After banning books from libraries, Idaho school board discusses clearer process
After banning nearly two dozen books from its school libraries last month, the Nampa school board wants to implement clearer policies and procedures relating to challenged library books.
Trustees discussed the potential changes Monday after the board last month voted to remove 23 books from its libraries ”forever,” before the district could complete its review of the titles.
The bans included popular books such as “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini, “Looking for Alaska” by John Green, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.
“I think it’s important that we make sure that we have a really good, solid, transparent, written down, consistent process that all of our patrons, our parents, our staff, everybody knows that this is the process that we will use (for) challenged books,” board chair Jeff Kirkman said Monday.
Trustee Marco Valle said he found the process that’s currently in place unclear and open-ended.
At the last board meeting, he made the motion to remove the list of books from school libraries “forever.”
He said Monday he wanted to “shock the system.”
“An electric shock sometimes is needed to make changes the right way, and we removed those books, which I’m glad we did,” he said. “But let’s figure out the process.”
Trustee Tracey Pearson said the community has had concerns over books in school libraries for at least a year. Leadership, she said, didn’t acknowledge their concerns. She added that whatever process or policy that was set in the past by leadership was “failing.”
“It was making these books available, I don’t think they were appropriate, and it was a failed system,” she said. “I had to take action, I felt, for the people.”
During the meeting, some trustees shared possible ideas for what could be included in a future policy. One idea would require the person challenging a book to have read the book.
Kirkman said he wants to see a process in place before the next school year begins. At the end of the meeting, he said he could see some of the books on the challenged list ending up back on library shelves. That would have to be a board decision, he said.
“I’m speaking for myself, I’m not making the decision for the board. I just anticipate some of these books ending up back into the library,” he said.
During the meeting, two people attended dressed as handmaids from “The Handmaid’s Tale,” wearing long red robes and white hats.
Process to review challenged books cut short
When the board decided to remove the books from library shelves, multiple committees had been formed to review them.
Gregg Russell, interim superintendent, said Monday the district never had previous challenges to library books, and that it used the process it has used for when adopted curriculum is challenged.
That involves a written proposal given to the curriculum instruction director that states concerns around a textbook or curriculum.
The next step involves the director discussing a parent’s concerns with them. If that parent felt the explanation wasn’t satisfactory, Russell said, the process would move to a review.
Ann Christensen, a librarian at Skyview High School, was part of a committee that was reviewing the challenged books. She said she and her committee had met several times — but ultimately the committee’s work wasn’t used for the board’s decision.
Christensen said she felt there was a process already in place that they were moving through.
“A lot of time and work went into reading these books, analyzing it, seeing if it’s appropriate,” she said. “We felt like we wasted time.”
Librarians raise concerns about ordering new books
Both Christensen and Nancy Finney, a librarian at Nampa High, raised concerns about what the decision to remove the books could mean for the future. Christensen said she hesitates to buy libraries books that could later be banned.
“I don’t know what your parameters are,” Christensen said. “I don’t want to … (purchase) books that are going to be taken away.”
Librarians also emphasized the importance of offering different types of books in libraries. They said students had been interested in checking out the books on the challenged list since they were banned.
Books can give kids coping skills and help them to deal with the situations they are in, Finney said, and they can show kids they aren’t alone.
“If you think that we don’t have kids who have … been physically, mentally abused, you’re wrong,” Finney said. “If you don’t think we have kids that have been bullied or raped, you are wrong.”
She described books as a jigsaw puzzle that needed to be seen for the big picture.
“If you take one piece out and look at it, it may seem really offensive,” she said. “But when you put all the pieces together, you get the whole.”
Parents said during the meeting they should get a choice in the books their kids read.
Librarians pointed out that parents who don’t want their children to check out certain books can call their school library and make that request. Finney said she would support a clearer process.
“Everything needs to fit together to fulfill our needs, and it’s just more secure for everyone if we do have a policy in place,” Finney said.
