ACLU sues Independence School District over book removal policy

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."ACLU LAWSUIT In its lawsuit, the ACLU argues that the Independence district’s policy requiring books to be automatically removed from shelves when they are challenged, “allows for books to be removed on any basis, including because of viewpoints expressed in the material.” Under the policy, the ACLU says, “a parent, guardian, or student who objects to a book because it contains a discussion about ‘sex,’ a person’s ‘sexuality,’ or their ‘race’ would trigger that book’s automatic removal from all library shelves pending review and a Board vote.” That is despite district policy stating that books shall not be removed “on the basis of partisan or doctrinal approval or disapproval.” The school board’s vote is final, and policy also does not provide an appeal process, which the ACLU argues “violates the First Amendment and Due Process rights of students because it restricts their access to ideas and information for an improper purpose and without any prior notice. “Automatic removal of challenged materials threatens the ability of the Plaintiffs to learn and engage with a diversity of ideas and information, including seeing their own experiences reflected in the books and developing greater understanding of the experiences of others,” the suit says. BOOK BANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY The issue comes amid a nationwide push by some parents and politicians to ban from schools certain books that deal with gender and sexual identity, as well as racial themes. Across the Kansas City metro and country, parents have challenged books they deemed inappropriate and too graphic for students. Several Kansas City area districts have pulled dozens of books off of library shelves this school year in response to a new law, which bans sexually explicit material from schools. Librarians or other school employees who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor, risking up to a year in jail or a $2,000 fine. In Independence, district administrators instructed staff to remove a dozen graphic novels from library shelves that they determined had sexually explicit content. They included Kurt Vonnegut’s American classic “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “Watchmen” by Alan Moore, “Blankets” by Craig Thompson and “Home After Dark” by David Small, according to a presentation to staff previously obtained by The Star. Now Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft could take that a step further — and require all state-funded public libraries to “protect minors” from materials that are not age appropriate. He has proposed a rule stating that public libraries would be prohibited from using state funds to purchase materials that appeal to the “prurient interest of a minor.” They would risk losing funding by violating the rule. The ACLU’s lawsuit says that during the 2021-22 school year, 138 school districts in 32 states removed more than 2,500 books. And 41% of all books banned nationwide that school year were about LGBTQ characters. Book titles that contained protagonists or important characters or color accounted for 40% of all book removals. And 21% of the banned books directly addressed issues of race and racism, according to the suit."

Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/education/article269669086.html#storylink=cpy

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel There doesn't seem to be enough in the article about the context of the material. I also think they are wrong about the exposure young children may have to these different orientations.