alpine school district has pulled 52 books from its library shelves after parents complained that the titles, which are largely LGBTQ-focused, are inappropriate for children.
As early as next week, district board members hope to adopt a policy that will guide them in making decisions about whether to return those books or permanently remove them. And after that, there are another 32 that the district has flagged for further investigation.
It is Utah’s latest front in a national culture war that has focused on literature and affected several school districts across the statewhere conservative parents say the books should be banned because they contain pornography.
“We haven’t burned a book or anything,” Alpine spokesman David Stephenson said. “But we are being proactive with those that we have heard concerns about.”
Stephenson said the district, which is the largest in the state with 84,000 students, temporarily removed books from its school libraries after an internal audit prompted by parental concerns. The books have been placed away from the students (who are currently away for summer break) until Alpine can conduct a “content review.”
The Alpine school board is drafting a policy to review the books in question, and once it’s in place, the books will be formally reviewed.
But several First Amendment advocates are speaking out, saying it’s a violation to remove the books before then, especially when many of the titles deal with historically marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ community and authors of color. They say it feels like an effort to silence those voices.
“Students have a right to learn about the variety of human experiences and perspectives that these books provide,” said Jonathan Friedman, director of free expression at America Ballpoint Pen, in a sentence. The organization defends freedom of expression throughout the country.
Friedman said that 21 of the titles on the Alpine list feature LGBTQ characters or themes.
(PEN America) PEN America created a list of the 52 books recalled from shelves in the Alpine School District.
The list includes four oft-questioned books: “genderqueer” a graphic novel about the author’s self-identity journey that has some scenes of illustrated figures engaging in sexual conduct; “Lawn Boy” which is about a gay protagonist and features a scene about a sexual experience he had at a youth group meeting; “Not all boys are blue” which includes an autobiographical passage detailing an older cousin who sexually abused the author when he was a child; Y “Out of the Dark” about the relationship between a young Mexican-American woman and a black teenager in 1930s Texas.
The book list also includes a collection of poetry, “milk and honey,” by Rupi Kaur and a non-fiction title, “Queer: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens.”
One of the books on the list seems possibly misidentified simply by the title. Is named “SEX: If you’re afraid of the truth, don’t read this!” The author argues for abstinence, which is what is taught by law in Utah schools.
The push to ban the books has been fueled by members of a conservative parent group here, called Utah Parents Unitedwho applauded the removal on social media last week, sharing the checkout list sent to district librarians and calling it “a huge win.”
The group has also led efforts in other districts, including against nine books in the canyons school district and five in the Washington County School District.
Utah Parents United Curriculum Director Brooke Stephens also filed a police report with the Farmington Police Department and the Davis County Sheriff’s Office, according to copies provided to The Salt Lake Tribune, to report a list of 47 books. in the Davis School District.
She told police from the sheriff’s office that the books violated state law because they contained pornography.
That report states, “She stated that she wanted to file a criminal complaint against the school district and have the issue investigated.”
The group’s efforts have sparked a tug-of-war in the past year between state leaders, anti-censorship advocates and librarians to determine what crosses borders in youth books.
In response, Utah lawmakers passed HB374 last session which now requires all K-12 public school districts to create a policy to remove books containing “pornographic or indecent material” from both libraries and classrooms.
The definition of pornography, under Utah law, broadly includes anything that, when taken as a whole, could be considered “harmful to minors” in the depiction of nudity or sexual conduct and anything the average person would find “appeals to prurient interest in sex” .
Stephenson of the Alpine District said the policy will be based on that new law, as well as guidelines recently established by the Utah State Board of Education and the Utah Attorney General’s Office, which is supposed to help districts devise a policy for reviewing questioned books.
Districts are supposed to have their review system in place by Sept. 1, and it should include a committee that reads each questioned book and makes a determination about the value of the title in its entirety, rather than just one potentially inappropriate passage. There is supposed to be a balance with the First Amendment and that children have the right to see what materials they want.
The attorney general also noted in his guidance: “While there is no specific law that books must be left in the library when challenged, leaving books on the shelves pending review helps ensure that schools do not engage in prior restrictions. ”
However, Alpine has chosen not to keep them on the shelves. Stephenson said that not all libraries have the books on the list; some have none.
Utah Parents United said it welcomes that decision.
“We can encourage them to ensure that they are permanently removed from all schools in the district as per the law,” another Facebook post added.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) A group from Utah Parents United tours the State Capitol on Monday, January 10, 2022.
One parent, who has been working with a subgroup called Alpine Parents for Prosperity, also wrote online: “I have been very vocal and very critical. Thank you for listening and protecting our children. There is still a lot of work to do.”
He believes the decision to remove the books saved the district thousands of dollars in fines for violating the law banning pornography in schools.
However, PEN America’s Friedman challenges Utah Parents United, saying that no child has to take out the books if they don’t want to. They are not required reading, she said, but should be available to those who are interested.
Also, the examples of sex in the books on the list, including “Gender Queer”, are not about arousal, Richard Price, an associate professor of political science at Weber State University who tracks censorship in school districtshas said previously.
It is about imbalances in relationships and manipulation, often real experiences of the authors who intend to show the reader how bad the situation is and warn him if he is going through something similar.
“It’s about finding out where your limits are and drawing them. That’s very healthy,” Price said.