After months of deliberation over a policy for determining which book titles are or are not appropriate for school libraries, the Utah State Board of Education voted Tuesday to approve a model library materials policy. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
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SALT LAKE CITY — What types of books are and are not allowed in Utah school libraries?
After months of deliberation around a policy for determining which book titles are or are not appropriate for school libraries, the Utah State Board of Education voted Tuesday to approve a model library materials policy that aims to specify ” the process for identifying materials to be included or disqualified for use in libraries and schools”.
The policy, which provides guidance to districts and charter schools for reviewing potentially sensitive materials in schools, was created in response to HB374 and board ruler R277-628.
Specific policy instructions include:
- Guidelines on who may submit a request to review confidential materials and a sample request form
- Guidelines on how a review committee is formed and when it must make a determination
- The process for appealing a decision of the review committee
- A summary of the steps USBE will take if it is determined that a district or charter school did not follow the described library policy and/or Utah law during the review process
“There was a lot of contemplation on this, for sure. Gathering feedback from, you know, different board members and then going to their constituents,” said Kelsey James, communications coordinator for the board. “The great part was that the board worked with, obviously, the Legislaturemaking sure that we instituted HB374 … and also the Office of the Attorney General, making sure that we were in compliance with state and federal laws to be able to provide this guidance to (local education agencies).”
Responsibility for the final selection of books in school libraries rests with trained library staff under the direction of the respective local education agency board of directors using the following criteria, in accordance with policy:
- General purpose and educational significance
- Legality
- Age and developmental appropriateness
- Punctuality and/or permanence
- Legibility and accessibility for the target audience
- artistic quality and literary style.
- Reputation and importance of the author, producer and/or publisher
- Format variety with efforts to incorporate emerging technologies
- Quality and value according to cost and/or need
In addition, a request to review library materials for a book may only be made by a parent of a student attending the school, a student attending the school, or an employee of the school.
The review process for a questioned book is lengthy (30 school days when possible and no more than 60 school days), with the local education agency convening a review committee made up of administrators, teachers, librarians, and parents to determine what must be done with the challenged book.
The review committee will then make a final determination, by majority vote, of a revised book as follows:
- Retained: The determination to maintain access in a school setting to the material in question for all students.
- Restricted: the determination to restrict access in a school setting to the material in question for certain students as determined by the Review Committee
- Deleted: The determination to prohibit access in a school setting to the material in question for all students.
After more than two hours of deliberation and policy amendments, the board voted to approve the model library materials policy almost unanimously with board member Natalie Cline casting the only dissenting vote.
I am just one person on a board of 15, and the other Board members present at today’s meeting decided to put their efforts and their votes behind the Master Merged model policy, which does not require (local educational agencies) to make a single thing to stop porn.
–Natalie Cline, State Board of Education Member
In a sentence Posted on your Facebook page On Tuesday, Cline thanked the “nearly 500 parents and grandparents who wrote to the Board and contacted me in the hope that the Board would vote on a model policy that would actually prevent pornography, in any form, in their children’s schools.” “.
“I am just one person on a board of 15, and the other Board members present at today’s meeting decided to put their efforts and their votes behind the Master Merged model policy, which does not require LEAs to do anything to stop of porn,” Cline said.
‘This is not about banning books’
The question of what titles are available to students through their school libraries was first raised by parent protest in November that led to nine titles being pulled from library shelves in the Canyons School District before six of the nine titles were returned to shelves in February.
“I came across many videos on social media about sexually explicit books in our Utah school libraries and in school libraries across the country,” a Canyons School District parent wrote in an email obtained by KSL.com via of a public records request. “I ask that you please take the time to review the videos below for inappropriate material. There are many more, but it is mentally taxing, viewing and reviewing the content of these books.”
This claim grew stronger as the conservative group of parents Utah Parents United lobbied more districts to remove titles it said contained “pornographic or indecent material” and lobbied for HB374, a bill that bans “confidential materials” and requires school districts to review objectionable content in libraries or classrooms and report it to the Utah State Board of Education and, ultimately, the Utah Legislature.
This is not about banning books. This is a good process for reviewing what books are appropriate in schools to the same standard that is already applied to students and other materials in our existing code.
– Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross
“Right now, our kids are exposed to pornography in school libraries,” said Nichole Mason, president of Utah Parents United. “They have unrestricted access to pornographic graphic novels that are really against the law.”
In February, the House Education Committee voted 11-2 to pass HB374 and the Legislature later passed the bill, which was signed by Utah Governor Spencer Cox.
“This is not about banning books,” Senate floor sponsor Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, said on the final night of the legislative session. “This is a good process to review what books are appropriate in schools to the same standard that is already applied to students and other materials in our existing code.”
‘Lack of service that affects the entire community’
Utah Alliance Coalition Chairman Frank Brannan, at a rally last month in opposition to board member Cline’s proposed policy, described his proposed policy as “extreme” and said it “limits the diversity of library materials for students.”
“Utah’s education system belongs to all of us,” Brannan said. “Banning a book because it features a gay or transgender character or touches on difficult topics that affect real teenagers, like drug abuse, sexual assault, and racism, hurts all students, but worse, alienates students.” students who see elements of themselves and their lives in those themes and characters.
Unfortunately, the various stories, people, and themes make some people uncomfortable, and those books are the most questioned by parents. Lack of representation in library books and programs is a disservice to students, families, and the entire community.
–Rita Christensen, president of the Utah Library Association
Utah librarians have argued that the protest is an attempt to limit access to titles from various perspectives.
“Unfortunately, the diversity of stories, people, and topics makes some people uncomfortable, and those books are the most challenged by parents. The lack of representation in library books and programs is a disservice to students.” , families and the whole community,” said Rita Christensen. , president of the Utah Library Association.
Christensen said pulling the books out of circulation due to parent protests sets a precedent that “one kind of voice matters” and “that voice doesn’t have to follow the rules, and that the voices of the marginalized have no place in the library shelves. She erodes trust in libraries (and) erodes democracy.”
According to a board release, school districts and charter schools will now use the model policy to develop a systematic process and time frame for reviewing all school library materials using a confidential materials rubric to ensure compliance with the Utah law.
Each district and charter school governing board must review and approve its own policy by the Sept. 1, 2022 deadline set in board rule R277-628, according to the release.