against what they say amounts to a “book ban.”
The new policy would place the final power to add or remove district library books in the hands of the school board rather than the Pine-Richland superintendent.
Previously, the district formed a committee for the review of 14 books challenged by parents in 2023, many of which focused on LGBTQ characters.
The committee offered recommendations to Superintendent Brian Miller, who ultimately recommended that the titles remain. Last year, board members started to revise the library policy to give themselves the final say on school books. The Feb. 24 meeting was the most recent stage of that revision process.
The policy went forward despite the best efforts of Ashley Fortier, who offered motions to revise aspects of the Library Resources policy. Often a minority on the board, each of Fortier’s motions were successively voted down 5-4.
Fortier sought to shorten a 30-day notice period for new library materials during which parents or community members might raise potential challenges to works, saying it created a “barrier” to student access. Though she asked for input from other board members for a potentially shorter window, there appeared to be no appetite among the board majority.
When Fortier moved to eliminate the notice period entirely, she was voted down. She next moved to eliminate the “Avoiding Educationally Unsuitable Material” section of the policy because of what she called ill-defined terms such as “classic art” or “s-ual acts.”
The board, Fortier said, lacked the expertise to judge potentially challenged texts.
“We know what librarians bring to the table because they have certifications; they have educations. What do we bring to the table? And how can people trust that we’re being transparent?” Fortier said.
Nearly 45 minutes into the discussion, Marc Casciani, though he consistently voted for Fortier’s motions, said he doubted any progress would be made in further revisions. The longtime board member said it was likely “nothing (Fortier) suggested” would be approved.
The meeting, like its lengthy predecessors, brought out numerous community members and about two dozen speakers during public comments.
While those present seemed to represent a unified block of opposition against the board majority, a significant number of community members phoned in to the meeting to express their support of the board’s focus on “parental rights.” This led to a back and forth between in-person critics and call-in supporters during comment periods.
Elise Duckworth, an active Pine-Richland junior who created a petition demanding the board to reverse its current policy revisions, said she was encouraged by a recent meeting with board members.
Duckworth, in addition to seniors Jake Pazin and Tiffany Gathers, met with Lisa Hillman and Phillip Morrissette, board majority members, in a meeting moderated by Pine-Richland High School Principal Frank Hernandez. Duckworth said the gathering was “a positive step in the right direction” and she hopes for more discussions in the future.
Though she said she was committed to implementing board policy, Pine-Richland librarian Beth Shenefiel said she was concerned the new policy violated students’ First Amendment rights and would “hinder library operations.” Shenefiel also criticized the notice period and urged the board to include district librarians in further discussions.
“The proposed policy’s unclear language, excessive procedural delays and content restrictions risk compromising our core mission,” Shenefiel said.
Nedda Immen, another active Pine-Richland student, said she understood the board majority’s “overarching goal,” but she asked them to find middle ground before proceeding further.
The senior said the board majority’s opinions were valuable but said they must consider the thoughts of students and community members as well.
“By implementing the policy that’s currently being revised, you’re imposing a restriction. And this restriction, as we’ve seen, doesn’t leave room for a compromise, it doesn’t acknowledge the diverse views in this community and it creates division not understanding,” Immen said.
But in moving forward with the policy in a 5-4 vote, it is unclear whether the board majority and community will find any “middle ground.”
Christina Brussalis, Leslie Miller, Michael Wiethorn, Morrissette and Hillman voted to approve the second read, advancing the policy into what will likely be a final vote. Amy Terchick, Fortier, Casciani and Joseph Cassidy voted against it.
The school board’s next voting meeting is March 17. If the board approves a third read, the policy would immediately go into effect.
Sad news in Missouri. Reminder: The ALA provides funding for professional development training among other things such as advocating for library services and supporting literacy. Christian County Library (MO) has now withdrawn its association from the American Library Association and Missouri Library Association. Recall this is the next step in deprofessionalization and defunding.
https://www.news-leader.com/story/new...
The Christian County Library Board of Trustees voted 3-1 Tuesday night to withdraw membership in or association with both national and state library associations. The action was largely symbolic, as the library did not hold institutional memberships as an entity with either organization but previously has paid for individual memberships for staff.
Trustee John Garrity brought the action forward, calling both the American Library Association (ALA) and Missouri Library Association (MLA) "private trade organizations." Both are nonprofits with the goal of assisting libraries and promoting librarianship.
Interim Executive Director Dana Roberts told the board the library as a whole does not have a membership with either entity but in the past has paid for individual memberships so staff members could attend conferences at reduced prices. According to the December board meeting documents, in 2024, the library paid roughly $1,400 for seven individuals to attend a conference through ALA and about $600 for eight to attend the MLA conference. In 2025, less money was budgeted for professional associations overall due because there were no plans to attend an ALA event and fewer planned to attend the state conference.
Garrity said individual employees can still have their own memberships, without the library footing the bill. However, he also noted the money was not really the central point.
"I think the dollars are really not the major concern," Garrity said. "The issue is that I think the direction of the Christian County Library is not the direction of ALA." ...
Christian County Board President Echo Schneider is listed as a team member for the World Library Association, an alternative to ALA created in 2023 that promotes a "common sense model" for policy formation.
Newest trustee Mary Hernandez de Carl said she believes the ALA holds a bias that is reflected in its resources and materials. She accused the ALA of pushing anti-racism and anti-white rhetoric, gender ideology and promoting materials that portray people of color as victims. She also said that ALA creates a "climate of fear" for library staff by putting out resources about fighting book bans, instead of promoting conversation and compromise.
"You have a lot of books that push dangerous things that are very divisive to this community, that I don't think reflect the interests of the people in this community," Hernandez de Carl said. "I'm not white, I don't feel oppressed in this country. But those are the narratives that are pushed here, and I think that is something that is very problematic."
Much of the discourse at the Christian County Library has centered around materials available for children that some community members believe to be s--ually explicit and age inappropriate. The board had previously discussed labeling LGBTQ materials but has not yet made a final decision on the matter. ALA has denied having a political agenda.
It is uncommon but not unheard of for a local library system to remove itself from the national organization, it is even rarer for a library to pull out of the state-wide organization.
The Missouri Library Association is an educational organization working to promote library service, the profession of librarianship, and cooperation among all types of libraries and organizations concerned with library work in the state. The organization appears among the list of library development resources on the Secretary of State's website. According to the MLA website, the organization works together with the state library to promote access to information across the state. Several southwest Missouri libraries are institutional members of the MLA including local universities, Springfield-Greene County Library District, Polk County Library, Stone County Library and others.
Beyond offering resources and professional development opportunities, the associations are also a way to reach candidates in job searches. The Christian County Library executive director position is posted on the MLA website.
Sheila Michaels, director of the BookBag program and a former librarian in Nixa Public Schools, spoke during public comment with concerns about the library disassociating from the two organizations. With experience serving on both ALA and MLA committees, Michaels said she could speak about what goes on at conventions and within the two groups and address any concerns. She particularly highlighted the Freedom to Read statement, which dates back to the 1950s, to note that the statement does not bypass parents as being in charge of their children's reading.
In addition to stepping away from the associations, the board created two subcommittees Tuesday night. One is focused on reviewing the budget while the other will work to review and revise district policies and the board's bylaws. Both committees were proposed by Garrity, who was voted in to serve as chair on both.
Both committees will be made up of two board members, the executive director (or delegate for the policy subcommittee) with the addition of the head of finance for the budget subcommittee. Both subcommittees will meet once a week, likely online, or as needed, and will exist for 60 days or until their work is complete.
In addition to stepping away from the associations, the board created two subcommittees Tuesday night. One is focused on reviewing the budget while the other will work to review and revise district policies and the board's bylaws. Both committees were proposed by Garrity, who was voted in to serve as chair on both.
Both committees will be made up of two board members, the executive director (or delegate for the policy subcommittee) with the addition of the head of finance for the budget subcommittee. Both subcommittees will meet once a week, likely online, or as needed, and will exist for 60 days or until their work is complete.
Particularly for the plans and policies subcommittee, Garrity said up to this point changes to bylaws have been "piecemeal," and this will allow for them to be more comprehensive. With the move away from the ALA association, Garrity insinuated several changes will be necessary as "ALA is all through [the] policies." He has been the primary trustee to propose recent changes to the bylaws.
Trustee Janis Hagen was the only to vote against severing ties with the ALA and MLA as well as the formation of the subcommittees, arguing that all trustees should be equally involved in budget, policy and bylaw processes.
GASP!!!In 2024, Monroe County, Tennessee, schools removed 574 books from shelves to be in compliance with state law.
Books about the Holocaust, World War II, race, religion and LGBTQ+ topics are among the list of books pulled as a result of the state's Age-Appropriate Materials Act
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/edu...
Some books included classics like "To Kill a Mockingbird." Others were highlighted nationally as the target of book bans, such as "The 57 Bus" and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." Other titles are usually studied in classrooms, including "Of Mice and Men," "Fahrenheit 451," "Lord of the Flies," and "The Outsiders."
The law only applies to books in school libraries, not in classrooms. It's possible these titles could still be taught in English classes.
Yet, other titles taken from school shelves had historical and academic significance. "Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck discussed the injustice that migrants and groups faced during the Great Depression. Other books offered more direct lessons in history and health, such as "Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation Into Space" and the "Mayo Clinic Family Health Book."
The Age-Appropriate Materials Act was first passed in 2022 and required school districts to create a policy and governing body to review books.
More recently, the law was amended to include language about content that the state considered to be inappropriate for students, requiring books that have that content to be removed from school shelves. The law outlines that nudity, s--ual abuse or sexual content, as well as "excessive violence."
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/edu...
In Alamance County, North Carolina, books containing violence, underage drinking and drugs or s--ually explicit content at the Alamance County [NC] libraries will be labeled with a parental guidance suggested sticker, if the Alamance County Commissioners vote to approve the label. SO many questions:
Who does the labeling?
What if a book with such content isn’t labeled?
What if a book WITHOUT such content IS labeled just because of personal bias?
Will there be any UNlabeled books in the library?
https://www.elonnewsnetwork.com/artic...
The Alamance County Library Committee voted at its Feb. 11 meeting to bring the issue to the commissioners.
The label brought controversy after the committee considered labeling LGBTQ+ content in books, according to the minutes from the Nov. 12 meeting. After the request for the sticker was brought up, over 50 community members came to hear about the proposed policy at the next meeting Jan. 31. Twenty people spoke during the public comments section of the meeting, with only two speaking in favor of the sticker, according to the meeting minutes.
The majority of disagreements with the label cited the harm of targeting specific themes as it marks them as “wrong.” The American Library Association recommends against labeling books with LGBTQ+ themes as it can draw negative attention.
While Alamance Pride president Ken Smith wasn’t at the meeting himself, the organization posted about the meeting on Facebook, encouraging members of the community to learn about it.
“The continued stigmatization of people who are othered or perceived as others — I think that's the real harm,” Smith said. “And of course, the proverbial slippery slope. Where do you stop, from a First Amendment perspective? What's acceptable speech or language and what is and then who gets to determine who has access to what? Anyone could go into a library and that sort of situation and complain about virtually anything.”
Pamela Thompson, Alamance County commissioner and library committee liaison, said while she understands both sides of the issue, she would vote in support of this. As a liaison from the county commissioners to the library committee, she is not a voting member but attends meetings.
She said this whole issue began after a mom brought her child to the library and the child found a book featuring a bunny rabbit that discussed “different lifestyles.” The rabbit was having “feelings that he didn’t understand,” Thompson said.
“When her kid started reading it, or she started reading it, light bulb went off and she said, ‘This is not what I want my child to be reading.’” Thompson said. “And that was fine. I think she made a complaint, and she has every right, but the next step is how you handle it.”
Thompson said this is a difficult issue that has been made worse with increased politicization. She said while she is a strong supporter of freedom of speech, she wants to keep children safe and ensure that parents are empowered to protect their children.
“When you go in a place like a library or anywhere Barnes and Noble, anywhere, church, anywhere, if they don't have your opinion, your feathers get ruffled and you just don't like it, and you don't have to believe something, but you cannot be judgmental and critical of everybody else,” Thompson said. “Last I checked God has not been on vacation and asked me to sub for him for two weeks. That is not my job.”
Smith said there really is no issue as the age groups these books are targeting should be accompanied by a parent.
“They use the typical moral panic of the children to justify these things to cover up their own fears and shame and guilt,” Smith said. “The reality of the situation is, I can't think of one parent when you look at the age group that they're really trying to address. I don't know of one parent that wouldn't be already accompanying their children to the library and knowing what they're reading.”
Thompson agreed that parents should be accompanying their children to the library but is worried children could still find ways to get books without their parents knowing if they are placed in children’s sections throughout the library.
“I'm going to support children, and these stickers are a way to alert you that it may be too violent or too s--ually inappropriate, whatever that looks like for a certain age,” Thompson said. “I'm going to support that because that is common sense, and parents need to be more involved with their children reading.”
The prospect of labeling LGBTQ+ themes comes after the Alamance County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted Cheryl Sandford to join the library committee in 2023 rather than an incumbent. Sandford criticized an LGBTQ+-themed book display at the May Memorial Library in 2022.
Chair of the committee Jessica Simmons was an advocate of labeling LGBTQ+ content with a rainbow sticker to raise awareness of books content as a whole, according to the meeting minutes.
Sandford, committee member Bonnie Whitaker and the Alamance Libraries Administrative Office did not respond to Elon News Network’s multiple requests for an interview. Thompson, who spoke on Whitaker’s leadership, said she is a important voice to have in this conversation, as Whitaker said at the Jan. 31 meeting she was in favor of the stickers to allow parent’s more discretion — yet Thompson said Whitaker is also very open about her own identity and is married to a woman.
Smith said the alarm about these themes in books comes from fear.
“The real truth is this is just another moral panic on behalf of a few who are living in some kind of fear themselves about things that maybe they can't understand and maybe even living with the some self imposed guilt,” Smith said. “I think it says more about the people who are advocating for labeling or trying to find information from people than anything else.”
People can fill out the parental discretion advised request form, where once the submission is received, the request is received by the library management team and racial equity team, according to the meeting minutes. Once the decision is made to add a sticker, the decision can not be appealed.
The form has three categories for reasons it should be labeled — “violence toward self or others,” “explicit description” and “underage drinking or drugs.” The form also asks for the page number of the content, as well as what the intended age and audience is.
In 2022, the Alamance-Burlington School System banned “Gender-Queer: A Memoir” By Maia Kobabe due to s--ually explicit material. The graphic novel is about exploring gender identity, and it is one of the most banned books in the U.S., according to the American Library Association.
Smith said people can take action by supporting organizations like Alamance Pride and Transcend Alamance or contacting local and state government officials.
“In times like this, be willing to speak out. Be willing to show up and advocate and support,” Smith said. “When people have an opportunity to use their privilege to advocate for others, they should do it.”
Thompson also wants community members to go to meetings — not to antagonize others, but to express their opinions. She feels on a local level is where people can make a real difference, not on a federal one.
“It's right in your backyard,” Thompson said. “That's who you pay your taxes, and that's who takes your trash, and so that's who really affects you the most. And get involved.”
Well yeah but so sad this has to be policy!Maryland- Frederick County Board of Education passed a new library policy that notes they won’t ban books on the basis of ideology or protected classes.
https://www.fredericknewspost.com/new...
In New Jersey, the Oradell Board of Education denied an author visit by Chad Sell, who wrote The Cardboard Kingdom. Some are speculating it is because there’s a reference to a gay person in the book.https://pix11.com/news/local-news/new...
Community demands answers after school board denies author visit
Parents and community members packed the Oradell Board of Education meeting Wednesday night, demanding answers after the board denied a controversial author visit at a previous meeting.
The school board recently split its vote on the matter, with the board president abstaining — effectively blocking the event. Some parents and students said they’ve received unclear answers but believe the denial stems from a gay reference to a young male character in the book ‘The Cardboard Kingdom’, written by author Chad Sell.
“It’s alluded that he had a crush on someone of the same sex and he dresses up in the female sorcerer costumes,” said 16-year-old student Parker Cermak-Hosein. “It’s not explicitly stated and even if it was I don’t think that this is necessarily an issue since it’s not forcing opinions per se on any of the children.”
The book in question follows a group of kids who create superhero costumes and use their imaginations to transform their neighborhood into a world of adventure. Lisa Tartaglione’s advocacy for the author’s visit is personal as a mom of a student in the school district who is part of the LGBTQ+ community. She feels the author’s visit could help students like her son feel seen.
...
Ahead of the public comment period, School Board President Dorothy-Watson Nichols read a letter stating that students look forward to author visits and that the board prioritizes their best interests when making decisions. Every speaker during public comment voiced support for the author’s visit, and when we spoke to more than a dozen attendees, not a single person opposed it.
At the end of the meeting, Watson-Nichols said she was waiting for information about the subject matter before voting because the board had heard concerns about the book from many parents in the community. The school board ultimately decided to allow the author to visit.
“We were literally waiting for information,” said Watson-Nichols. “Had I been on my game, and I apologize for the issues I have caused in the community, I would have tabled the motion instead of abstaining so, I apologized for that to all of you and that’s all I can say, but we did get the information. We voted and I hope everyone leaves here happier tonight.”
Chad Sell is set to visit the school next month but will read a different book, as ‘The Cardboard Kingdom’ is not geared toward the third-grade audience he’ll be speaking to. It is instead geared to 4th through 7th graders, according to The School Library Journal.
Ontario librarians say 'they have to be ready' amid growing calls in U.S. to ban bookshttps://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london...
Librarians [in Ontario] are using Freedom to Read week, which wraps Saturday, to call attention to the issue, fearing it could worsen and deter future librarians from entering the profession.
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Asked what she's heard from librarians in training about the current atmosphere, Caschera said, for some, it's strengthened their feelings about intellectual freedom.
Books about 2SLGBTQ+ issues and characters have also been the target of a growing number of challenges at school libraries in Ontario, influenced by U.S. campaigns, said Wendy Burch Jones, president of the Ontario School Library Association.
"A lot of the times, the books that are getting challenged are coming off of lists that get published and get passed around. A lot of the time, the people asking for books to be banned haven't even read the books," she said.
She added it was important school boards have rigorous book selection and deselection policies, and clear language around how to deal with challenges.
South of London, St. Thomas Public Library is also taking the matter seriously, said its chief librarian. The library has designated 2025 as the year to ensure its stance on intellectual freedom is "really, really solid," and its intellectual freedom policy "ironclad," Heather Robinson said.
"We're not resting on our laurels. Because this could happen, and it could happen anytime, is what I'm thinking anyway. We have to be ready," said Robinson, who has been with the library for 27 years and is its CEO.
"There seems to be information out there" on how to get books removed, she said. "It's different methods than what has been. We're seeing the systematic removal of books a group deems should not be in the library."
According to the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto's Metropolitan University, Ontario libraries received 39 complaints about books in 2024, with 28 calling for removal of the offending title.
One challenge was reported at London's library. Caschera said it involved the coming-of-age book A Sister by Bastien Vivè — the complainant felt should be in the adult section. In a letter to the complainant, the library said the book would stay in its young adult graphic novel section.
At the St. Thomas library, one challenge was filed for language in Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl. The complainant wanted the book removed, a request that was unsuccessful.
Neither book deals with 2SLGBTQ+ themes, but a concern is that future challenges will be, driven by the kinds of pressure campaigns that have targeted drag queen story sessions at local libraries.
..
"It's scary, and you feel a sense that we now need to stop being, sort of, neutral and nice," Robinson said.
"We are all of that, but there has to be a little bit more of an edge to libraries now. We're going to be asked to stand up for things like intellectual freedom."
CT library book banning bills raise concern among some lawmakersSen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk said Connecticut libraries dealt with 113 challenges to books in 2023 alone
https://ctmirror.org/2025/02/26/ct-li...
Same old argument from the Republicans who don't understand the concept of "parental rights" means YOUR CHILD not EVERY child.
Censors of the day
Maya Colwell, mom, author, and educator concerned about two fantasy books her son brought home dealing with s-x, drug use, violence and suicide. They were on a list of summer reading for a 10 year old. She wants them in an adults section of the library. The books were recommended for ages 10 and UP by the ALA. Of course they were on a summer reading list so if she had half a brain, she would have helped her son choose different books but no, she felt it was more important to whine and complain about them instead.
Also in CT: Proposed Connecticut bill could solve the problem of rising eBook prices for libraries
https://www.fox61.com/article/news/lo...
All the library bills to watch
https://ctlibraryassociation.org/Advo...
Children's Books
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
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https://www.dailypress.com/2025/02/14...
Paywalled