‘Looking for Alaska’ Gets a Reprieve in WI; Scottsdale Principal Loses Job After Assigned Reading Controversy | Censorship Roundup – School Library…

SLJ rounds up censorship news around the country, withreports of books threatened withremoval in Arizona, Iowa, Missouri, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Scottsdale, AZ: The Paradise Valley Unified School District Governing Board voted December 2 to not renew an employment contract for Horizon High School principal Linda Ihnat after parents from the school raised concerns about an AP English summer reading assignment. Parents notified the school district in November that they opposed the decision by the school last summer to give students the option of reading So You've Been Publicly Shamedfor an AP English class. The 2015 book by British journalist Jon Ronson contains interviews with internet personalities who have been publicly shamed online and compares it to how public shaming was popular in Colonial America as a state-sanctioned punishment. Parents complained that some of the quotes and references in the book were inappropriate for high school students, 12 Newsreported. The book, which was one of the options for the AP English summer reading assignment, contains references to orgies and bestiality.

Des Moines, IA: Two Iowa Republican leaders want to pursue legislation that would make it a felony offense for school officials, including teachers, to provide "obscene materials" to students. Iowa Senate President Jake Chapman (R) posted on Facebook in November that he plans to introduce legislation that penalizes teachers and librarians for providing what he views as "obscene material" in schools, according to an Axiosreport. The Facebook post followed a Johnston Community School District meeting he attended where a committee reviewed two award-winning books that deal with race: The Hate U Giveby Angie Thomas and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indianby Sherman Alexie, the Des Moines Registerreported. Chapman, who was joined by Republican state Sen. Brad Zaun, told school district committee members, "I don't know why the school thinks that they're above the law, but I intend to do something about it.

North Kansas City, MO: Two books about LGBTQ+ experience George M. Johnsons All Boys Arent Blueand Alison Bechdels Fun Home were removed from four high schools in North Kansas City in October. The North Kansas City School District removed the books from its four high schools after Jay Richmond, president of the Northland Parent Association, objected to the books at North Kansas City Schools board of education meeting in October, according to the Kansas City Star. The Northland Parent Association, a nonprofit representing parents in Clay and Platte counties, MO, has been on the frontline of the local book ban push. The group, which has also sued over enforcing district mask and quarantine mandates, has encouraged parents to protest the books at local school board meetings, deeming some to be pornographic. At a November 22 school board meeting, high school students in the school district condemned the group'sefforts.At the same meeting, the North Kansas City School District agreed to return the two books to high school library shelves in the district, the New York Daily Newsreported.

Wake County, NC: Parents and community activists filed criminal complaints on November 30 with the Wake County Sheriffs Office, accusing the Wake County Public School System of keeping books they claimed were obscene and pornographicin high school libraries. Thebooks targeted includeGender Queer: A Memoirby Maia Kobabe, All Boys Arent Blueby George M. Johnson, George (now titled Melissa)by Alex Gino, and Lawn Boyby Jonathan Evison. The parents and activists opposed the sexual language and image in the books. Any decision on whether to file criminal charges against the school system will be up to Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, the Charlotte Observerreported. Julie Page, one of the Wake County parents who filed a complaint, told the Charlotte Observer that the books have no educational value. Page also filed a grievance with the Wake County school system.

Fairfax County, VA: Fairfax County Public Schools removed two booksGender Queer: A Memoirby Maia Kobabe and Lawn Boyby Jonathan Evisonfrom its high school libraries after public comments during a Fairfax County School Board meeting in September, WUSA9 reported. Both of the targeted books were then submitted to a book challenge under thecounty school system's processfor challenging school materials. Stacy Langton, a Fairfax City resident, was one of the speakers at the county school board meeting in September, arguing that the books contained pedophilia and pornographic material. On November 23, Fairfax County Public Schools announced it would reinstate the two books that were pulled from high school libraries. The school district determined the challenges were "found to be without merit" and the two books could return to the shelves of its high school libraries. Two committees formed by Fairfax County Public Schools to review Gender Queerand Lawn Boy found that neither book includes pedophilia nor material that qualifies as obscene, under the definition in Virginia law.

Spotsylvania County, VA: At a November 8 meeting, the Spotsylvania County School Board directed staff to begin removing books that contain sexually explicit material from library shelves after a parent raised concerns at a board meeting about books available through the Riverbend High Schools digital library app. The parent expressed particular concern about the book, 33 Snowfishby Adam Rapp, which tells the story of three homeless teenagers attempting to escape from pasts that include sexual abuse, prostitution, and drug addiction. The board voted 6-0 to order the removal. Two board members, Courtland representative Rabih Abuismail and Livingston representative Kirk Twigg, said they would like tosee the removed books burned, the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star reported. A week later, the Spotsylvania County School Board voted to reverse its decision to remove "sexually explicit" books from school libraries after hours of public comment. Abuismail and Twiggcontinued to opposekeeping the books in school libraries, WUSA9 reported.

Harrisonburg, VA: In November, two Harrisonburg City Public Schools parents expressed concern about the graphic novel Gender Queer: A Memoir.One parent expressed concern at a school board meeting and one via email to superintendent Michael Richards. Neither parent followed the proper protocol for objecting to books or course material. Despite the school systems policy for the review of challenged materials, Richards ordered the bookpulledfrom the shelves of Harrisonburg High School, the Daily News-Record reported. Richard then formed a committee to review not only Gender Queer: A Memoirbut to establish criteria for dealing with similar books in the future. Richard expects the committee will make its recommendations on pulling the book by winter break in December, according to the Daily News-Record.

Waupaca County, WI: The book review committee of the Manawa School District has decided to retainLooking for Alaskaby John Green in the districts middle school and high school libraries. Resident Stacey Trinrud told the district's book review committee in November that the book contains detailed sexually explicit encounters andbad language and normalizes dishonesty, hazing, underage drinking, and smoking, the Waupaca County News reported.District library media specialist Jen Krueger spoke at the review committee meeting, saying that a pluralistic society is a diverse one where the people in it believe all different kinds of things and tolerate each others beliefs, even when they do not match their own. After reading the novel, committee members voted 9-0 to retain the book as an option to students, according to a post on ParentSecurityOnline.

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'Looking for Alaska' Gets a Reprieve in WI; Scottsdale Principal Loses Job After Assigned Reading Controversy | Censorship Roundup - School Library...