Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Good news
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That's wonderful to hear! Kids naturally are very kind and caring and all about fairness and equality. They sound very sweet. If you want to put some books in the Little Free Library, I have some I can send.
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A book delivery initiative will help people in Florida receive banned booksPaul English and Joyce Linehan are co-founders of Banned Books USA. The initiative ships banned books to libraries, schools or just anyone living in the state of Florida who reaches out to its website just for the price of postage.
English says the goal of Banned Books USA is to restore access for marginalized students and communities.
ENGLISH: We want these LGBTQ teens to see there are other people like them. And they should be able to read books about it just to make them feel not so alone.
MARTÍNEZ: Linehan says Banned Books USA plans to expand its initiative.
https://bannedbooksusa.org/
https://www.npr.org/2023/10/20/120736...
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I have a second cousin in Florida who had twin girls earlier this year. I have to remember to ask if I can send them a book or send it to my dad's cousin to share with his grandbabies or to a family friend to pass along.
Leah JohnsonThe Author Fighting Back Against Book Bans
When Indiana conservatives came after the books she loved, Leah Johnson opened a hometown bookstore. Here, she tells Esquire how Loudmouth Books is uplifting banned books and highlighting marginalized writers.
Loudmouth Books opened in September 2023 to an overwhelmingly positive community response, Johnson said. The magic of Johnson's writing—finding one's self in community, boundless heart, a vibrant voice—echoes through Loudmouth, too. “We're trying to build something here that's sustainable, whether it's sustainable here at Loudmouth or sustainable industry wide,” she added. “My interests are in making it possible for queer, BIPOC authors to continue to do this work and do it in a way that offers them some measure of freedom, of stability—the same way we have offered that to cis, straight white folks for decades.”
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment...
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I love this idea!Murfreesboro, Tenn. man launches library for Rutherford County banned books
Brendon Donoho loves the library but never imagined he would end up starting his own.
“I just thought, what is it, four books,” he said. “I mean I can just give those four books to people if they want them.”
After Murfreesboro’s city council voted to pass a new decency ordinance back in June, books began being challenged and removed from Rutherford County library shelves for violating the new law.
When Donoho heard what was going on he decided to do something. He launched borobannedbooks.com. It’s an online library currently containing the four books banned from the Rutherford County Library system that he’ll deliver to residents for free.
“That was the first goal, was to set this infrastructure up so that as soon as a book is banned…I’ll go buy a copy on Amazon, add it [and] it’s fixed,” said Donoho.
While running a library was never in his plans, he believes this is needed for those who won’t have access to these books.
Donoho is certain more books will continue to be challenged and possibly banned, but he hopes his library can be a place where those books and potential readers find each other.
Donoho said he’s working to find local businesses that would act as drop-off points for these books.
He hopes this idea can expand and other communities across Middle Tennessee will consider launching something similar.
Excellent news from yesterday's elections!M4L and the censors DO NOT WIN! No matter their dark money, freedom won!
Here's a quick run down
Winning libraries:
Jamestown Library in Patmos, Michigan successfully finally passed their millage (third time's the charm) with 63% of the vote. The library will be funded through 2025.
Pella, Iowa, a community of 10,000 about an hour southeast of Des Moines, denied the request to ban Gender Queer, which was in the adult section. In April 2022, the residents angry about the library's decision not to ban the book demanded that Pella's City Council put a referendum on the ballot which would allow elected officials to have more say in all of the materials available in the public library.
City Council would not put the measure on the ballot, but the group continued their demands. They won the argument in the summer, and the measure was put up for public vote last night. The measure would put the library entirely under the control of the city, meaning that the Pella city administrator could determine policies within the library, including the materials that could or could not be on shelves.
It did not pass, but the victory for the library and its independence was slim at 51%–87 whole votes The measure can NOT be put back on the ballot for 4 more years.
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
More excellent newsM4L and the censors LOST school board elections. Yes, that's right, the normal people won in:
Attleboro, Mass. (not a surprise)
https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/...
Lin-Mar, Iowa
https://www.kcrg.com/2023/11/08/moms-...
Dallas Center-Grimes, Iowa
https://iowastartingline.com/2023/11/...
Montgomery County, Penn. Perkiomen Valley School District
My mom's childhood school district Southern Lehigh
https://www.wfmz.com/news/election/de...
Annnnddd... the biggest upset of the year
Pennridge School district in Bucks County, Penn. M4L's ground zero
Central Bucks, Penn. as well.
According to Frobes.com "It will take a day or two to assess how the election went for all school board candidates backed by Moms for Liberty and similar conservative organizations. But Bucks County was a flagship area for these groups, not just for implementing far right school policies, but also for using school board elections as an attempt to create some leverage with which to move a swing state into the red for 2024."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergre...
Another book banner loses school board election in Kansas. It was close though. Kansas mayor who tried to rid city library of LGBTQ books loses school board race
St. Marys Mayor Matthew Childs, who previously attempted to ban LGBTQ books from the city’s public library, lost on his school board bid.
Tuesday’s election saw several candidates from the religion-dominated area attempt to win school board seats on the USD 321 Kaw Valley School Board.
https://kansasreflector.com/2023/11/1...
The singer P!nk to Give Away 2,000 Banned Books About Race and Sexuality at Upcoming Florida Tour Stops"It’s especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of color," said Pink in a statement
https://people.com/pink-give-away-ban...
‘These books really do matter': Mahogany Books opens store at Reagan AirportBlack owned Mahogany Books opened its third store in the D.C. area inside the busy airport
https://www.nbcwashington.com/enterta...
The Marathon County Public Library (Wisconsin) has been under attack for weeks after Supervisor David Baker proposed an Amendment to dismantle the library system. In response to this threat, the Marathon County Public Library Alliance launched a petition on our Fight for the First petition platform, urging supervisors not to defund the library.
The public responded quickly and overwhelmingly in favor of the library.
The requested budget passed without Supervisor David Baker's proposed amendment to reduce funding and abolish the library system.
https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023...
Bookstore coming to North Jacksonville will house banned books and focus on Black historyFlorida House District 13 representative Angie Nixon is behind 'The Cafe Resistance Bookstore,' which she is opening in response to state laws on education.
https://www.firstcoastnews.com/articl...
Fun!Ripley's Believe It or Not gives out free books to Florida residents after school ban
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/...
Ripley’s Believe It or Not books is giving free books to Florida residents after Escambia County schools banned some of its books.
“Recently, officials in Florida’s Escambia County Public Schools district have plunged into a literary adventure of their own: removing and flagging over 1,600 books for review and potential banning. In a weird plot twist, this includes eight encyclopedias, five dictionaries and hundreds of reference books — including three of our very own Ripley’s Believe It or Not! titles,” the attractions company said in a press release this week.
“However, the pen is mightier than the sword!”
Through May 15, Ripley’s will send free books to Florida residents. The books are available by mail or through pick up at its Orlando, Panama City Beach and St. Augustine locations with proof of ID.
Since launching the giveaway Tuesday evening, Ripley’s has already gotten 1,000 submissions for the free books.
The San Francisco Public Library Makes Good on its Super Bowl wagerSan Francisco City Librarian Michael Lambert posted a video of himself in Kansas City gear — a T-shirt with the logo of its city library and a Chiefs cap — reading a children’s book for the camera.
“A bet is a bet,” he said.
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
The book was challenged in one Florida school district by a representative of the group Moms for Liberty because of an illustration showing Sofia’s grandfather wearing a cap with a pink triangle as a symbol of LGBTQ pride.
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/book...
RuPaul Launches Online Book Marketplace and Book Club: ‘Knowledge Is Power’ https://allstora.com/
Allstora puts authors first, creating a more equitable pay structure by splitting profits and doubling writer's incomes with each book sale. Keeping fair compensation in mind, Allstora also makes books more accessible to readers by offering 30-50% off discounts on all titles.
The launch of Allstora also coincides with the first cross country tour of the Rainbow Book Bus, a nonprofit which rallies against book bans and protects LGBTQ+ books in particular. The bus distributes titles to communities who have limited access to them, in an effort to share life-saving stories to those who need them most.
https://www.rainbowbookbus.org/
https://people.com/rupaul-launches-ne...
Book bans worried this Tennessee teen. So she started a free speech club to fight back.https://www.tennessean.com/story/news...
Shortly after a school library book was brought before the Sumner County School Board in late 2022 to be considered for removal from the school system, Julia Garnett, a child of a Sumner County teacher, started considering what she could do as a student to fight what she saw as a violation of her rights as a student.
“I've taken a lot of interest lately over the last year into our school board and after they tried to ban (‘A Place Inside Me’) last year,” she said. “It’s a really great book. And I really, really felt that it was a book that needed to be in our libraries because it is (about a police shooting), and it's something that does happen—and even if it hasn't happened to you, it's important to see other perspectives from that."
Garnett spoke before the school board, successfully advocating for the book to remain on shelves. And so began her public fight against book removals.
“I was terrified to speak (at the school board meeting) actually, but I realized it was more important to stand up for the book as a student, because book bans affect us the most,” she said.
Even before this, the 17-year-old high school senior was no stranger to advocacy. On top of classes and preparing for college, Garnett is the president of two other clubs — Hendersonville High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance club and Young Women’s Studies club — and an avid soccer player.
Over the summer last year, Garnett took classes with the National Coalition Against Censorship, a national organization that defends free expression and trains students in their Student Advocates for Speech program to encourage students across the U.S. to stand up for their free speech rights.
“When I first spoke at my first school board meeting a little over a year ago, I didn't have really a community or support from other people fighting censorship,” she said. “And when I went to that meeting, I really found a local community of people who are also standing up and fighting — ones I didn't even know existed, especially not in the South.”
Representation from every member of the community, both in person and on library shelves, is crucial, Garnett said.
“As a queer student growing up, I didn't have a lot of representation,” she said. “So I was really looking to get involved and make sure that the representation we do have in our libraries is able to stay. And so I found a really strong local community in that — and I really was looking to expand that and amplify my impact within our own community.”
And so began Hendersonville High School’s own Student Advocates for Speech Club. As part of a wider network of free speech clubs sponsored by NCAC, Garnett has organized a wide range of topics and goals for the club. Though the numbers range by the day, with students being pulled away for sports practice and other club events, the club often boasts anywhere from 10 to 20 members.
These students have sat down and researched different book removals across the state, encouraged students to speak at school board meetings, discussed the effects of censorship on student media and the importance of student voices in journalism, and even successfully advocated for students to remain on the school book review committee after county commissioners removed them.
Christine Emeran, director the Youth Free Expression Program at NCAC, called Garnett “quite a leader,” adding that clubs such as this are the future for students’ rights.
“They're learning how to protect free speech as fundamental to our freedoms,” Emeran said. “Part of (NCAC’s classes) include expanding their knowledge of free speech through interactive presentations with experts. And when they learn what free speech is, and why it's important to defend, they're able to kind of build on that knowledge about the issues and activate on particular issues that are personal to them as well.”
Emeran believes reaching students when they’re young will help shape a healthier, more expressive democracy.
“I think it's really great to reach out to students when they're starting to learn about who they are, their points of view, and how to be engaged in their communities as future citizens,” she said. “They're able to identify issues and speak to other young people about these issues, and then they can develop a trusted forum for other young people to come together to share their concerns about these issues.
“And having it student-run allows them to have that agency to provide not only a unique perspective, but one that can help open up social and political conversations that not only shaped their local world, but also nationally and globally. Then they can contribute to informing their communities, and also have an opportunity to hold those accountable as well.”
“I want to leave something good behind when I go to college,” she said. “I'm really hoping to build a base of younger students who continue to speak out and continue what I've been able to start this year. And I'm really hoping that some of my community members wake up and realize that local government matters, because a lot of what I've learned from our local government is that the decisions they make on a daily basis impact our lives significantly more.”
In the meantime, Garnett hopes she can get across to students in her community that their voices matter.
“I feel like sometimes we forget that, or maybe even sometimes the adults around us forget that that our voices really do matter,” she said. “And it's important that our expression absolutely be protected, and to remember as a student that you're not going to win every battle. You can't change everything overnight. It's really a process, which is a lot easier when you have a group of people around you to support you. Because I can't do it all myself, and you shouldn't have too.”
Ohio, a conservative stateCanton schools receives donation of local Black history books
https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/...
Canton City Schools has received a donation of 26 copies of "African Americans of Canton, Ohio: Treasures of Black History."
The book published in 2019 was compiled by Board of Education member Nadine McIlwain and retired nurse and local historian Geraldine "Gerri" Radcliffe.
The donation was paid for by Gary Sirak of Sirak Financial Services.
The book was 12 years in the making, with local residents submitting stories and names of history-making people.
McIlwain spent five years writing the book. Now a top seller for History Press, it can be found in the African American Museum in Washington, D.C., and is available for purchase at CVS, Target, Walgreen's, and Walmart.
The authors are working on a second volume.
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I'm also updating the lists with the books that are allowed to stay. There ARE positive news stories about books. I just don't have time to share them all. Many schools are now getting book vending machines so kids have access to books one way or another. I'm sure we'll see challenges to those books soon enough.
Washington StateChallenged books will stay in Selah High School library
https://12ft.io/proxy
The review committee actually READ the books, discussed them and found they were appropriate! The process worked!
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Adding to Cheryl's original post- Over and over again I'm hearing that it's only a small but vocal MINORITY that wants to restrict access to learning by banning books. That's important to remember.Good news from New Jersey which has had their share of vocal minority book banners.
N.J. just acted to thwart book bans, protect librarians
https://www.nj.com/politics/2024/10/n...
The state Senate on Monday approved the “Freedom to Read Act,” which would require the state state Commissioner of Education to create policy that would dictate how library materials are selected and how challenges would be evaluated. Local school boards and library boards would use this model to adopt their own policies.
Librarians also would be granted legal immunity from civil and criminal challenges that arise from any book ban debate, according to the bill.
https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-se...
Passed both Houses hooray!
Go New Jersey! It's up to the governor now.State Senate passes bill intended to halt book bans, protect librarians
Naturally the Republicans are naysayers and bring up that old chestnut about "explicit" content in the libraries instead of listening when librarians explain there is a PROCESS of choosing books and those books are reviewed by professionals. They're also still pretending they're trying to protect the children but at least it passed.
_______________
The Senate advanced the controversial bill with a vote of 24-15, with heavy opposition from Republicans.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris).
Sen. Mike Testa (R-Cumberland)
https://newjerseymonitor.com/2024/10/...
Book bans prompt publishers fundraiser https://www.ebar.com/story.php?ch=new...
In response to the movement to ban books about race and LGBTQ topics from libraries being pushed by Republican lawmakers and conservative parents, independent book publishers banded together to create a counter campaign. They chose to launch it in September, as the month is when the annual Banned Books Week takes place.
Their goal via the We Are Stronger Than Censorship initiative is to raise enough money to purchase at least 2,000 books that have been pulled from library shelves and distribute them to readers across the U.S. To date, the Independent Book Publishers Association has raised nearly $10,000, which will cover 1,244 books.
"We are 62% of the way there!" noted Lee Wind, the chief content officer for the association, which is based in the Southern California city of Manhattan Beach. "This is a marathon not a sprint. Our goal is to pass that 2,000 number and be able to donate lots more books."
"We wanted to acknowledge this is a long-standing problem and push back against it, and put on the brakes to an out-of-control train," said Wind, who lives in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Marina Del Rey.
With the anti-censorship campaign being an inaugural effort this year, Wind told the Bay Area Reporter that he and his colleagues in the association have been pleased with its success so far. It officially debuted September 9 with the unveiling of a dedicated website at wearestrongerthancensorship.org.
Yay! Another banned bookstore opens. This one in Fresno, California.https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/...
Fresno CA bookstore Judging by the Cover opens in Chinatown
Banned books have found a home on the shelves of Fresno’s new independent bookstore. Judging by the Cover celebrated its soft opening on Friday, November 1 at 1029 F St. in Fresno’s Chinatown. It’s part of a city-led initiative to bring more businesses to the neighborhood. Judging by the Cover stocks a variety of books in English as well as Spanish, Punjabi, Mandarin and Vietnamese. There are even Greek and Armenian titles. The walls of the 500-square-foot space are lined with a diverse collection of literature aimed at readers from all walks of life.
Mireles-Guerrero said it was very important for her and her husband and business partner, Carlos Guerrero, to include books for sale that had been banned, restricted or otherwise judged unfairly. “Most of the books in here are books that would have been judged by the cover, or their author would have been judged by the cover,” Mireles-Guerrero said.
Read more at: https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/...
Also in CaliforniaTaft College hosted ‘Burned Books: A Provocative Art Exhibit on Banned Knowledge’ during Banned Books Week
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/taft-...
The Texas Book Festival carries on in spite of the restrictive lawshttps://texasbookfestival.org/
A lot of diverse authors!
The festival endorses The Freedom to Read Statement, which decries book censorship outright, and during its two-day run, the festival will host around 300 authors. Some of these authors have had their work censored and will have the opportunity to speak on it.
The chief executive officer of the festival, Marianne DeLeon, said, “We believe in unfettered access to books without censorship, and I think it’s a really great question to be able to ask the authors, authors who have been censored in the past.”
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And supposedly most of the extremists did NOT win school board elections and most libraries got the funding they wanted.54 libraries passed their ballot measures, 13 lost their ballot measure, and one defunding measure (in Arkansas) also failed. This is a 76% “win rate”, which is down from the 10-year running average of 90% wins.
In Marysville, OH the library overcame fierce opposition from would-be censors to win its must-pass levy replacement.
In Missouri, the Marshall Public Library will receive the proceeds of a new ¼ cent sales tax despite opposition from anti-tax and anti-access groups.
The Millbrook (NY) Library is nearly doubling its annual budget in order to upgrade and expand the library. West Bloomfield, MI., has successfully replaced and increased the levy to fund new collections, programs, and staffing.
https://www.everylibrary.org/election...
Good news Alabama? In deep red Alabama, libraries gain trust of parents seeking all-access cards for children
https://www.al.com/news/2024/11/in-de...
Athens and Fairhope are two fast-growing [conservative] cities in the fastest-growing areas of Alabama ... but their patrons appear to be trusting the libraries.
More than 60% of parents at the Fairhope Public Library in coastal Alabama and the Athens-Limestone County Public Library in North Alabama, have signed off on all-access passes for their children with no restrictions on library usage.
“I think that reflects on our community in the trust parents have in their kids and the library as well,” said Anne Johnson, chair of the Fairhope Library Board, during a Read Freely Alabama town hall meeting on Tuesday.
Notably, the statistics are early in the aftermath of the Alabama Public Library Services’ (APLS) new administrative rules approved in May and rolled out in July. Johnson based her statistic off an initial rollout of Fairhope’s new library card system that went into effect about three weeks ago.
The state’s individual library systems had until Oct. 1, to implement the new policy requirements that proponents said would protect children from adult content within the public venues.
Among the polices that libraries need to adopt to receive state aid are new library card guidelines for minors under age 18. The guidelines require parental approval before a minor’s card is permitted to checkout materials within the library’s adult sections, the policy states.
April Wise, director of the Athens-Limestone County Public Library, said her staff takes “great care” to ensure materials are shelved in the appropriate collections, with items undergoing several levels of scrutiny before they are made available for checkout.
The Athens-Limestone County Public Library, much like Fairhope, offers restricted and unlimited access to the library’s materials, depending on parental approval. At Athens-Limestone County, the tiers include “Juvenile Only,” which restricts checkout to the library’s juvenile collections. A “Young Adult” card restricts checkouts to the library’s Young Adult and Juvenile collections, Wise said.
The unrestricted options for all age groups does carry a limited restriction for youths under age 18 in that they can access everything the library except for R-rated DVDs, and adult graphic novels.
...
The library also raised the recommended age for the Young Adult collections to 16.
..
To date, only 34% of the parents, or 276, have opted for restricted access, Wise said. Another 66%, or 532 parents, have opted for no restrictions. The library began the tiered system in June.
Wise said she has personally assisted parents update the new checkout options for children, and among those who chose the unrestricted option, she’s heard the following:
They are bringing their children/teenagers to the library and they will determine what materials are appropriate.
They trust their child or teenager to pick out appropriate materials.
...
The new system went into effect on Oct. 22, so the statistics are early and could change in the coming months.
...
An early vote of confidence is also occurring in Foley, where a new library card policy went into effect on Oct. 1. The policy requires parents of minors under 18 to fill out a “Minor Library Card Permission Form” and select which level of access they want for their child -- Children’s Card (ages birth to 10), Tween Card (10-13), Teen (13-18), and unrestricted adult cards.
“Since implementing our policy updates on October 1, (our circulation staff) has found that the majority of parents are either selection ‘unrestricted’ or selecting one level above their child’s suggested age range,” said Foley Public Library Director Kate Norris.
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Maybe anyway.Proposed Michigan law would shield LGBTQ books from being pulled off library shelves
https://www.mlive.com/politics/2024/1...
Books with s--ually explicit or LGBTQ content would largely be protected from being pulled off public library shelves under new legislation proposed by Michigan Democrats.
The two bills introduced Nov. 7 would require public libraries to adopt uniform policies outlining unacceptable reasons for residents to request a book be removed from the shelves. School and university libraries would be excluded.
Nevada- The Clark County School Board has updated their book review policies to ensure books remain on shelves during a challenge and that the process is spearheaded by actual professionals. https://lasvegassun.com/news/2024/nov...
One significant change will be ensuring books remain available to students, whether in class or on open library shelves, while being reviewed after a challenge unless the principal, teacher-librarian and the rest of the committee that responds to challenges agree to remove the material while the review is underway.
The pending changes also amend language to align with a related policy mandating a certified teacher-librarian lead school libraries, codify the appeal process and clarify language.
The changes passed unanimously on first reading Thursday and will need to be passed again in December before going into effect.
New York where apparently some kids don't know their body parts yet or other kids' body parts. Weird but true. https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/all...
Parents in the Ravena area are expressing outrage after a nonfiction book titled All About Penises was spotted near the children’s section at the RCS Community Library. The book, which parents say was placed within view of young children, has since been removed, but not before sparking a social media firestorm and raising concerns about age appropriateness.
Parent, Kendra Johnson, shared her discomfort after noticing the book while at the library with her children.
“Seeing the graphic photos in the book made me uncomfortable, if for instance my 5-year-old were to get her hands on it and thumbed through it for herself not realizing what it was.”
Another parent, Jenni Halsted of Hannacroix, said she was alarmed that her young children could view the book’s cover. “It’s inappropriate, wildly inappropriate my 2- and 4-year-old can see that. If you can sound it out, it’s wrong, and it should be put away,” Halsted said.
In a statement, RCS Community Library officials said they were unaware of the controversy until they started receiving complaints from outside the area. “We have not received complaints about the book from local parents and weren’t aware of the Facebook post until receiving angry calls from people who do not live in our area,” the statement read which was put out by Library Director Lisa Neuman.
The library clarified that the book was shelved in the juvenile nonfiction section and positioned approximately five feet from the floor. “It is our practice to place new books in the area they belong in, with the covers facing out,” library officials said, adding that the book was intended for parents.
Johnson and Halsted noted that this is not the first time they’ve encountered content they believe is inappropriate for children at the library. “There was another book in the same exact place covering the same exact material,” Johnson said. “My 11-year-old brought it to my attention and said, ‘I don’t think [this] book is appropriate,’ and I said, ‘You’re right.’”
The parents have created an online petition pertaining to this matter.
CaliforniaTwo complaints aired this fall by a parent in the Redondo Unified School District have led to tightening of its online protections and a review of library and classroom book policies.
https://easyreadernews.com/rbusd-pare...
“12 years old. See something, say something,” Monique Grant said to the school board in September, then proceeded to read aloud expletive-language and stark phrases from books offered in a middle school classroom and library.
Two weeks later, she brought her child’s Chromebook and purported to show what “inappropriate” material could be summoned on it.
The books, which Grant did not name in front of the school board, are from the “Heartstopper” series by Alice Oseman. Grant came across them byway of a syllabus for parents to sign, which included information about an Adams Middle School classroom library – the books used for silent reading in class. They were also on shelves in the school’s main library.
Would this literature, as Grant described it to the RBUSD board, be in line with district policies and guidelines?
“Normally no, I wouldn’t think so,” said Board President Raymur Flinn a few days after Grant’s comments. “We absolutely have guidelines, and it’s handled through the district office.”
... For supplemental materials like library books or classroom-library books, a policy is in place through the Education Services office.
District Superintendent Nicole Wesley said soon after Grant’s testimony that RBUSD was in the process of reconvening a committee to review the existing policy.
The policy has been in effect for about three years, Wesley said, starting after the pandemic arose.
“It’s on our to-do list,” she said in October, of reviewing the document, with a goal to gather the committee, with a couple new members perhaps, and finish the review by Thanksgiving.
“To see if any changes need to be made, and then re-disseminate the policy,” Wesley said. “It’s on the list. We know we need to get this done.”
She and the committee have since done that – a small group featuring teachers, administrators and library/media technicians (library workers).
“We worked with union representatives to choose teachers,” Wesley said.
She reported Tuesday, Nov. 12, that a directive will be added to district policy to make it so material chosen for libraries and classrooms needs to be cross-referenced for age-appropriateness, with two “credible sources,” before new books appear in school and classroom libraries.
Recommended sources for this include Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, Common Sense Media, TeachingBooks and School Library Journal.
Would the excerpts Grant read at the school board meeting plausibly be from an approved book?
“I don’t know. There’s so many variables. Age level, what grade. There’s classics that have profanity,” Wesley said, after that school board meeting in September. “I just don’t know, without knowing what book she was referencing. We have a process. We’ve asked (Grant) to go through the process, so we have a better understanding of the exact book and the exact concern.”
Also, RBUSD teachers will be asked to make suggested reading lists available regarding certain topics, interest levels or coursework. Teachers should stay up-to-date on new book reviews and summaries, and publish book reviews by RBUSD staff and students.
...
“It sounds like there’s a potential cleanup needed,” RBUSD Boardmember Rolf Strutzenberg said in October. “There are things that may have been found (locally) that may be inappropriate.”
At the time of Grant’s first complaint (in September), according to Wesley one current book challenge was filed as of then, from one parent about 3-4 titles.
North DakotaSargent Central Schools (ND) debated whether or not to remove the Heartstopper series from shelves. Kids wanted the book that was written for them to be available. The books will remain available.
https://www.inforum.com/news/north-da...
also -
in Missouri
The St. Joseph School District’s Board of Education (MO) will keep Looking For Alaska on shelves.
https://www.kq2.com/news/st-joseph-sc...
Mod
So, yes, that's good news that some districts are resisting restrictions.
Great news in New Jersey today! The governor signed the anti-book banning bill! https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-p...
"New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, signed a law Monday prohibiting public schools and libraries from banning books and protecting librarians who obey state law.
“Across the nation, we have seen attempts to suppress and censor the stories and experiences of others,” Murphy said in a statement. “I’m proud to amplify the voices of our past and present, as there is no better way for our children to prepare for the future than to read freely.”
New Jersey is the third state to sign a law prohibiting the banning of books at public schools and libraries, following Illinois and Minnesota.
The new law is set to take effect in a year from the governor’s signing. However, the state education commissioner and the New Jersey state librarian are permitted to start implementing it immediately “as may be necessary,” the law states.
“Through this legislation, we are protecting the integrity of our libraries that are curated by dedicated professionals and making those resources available to help every student to grow as a critical thinker,” New Jersey acting Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer said in a statement."
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Utah- Cache County Schools will not be banning I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings or The Handmaid’s Tale.https://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news...
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Congratulations to Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson winner of free speech award!"As librarians, educators, and parents continue to defend young people’s freedom to read, many have come to depend on valuable resources that support their cause. That’s why the Children’s Book Council and its charitable arm, Every Child a Reader, have decided to acknowledge the heroic efforts of those working behind the scenes. This year, the organizations will be honoring author, poet, and writing teacher Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson as the first-ever recipient of their Free Speech Award."
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...
QNPoohBear wrote: "Congratulations to Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson winner of free speech award!"As librarians, educators, and parents continue to defend young people’s freedom to read, many have come to depend on valuable..."
Are we talking about THE Dr. Magnusson, maker of The World's Largest Sprocument? Yay!
Serena wrote: "Are we talking about THE Dr. Magnusson, maker of The World's Largest Sprocument? Yay!"Yes! She's a champion for the freedom to read!
Surprisingly good news from IdahoTwo trustees at Eagle Library (ID) were removed from their positions last fall because they were pushing for book bans beyond their power, including using BookLooks as the authority on whether or not books should be in the public library they were part of governing.
https://boisedev.com/news/2024/12/21/...
Sarah Hayes and Kelsey Taylor
Taylor joined the board in the fall of 2022 and Hayes in December of 2023, both appointed by former Mayor Jason Pierce.
Both Hayes and Taylor voted in favor of moving 20 books from the Young Adult section to the Adult section and another three behind the counter after the passage of House Bill 710, allowing residents to request libraries move materials deemed harmful to minors or face legal action earlier this year. Brian Almon, a Republican writer with ties to the Idaho Freedom Foundation and the third trustee who voted for the move, remains on the board.
... a review of Eagle Library Trustees meetings from 2024, meeting materials, and emails between Hayes, Taylor, and library staff show the pair frequently asked for staff to take measures beyond complying with the state’s new law to root out materials in the library preemptively they deemed inappropriate for children. They looked to online resources for parents concerned about their children’s reading material for guidance on what titles to look out for, like the site BookLooks.org which rates books based on their content.
This included a failed push for staff to do a review of the areas of the library’s collection searching for objectionable material, lists of books they would like to see specifically reviewed for possible relocation to the adult section or put behind the counter, and strong stances on removing any mention of the American Library Association in the Eagle Library’s policies. Hayes also introduced a proposal for the library to study implementing a tiered library card system for minors where parents can limit what sections of the library their kids can check out books from by age group, which would bar kids with limited cards from checking out books that were moved from the teen section to the adult section.
Hayes also pushed at multiple meetings for the teen section to be relocated further from adult books and away from the back entrance of the library due to security concerns, but was unsuccessful due to concerns from other members about micromanaging staff and impacts to the existing layout.
At the pair’s final meeting in September, the board unanimously voted them as president and secretary of the board and voted in favor of relocating the 23 books after a resident complaint. Taylor, voted president of the board, also sparred with a deputy city attorney over how far the City of Eagle and Eagle Library staff were required to go to comply with state legislation.
“The statute requires a 60-day notice provision (of a book with material harmful to minors), you have to take those reasonable measures and they have 60 days to move the books and so if they’re done then they’re done so it’s not an issue,” Deputy City Attorney Mitchell Coats, from law firm Borton-Lakey, told Taylor in response to a request from her for the library collection to be reviewed.
“So it’s not just reasonable effort to not expose children to this?” Taylor asked in response. “You have to have an explicit complaint?”
“Yes,” Coats replied curtly.
The two trustees were removed from the board twenty days later with no public explanation.
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Taylor and Hayes wanted library staff to do more than just wait to see if any books in the library were asked to be relocated once HB 710 was passed by the Idaho Legislature.
Starting in mid-May, the trustees started discussing their plan for complying with the law.
Taylor asked library staff to estimate how much of the Eagle Library’s collection would violate the Miller Test and suggested the possibility of monthly meetings to evaluate books. Eagle Library Director Steve Bumgarner cautioned against a preemptive review of the collection, cautioning her “I think you would lead yourself into a real problem.” He then invited Taylor to meet with him at the library.
“I think that would be very very beneficial because we don’t have anything that meets the Miller test,” he said.
Bumgarner gave a report to the trustees at the July 17 meeting about what it would take to preemptively review the collection looking for materials that would violate the requirements of HB 710 like Hayes and Taylor requested. Hayes took issue with his assessment that it would take either an extra $340,000 or the library to close its doors 25 hours a week to give staff time to do the review. Instead, she suggested he zero in on specific shelves, like those specifically for teenagers.
Taylor agreed, pressing Bumbarner to move from a “wait and see” approach into a more proactive direction of moving books off the teen collection shelves so the City of Eagle can avoid any legal fines and fights over the books at the library.
“I think my threshold for children being harmed by these books is very low,” she said. “I don’t want to see any children harmed. I don’t want to see any relocation requests from the public. I would rather move them to the adult section and comply and then at that point if we have relocation requests from the adult section to a private room or behind the counter we can get into that.”
She noted the site Booklooks.org as a resource to easily review passages from Young Adult books and find problematic material to move them to the adult collection. Taylor provided a list of eleven books she flagged for possible moves during one afternoon while her young children napped using the site...
Taylor also flagged children’s books “Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag”, “What Was Stonewall?”, which recounts the history of the famous LGBTQ protest in Greenwich Village, and “Molly and the Twin Towers,” a children’s book about a family’s with two dads’ experience on 9/11. For five of the books on the list, including these three, Taylor directed trustees to review videos from conservative YouTube personality Alex Stein for more information about why they are objectionable even if their Booklooks ratings were low.
Discussions about pushing for a review of the collection, instead of just waiting for complaints, continued into September where Taylor got into a heated back and forth with Coats. Coats stepped in after Hayes and Taylor were pushing for Eagle Library staff to proactively review what books had been removed or relocated from other libraries nationwide to avoid them being placed on the shelves in Eagle, which he said is not required by HB 710.
“This is inappropriate in the sense it’s outside the scope (of the law) because there’s not a proactive affirmative duty for (Library Director Bumgarner) to go and look for books that are on a list somewhere that some people don’t like,” Coats said, sharply. “There has to be a form, a notice and then he would take action. He has no duty under his role to go out and prospectively look at books that are on forums that people don’t like.”
Later in the meeting, Taylor continued to argue for the need for a closer review because she said the synopses of books provided on library purchasing websites do not go into sufficient detail about the maturity of content.
“You’ll be shocked at what kinds of incestual rape they will put in a book and not even warn you for your teen,” she said.
The issue of possible review of the library’s collection was only backed by Hayes and Taylor when they brought it up for a vote. It never earned enough votes to get off the ground.
Another discussion item during this July meeting was a list of books Hayes brought for the board to review and discuss moving.
Hayes put an item on the agenda for the board to review a list of eight books and relocate them out of the teen section. A book she was most concerned about was A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas, the second book in a best selling fantasy romance series loosely based on Beauty and the Beast about fae that has frequently landed on lists of one of the county’s most challenged books due to its s--ual content.
Because of how controversial the book is, Hayes said it shouldn’t have been recently purchased as a new book for the teen section at the library and the library should be more proactive about identifying “low hanging fruit” of books that should be moved before anyone complains. She also provided the board with excerpts from the book, which she says were blocked by the city’s email filter because of the explicit content.
“I can’t imagine giving this to a third grader and thinking it was okay or any child just because we know the harm that’s done when children are exposed to sexuality graphic and explicit and erotic information and we shouldn’t be promoting that and we know the damage of overs--ualizing our children is evident in our society,” she said.
Hayes’ move to get all eight books moved out of the teen section, including the first book in the Maas series, was panned by fellow board members who said they didn’t have enough information to make a decision. Trustees Candice Hopkins and Kirsten Lewis both said they felt strongly about reviewing the books in full, even when Hayes asked if she could provide more experts.
Almon made a motion to move A Court of Mist and Fury and leave the rest of the books in the teen collection and it passed unanimously. The whole series was later moved to the adult section, but it was marketed as a new book for teens on the website for the second half of July after the vote which frustrated Taylor when the board met again in September.
But, before the end of the meeting, City Attorney Victor Villegas cautioned the board that it’s a “slippery slope” for board members to both be voting on relocating books and bringing lists of materials for review. He said if Hayes had filed a complaint as a citizen she likely would have had to recuse herself from the vote on the material. But, he said he preferred board members approach any materials they’d like reviewed by putting it on the agenda instead of filing a legal complaint through the process created by HB 710 because that would force a vote instead of this option where the board could decline to take action.
Children's Books
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Apparently the kids in Summer Reading were taught a little bit about graffiti as an art form, and then given paper, crayons, and markers. A couple of dozen illustrated messages were posted, many of which were variations on 'be happy.' But several were about Pride, and You are Perfect just the way you are, and Gay is Okay. There were a couple of 'God Bless America' types, too.
Lovely to see everyone being given a voice.