Latest news with #bookban
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Harford County school's decision to ban book has parents, teachers voicing concerns
Harford County parents and teachers spoke out against the school board's decision to ban an award-winning illustrated novel from its libraries. The book, "Flamer," by Mike Curato, was previously approved by district committees. However, parents said the school board voted to ban the book during a closed-door session in late June, after public appeals. The controversial novel is about a teenage boy who, as he "navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can't stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance," according to the author. On Monday, dozens of people stood in front of the school board to show either support or displeasure with the book ban. "This was the first formal appeal under the newly finalized book review procedure—a process nearly two years in the making, developed with input from staff, Board members, and members of the public," School Board President Aaron Poynton said in a statement. "The decision we made will likely set a precedent for future challenges, and we recognize the importance of clarity." Members of the advocacy group "Together We Will" led a protest before the Harford County School Board meeting on Monday. In a statement, the group said the decision and process to ban the book "threatens student rights." "In the school system, parents can opt out of any book that they want for their child. There is already plenty of support or protection for any parent who doesn't want their child to read a book," added Delane Lewis, president of "Together We Will." "What we have is the Board of Education stepping in front of parents and telling them what they should or shouldn't have their children read." Some parents at Monday's school board meeting feel the banned book, "Flamer," is not appropriate for children. "It's sexually explicit, and it has tons of vulgar language in it," said Suzie Scott, from the group Moms for Liberty. "It's just not the kind of thing that is appropriate for your average middle school or high school student." Harford County Board of Education President Aaron Poynton defended the board's decision to ban Flamer from the schools in the district, saying the book is filled with "pervasively vulgar language." If I were to read excerpts aloud during a Board meeting, I would be fined by the FCC," Poynton said. "This language is not suitable for younger children in schools." Poynton continued to argue that the book would receive an "R" rating if it were in the movie theaters, and it is not appropriate for designated grade levels of high school and middle school. "The Board ultimately voted to remove the book, citing clear violations of HCPS's selection procedure, which prohibits materials with obscene language, sexually explicit content, or depictions of illegal or violent acts inappropriate for the age group served," Poynton said. "This was not about censorship. It was about age-appropriate access and upholding our duty of care. While the Board supports intellectual freedom, we also acknowledge our professional responsibility to safeguard student well-being and respect parents' rights."
Washington Post
4 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
‘Little House on the Prairie,' beloved and troubling, gets a reappraisal
I used to love Laura Ingalls Wilder's 'Little House on the Prairie' series, but in recent years it has fallen out of favor. And for good reason. The phrase 'the only good Indian is a dead Indian,' for instance, is uttered by multiple characters. In 1998, an 8-year-old girl on the Upper Sioux Reservation was so understandably upset by this remark that her mother petitioned the school district to ban the book from its curriculum. The mother's petition was unsuccessful, but the little girl's distress is a cautionary tale. Twenty years later, the American Library Association took Wilder's name off the medal the group had created in her honor in 1954, declaring, 'Wilder's legacy … includes expressions of stereotypical attitudes inconsistent with [the association's] core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness.'
National Post
12-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Jamie Sarkonak: Alberta's rules on explicit sex books are reasonable. Don't believe the fake news
Article content As for the work of actually limiting access to restricted materials, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told the Post, it can be as easy as 'A librarian, a teacher, an educational assistant or other type of supervisor, just ensuring that students in Grades 9 and under are not checking out any material that might contain really graphic depictions of sexual acts.' Article content The news elsewhere initially said otherwise. The Toronto Star headlined a Canadian Press story (which has since been updated): Alberta Bans Explicit Sex Books in Schools, Limits Who Reads About Kissing, Hugging. Which, simply, wasn't true, as hugging and kissing are allowed in all school libraries. Article content Global News, using the same wire story as the Star, made the same mistake: 'Students in Grade 9 and younger will not be allowed to read about puberty, menstruation and breastfeeding but religious texts, such as the Bible, will be allowed on the shelves,' read one excerpt. It later issued a correction and deleted an erroneous social media post. Article content Article content The Globe and Mail's report stated that, 'Libraries will also no longer be able to provide students in Grade 9 and below with any material that contains non-explicit sexual content, such as the depiction of bodies with references to genitalia, menstruation, puberty or romantic relationships, including handholding and kissing.' It wasn't true, but it sparked outrage online. Article content 'There must be some misunderstanding or misinterpretation there,' said Nicolaides. 'We've clearly provided a definition in the ministerial order that says those types of things — depictions of bodies, biological functions, menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, kissing, hand-holding — are all non-sexual in nature, and there are no restrictions related to that material.' Article content Nevertheless, the first impression of the rules, false as they were, reverberated online. Mount Royal University professor and media commentator Duane Bratt repeated the falsity in a still-public tweet that, as of Friday morning, reached 18 times the audience of his subsequent correction. Article content Article content Globe and Mail columnist Doug Saunders made a similar post and deleted it when he realized it was wrong; however, he went on to write that Alberta had initially banned all books depicting menstruation, puberty and romantic relationships, claiming that, 'Alberta issued a change to the language' and ' updated the policy in response.' That was plain wrong: Alberta's ministerial order hadn't changed; it was the news outlets that had to revise their stories in light of their errors. Article content Can the rules still deliver absurd outcomes? Sure: there is a risk that paranoid, risk-averse school administrators will interpret the rules in the most cumbersome, laborious way possible, pulling umpteen young adult romance novels from shelves just to be safe. Article content
CTV News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
CTV National News: Alberta's new rules banning 'sexually explicit' books from schools
CTV National News: Alberta's new rules banning 'sexually explicit' books from schools Alberta schools will soon have to pull books with 'sexually explicit' content from its libraries. Kathy Le on what prompted the controversial ban.
The Independent
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Reform council claim ‘trans-related' library book ban ‘not a change of policy'
A Reform-led council says its 'trans-related' library book ban is 'not a change of policy' after conflicting social media posts from councillors. In a post on social media, Kent County Council (KCC) leader Linden Kemkaran said the books were to be removed with immediate effect after a fellow Reform Councillor said he had been informed of 'transgender ideologies' in the children's section of a library. But KCC has since said that the book which triggered the ban was in fact on display at the front of a library in Herne Bay, rather than the children's section. The council's Liberal Democrat opposition leader, Antony Hook has said that Reform not following 'proper process' in the council and announcing things on social media has created uncertainty. Cllr Kemkaran added on X that 'telling children they're in the 'wrong body' is wrong and simply unacceptable' and said that 'trans-related' works would be removed from the children's sections of all 99 of the county's libraries. The book Reform were referring to was The Autistic Trans Guide to Life by Yenn Purkis and Dr Wenn Lawson, which is a book for autistic trans and/or non-binary adults marketed as providing 'tools and strategies they need to live as their best self'. There is no suggestion from the promotional material around the book that it contains any reference to telling children they are in the 'wrong bodies'. In his video posted to social media on Thursday, the Reform Cllr responsible for the ban Paul Webb claimed: 'I was recently contacted by a concerned member of the public who found trans-ideological material and books in the children's section of one of our libraries – I've looked into this, and it was the case, 'I have today issued an instruction for them all to be removed from the children's section of our libraries.' The council has since rowed back on his suggestion that the book was in the children's section and says that they have not, in fact, changed policy. A KCC spokesperson told PA Media: 'We have not changed policy. We have simply issued internal instructions to reaffirm existing expectations: that adult books are not to be placed in areas specifically aimed at children, such as children's sections or public welcome displays where children select books.' It is unclear how the council will classify transgender-related books, and whether there will be a tangible change as a result of this instruction. Cllr Webb, the Cabinet Member for Community & Regulatory Services said: 'We rightly place child protection and safeguarding at the very top of our list of priorities, as should all adults, especially those that hold public office.' Cllr Kemkaran heralded her colleagues' actions as showing 'courage and common sense in Kent' on X. Cllr Hook told the BBC: 'It is bizarre that the leader of the council is making announcements on social media, rather than to the council.' The copy of The Autistic Trans Guide to Life has been moved from a display at the front of the library 'to a section that is unlikely to be visited by children', the KCC spokesperson said.
