‘Extremely graphic' sexual content found in books at K-9 schools, province says
Books found in some school libraries in Calgary and Edmonton had 'explicit sexual content,' said the provincial government, as it aims to crack-down on materials with inappropriate themes.
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The 'extremely graphic and age-inappropriate' content was found at some Kindergarten to Grade 9 schools and high schools across the Edmonton Public School Board and Calgary Board of Education, according to the province.
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Initial reports of the books came from concerned parents last November, according to the provincial minister of education and childcare.
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'I sat down with the parents, and they proceeded to show me files with multiple examples of what I would describe as being incredibly inappropriate passages,' said minister Demetrios Nicolaides in an interview Saturday.
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'I was completely shocked and taken aback,' he said.
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Most concerning of all were 'extremely inappropriate' graphic images that display sexual acts, said Nicolaides.
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Four graphic novels were named in a media release from the province: Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe; Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel; Blankets, by Craig Thompson; and Flamer, by Mike Curato.
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However, those were just the 'most severe' cases, according to Nicolaides.
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'We didn't have an opportunity to look at the entire list. There (were) maybe dozens and dozens of books that were flagged by some of these parents,' he said.
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Some of the books contained mature content such as sexual activities, sexual nudity, nudity, molestation, profanity, suicidal commentary, alcohol use, drug use, derogatory terms, violence and self-harm.
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Several excerpts from each graphic novel were shown in a news release from the province, depicting the above themes in different instances.
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It's unclear how long the books have been in some schools. In a direct message, Nicolaides' press secretary confirmed the books were found in a total of 57 schools across Calgary and Edmonton, but did not disclose which ones.
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'I cannot think of any rationale or reason why they should be available in a school for a child,' said Nicolaides. 'The biggest concern of mine, is that many of these books exist in elementary schools.'
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