Latest news with #BookLooks
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.
CBS News
26-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesota school district sued by students, parents over book ban policy
Two lawsuits were filed Monday against St. Francis Area School District over its book banning policy. The ACLU of Minnesota and Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP filed one of the two lawsuits on behalf of two parents of children in the school district to end the "illegal banning of books from the district's school libraries and classrooms." The lawsuit is in response to the district's recent policy change that removed librarians and teachers from the book approval process and replaced them with a website called "Book Looks," founded by Moms for Liberty, a group that has been at the forefront of the conservative movement targeting books that reference race and sexuality. The website rates books on a scale of zero to five, with zero being "for everyone" and five being "aberrant." St. Francis banned books with a rating of three and above, according to the ACLU. If a book is already in the library and has a rating of three or above and is challenged, policy dictates that the book must be removed. Since the policy change, the lawsuit claims at least 46 books were removed or are in the process of being removed from St. Francis schools. Education Minnesota-St. Francis also filed a separate lawsuit over the book ban on behalf of eight students in the district whose parents are teachers. That lawsuit claims the district's policy is "antithetical to the values of public education and encouraging discourse." Both lawsuits allege the policy violates the Minnesota Constitution and state law, saying school districts cannot discriminate against viewpoints expressed in books and that it violates the right to free speech and to receive information, as well as the right to a uniform and adequate education. "The Book Looks rating system that is now binding upon the school district discriminates extensively based on viewpoint, particularly with regard to topics of gender, race, and religion," the lawsuit said. The teachers' union says the Holocaust memoir "Night" by Elie Wiesel is set to be removed after a recent complaint. On Sunday, Book Looks announced it was ceasing operations and taking all reports down from its website. "Our charge was always to help inform parents and it would appear that mission has been largely accomplished. We pray that publishers will take up the torch and be more transparent regarding explicit content in their books so that there will be no need for a in the future," an announcement posted to the website says. St. Francis Area Schools says its legal team is reviewing documents from both lawsuits and determining next steps. About 4,100 students attend the school district.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Francis Area Schools sued by parents, ACLU over book ban controversy
Parents and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have filed separate lawsuits against St. Francis Area Schools, accusing the district of unlawfully banning numerous books based on the ideas, characters and stories they contain. The lawsuit in Anoka County District Court filed on behalf of the parents of eight district students was followed up by the ACLU's lawsuit on Monday. Students at St. Francis High School have also protested the book bans, staging a walkout from classes on Monday, with an estimated 100 students participating. The union lawsuit filed by parents and Education Minnesota claims the 'District's policy is antithetical to the values of public education and encouraging discourse. Perhaps more importantly, the policy violates the Minnesota Constitution and state law." It also requests for the judge to declare the policy illegal and reverse the ban on more than 40 books that have been removed or will be soon. Among those publishings include: "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison "Beloved" by Toni Morrison "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood A complaint has also been filed against the Holocaust memoir "Night" by Eli Wiesel, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Per district policy, it will be removed from the shelves. The book bans come in the wake of the school district adopting last fall to use ratings from the anonymous review site BookLooks in its library. BookLooks has generated headlines for its past links with conservative group Moms for Liberty. The lawsuit alleges the BookLooks rating system discriminates "extensively based on viewpoint, particularly with regard to topics of gender, race, and religion.' The BookLooks states on its website that it is not affiliated for Moms for Liberty, but that it communicates "with other individuals and groups with whom there is an intersection of mission and values." The website is now shut down as of Sunday, with a post on the site saying it will be "ceasing operation and taking down all of our reports from the site." No book reviews are visible as of Tuesday. "It has been quite the ride with many ups and downs since God called us to this work in 2022, but after much prayer and reflection it has become apparent that His work for us here is complete and that He has other callings for us," its statement reads. It's unclear why the book review website is shutting down operations. The lawsuit filed by the ACLU is on behalf of two other students in the district and says at least 46 books have been removed or are in the process of removal. St. Francis Area Schools provided the following statement to Bring Me The News on Tuesday: "St. Francis Area Schools can confirm the receipt of lawsuits from Education Minnesota and the American Civil Liberties Union-Minnesota in regards to our District Policy 606.5. The legal team is reviewing the documents from both lawsuits and working with the district on determining next steps. The district is committed to addressing the claims identified in the lawsuits thoroughly and appropriately."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Francis Schools hit with two lawsuits over controversial book policy
The Brief St. Francis Area Schools received two lawsuits over its book policy on the same day. Education Minnesota St. Francis and ACLU Minnesota filed complaints on Monday. Dozens of people protested the Library Materials Policy outside the district office. ST. FRANCIS, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Francis Area Schools (SFAS) received two separate lawsuits on Monday challenging the district's book policy. The complaints allege the school district is banning books "unlawfully". The backstory The policy at the center of this controversy is the district's Library Materials Policy the school board passed last year. The policy relies on a book ratings website called Book Looks to filter what books can make the district's library shelves. Critics of the policy have taken issue with relying on a singular, outside source to decide what should be on the district's library shelves. Supporters of the policy said it is in place to protect students from any harmful material. Legal battle Education Minnesota St. Francis filed a lawsuit on Monday alleging the district banning books violates state law by discriminating against certain viewpoints. The union filed a complaint in Anoka County District Court on behalf of eight students in the school district. All eight students have parents who are teachers. Education Minnesota said the purpose of the lawsuit is not to seek any monetary damages or attorney's fees, but to reverse the book bans. The ACLU of Minnesota also filed a similar lawsuit against the school district on Monday. "The St. Francis Book Looks policy is a particularly egregious violation of St. Francis students' constitutional right to free speech, to receive information, and to a uniform an adequate education," said Catherine Ahlin-Halverson, ACLU Minnesota attorney. "We want the local ability to look at our books, decide which books are best for kids, have healthy conversations between parents, educators, and school board," said Ryan Fiereck, Education Minnesota St. Francis president. What's next Board Chair Nathan Burr said he is not able to comment on any details of the lawsuits at this time, but did confirm both lawsuits are being reviewed by the district's legal team. Burr said the district is committed to transparency and addressing them thoroughly and appropriately. The Source St. Francis Area Schools, Education Minnesota, ACLU Minnesota
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ACLU, teachers, students sue St. Francis Area Schools over book bans
A shelf of "The Kite Runner" at the St. Francis High School library; the school board has used a right-wing scoring system to ban books, including Khaled Hosseini's coming-of-age story that's sold 38 million copies worldwide. Photo courtesy of Ryan Fiereck. The ACLU of Minnesota and the state teachers union filed two separate lawsuits Monday against St. Francis Area Schools, alleging that the district's book bans violate the Minnesota Constitution and a 2024 law banning book bans. Students, teachers and parents are also plaintiffs in the lawsuits. St. Francis Area Schools adopted a library policy in November that relies on ratings from a website called BookLooks, which has ties to the right-wing group Moms for Liberty. Books with a BookLooks rating of 3 or higher (out of 5) are subject to removal from St. Francis bookshelves at the request of a student, parent or community member. So far, the district has banned, or plans to ban, books including 'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood, 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky, 'The Bluest Eye' by Toni Morrison and 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini, among others. The Reformer interviewed Hosseini last week about his book being pulled from the shelves. Of the 47 books that have been challenged, all but one challenge came from a 'community member' — i.e., not a student or parent, according to the Education Minnesota complaint. So far, 11 books have been removed from the shelves and the other 36 challenges are pending. The litigation highlights the pitched national battle in recent years over what constitutes valuable educational content and who should be allowed to restrict it, leading to similar book bans across the country. The lawsuits will test Minnesota's law limiting book bans, which was passed by the DFL-controlled Legislature in 2024. The law states 'a public library cannot ban, remove or restrict access to books or other materials based solely on its viewpoint or the messages, ideas, or opinions it conveys.' The law does allow for books to be removed from shelves based on practical reasons, 'legitimate pedagogical concerns, including but not limited to the appropriateness of potentially sensitive topics for the library's intended audience,' and to comply with other state or federal laws. The law also requires that library administrators adopt a library materials policy that outlines procedures for the selection and removal of materials. That policy must be administered by a librarian or someone trained in library collection management. In its complaint, the ACLU pointed out that the school district's attorney advised the school board against adopting the BookLooks-based rating system because the organization does not appear to be run by a librarian — instead, it is run by 'concerned parents,' according to the website. Both lawsuits pointed to comments made by a board member who supported the BookLooks-based policy because it aligned with the area's 'red' — conservative — beliefs. BookLooks is shutting down, according to a message on its website, but a similar organization — out of Utah, is maintaining the BookLooks archive. The St. Francis Area School Board will meet Monday evening. Individuals organizing against the library policy plan to read letters from authors whose books have been banned in the district, according to a press release from the teachers union. St. Francis High School students staged a walkout in protest of the library policy on Monday afternoon.
