Vicksburg School Superintendent Keevin O’Neill at a June board meeting responded to parents who asked the month before for removal of books they regard as “inappropriate and sexually explicit” from middle school and high school libraries.
O’Neill in a prepared statement described board policies which deal with choosing the books and the procedure for reviewing and removing them upon public request.
Parents at the board’s May 12 meeting named “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “The Glass Castle,” “A Stolen Life: A Memoir,” “Tricks” and “A Court of Mist and Fury” as some of 85 questionable books in the high school media center. The names and the total number were cited in a website, takebacktheclassroom.com
Chris Sanchez was one of five people who addressed the board in May. He said he understands the importance of a media center offering a variety of literature and genres. But he said it’s critical to ensure publicly funded content available to students needs to be age-appropriate and align with Vicksburg’s core values.
Speaking on behalf of those who addressed the board before him, Sanchez appealed to the seven-member board. “I request the school board review the current library collection and consider removing any books that contain explicit content or themes inappropriate for children.””
O’Neill and board members at the May meeting referred to district policy 9130 and a review process the district has in place when a book is questioned by a member of the public.
In June, O’Neill said he was in contact with the school librarians following the May board meeting. He then put together and read the statement.
O’Neill said library materials are selected and purchased based on a variety of criteria consistent with board policy 2521: Selection of Instructional Materials and Equipment.
“As stated in the policy, librarians consider curriculum, budget, student interest, ability, reading level and maturity level. Purchases reflect the community in which we live with a variety of materials. Professional book reviews … are consulted when considering items for purchase,” O’Neill said. “This procedure and policy have been consistently followed for multiple decades here in Vicksburg.”
O’Neill then explained the process to follow for anyone who objects to library material.
“They may first contact the building principal with their concerns. If meeting with the principal does not allay the concern, they may then file a formal challenge following school board policy 9130, Public Complaints and Grievances, and filling out corresponding form 9130F2, Request for Review of Materials or Course Content,” he said. “The challenge policy is in place for the benefit of all our students and families. Families hold varying beliefs and if a parent asks for a book to be pulled from the shelf that aligns with any given belief, the district cannot remove the materials until it follows the challenge procedure in place and the Challenge Committee reaches a decision.”
O’Neill said library materials are not required reading; they are free-choice reading. He also noted library catalogues are found on each school’s website on the “library/media center” tab.
He said parents can restrict their child’s library material by contacting the librarian at the respective school.
During public comments, resident Michelle O’Neill – unrelated to the superintendent – said she understands concerns raised by parents in May. However, she said book banning has, historically, not been a good idea.
“I applaud parents who are involved in their kids’ education and say, ‘This book is not for my child,’ a thousand percent I support them,” she said. “But I don’t want them to take that book out of the library in case my child wants to read it.”
She continued. “We all have the same rights, but we also have the same responsibilities and it’s my responsibility to protect your rights as much as my own. I want to ask that other people look at it that way, too, and you protect my rights as much as you want to protect your own,” she said. “I abhor violence and if I had a choice there would be no violent video games … but there are,” O’Neill added. “Now, would I choose them for my grandchild? No. But I’m not going to tell somebody else their grandchild can’t play with them, whether it’s a book or a video game.
“I’m assuming that in our library there are lots of books that talk about violence, and yet I’m not going to ask you take them out of the library,” she added. “I’m not a religious person, and I’m sure there are lots of books in the library that have religious passages. I’m not going to ask you to take them out of the library. If you don’t want a book taken out of the library that you love, please don’t take a book out of the library that I might love.”
