St. Francis banned books policy on pause as reviews disappear
The Brief
St. Francis Schools have paused new book bans after a lawsuit filed by students, parents and teachers last month.
The school board adopted a policy in November 2024 moving the decision on whether to ban a challenged book away from librarians and local voices and to the conservative website Book Looks.
The district banned 11 books and was preparing to ban 36 more when the lawsuits were filed. At about the same time, Book Looks ceased to operate and removed the reviews upon which the banning decisions were supposed to be made.
ST. FRANCIS, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Francis Schools have paused new book bans for the moment, but not before taking 11 off the shelf and preparing to remove more, and students are pushing for a complete reversal.
Lawsuits and more
The policy hasn't changed even after several students, parents, and teachers filed lawsuits.
The school board chair told FOX 9 on Wednesday that they've paused the policy because of the lawsuits.
But there might also be another reason.
Students stand up
Nathaniel Esboldt has earned some of St. Francis Schools' highest honors: He's student council president, the Triple-A award winner for academics, arts and athletics, and the school board gave him its Saints Star Award at their March meeting.
By their next meeting, he was scolding the same school board for its book bans, erasing his school pride.
"I care because I do not want to have to tell (younger students) that the education and experience that I received and that the school board was so proud of that they gave me an award is no longer possible," Esboldt said.
The policy wasn't on Tuesday night's agenda, but students and neighbors filled the first 45 minutes of the board meeting with book ban discussion.
And the room filled with cheers for its critics.
A lone voice
In light of lawsuits filed against St. Francis Schools, the board did not defend the bans, but one resident did.
"The books in question perpetuate the most extreme stereotypes of groups they allege to protect and empower," he said.
A policy shift
Last November, the board took the decision away from librarians and local folks in favor of bans based on reviews on the Book Looks website.
In all, the district pulled 11 challenged books, including The Handmaids Tale, Kite Runner, and The Bluest Eye.
Brave New World and the Holocaust memoir Night were among 36 more on the road to being banned when Book Looks ceased to operate and removed its book reports last month.
For now, the books are in limbo and a local pastor wonders how they got to this point.
"Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that the things written about in banned books won't happen if our young people don't read about them might just be the highest level of willful ignorance and spiritual blindness I have ever witnessed," said Denise Hanson of St. Frances United Methodist Church.
What's next
The district is hoping to convince a judge to dismiss the lawsuits, and they have a hearing in June.
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