![]() Taylor, the attorney and advocate, said, "I want my daughter to know that your history is American history. While the proposed legislation includes some inclusive language – HB187 allows for the "impartial instruction on the historical oppression of a particular group" – critics say these measures encourage teachers to shy away from teaching about the difficult struggles faced by racial minorities. Lawmakers will consider Senate Bill 49, titled the "Parents' Bill of Rights," which limits teaching about LGBTQ topics and requires school personnel to inform parents if a child chooses to go by a different pronoun and House Bill 187, which sets guidelines for teaching about gender, race and U.S. “So I didn't learn about the struggles of Black people, except slavery, in the books that were in the libraries when I went to school.” That's what I had to learn from,” she said. “The books that I had to deal with were all books written about and by white people. She reflected on her own time in school years ago. Dianne Bellamy-Small was part of the majority who voted to retain two challenged books. ![]() In December, the Guilford County Board of Education Member T. "That's another big source of frustration: You can tell your child what you want them to read, but you really shouldn't be telling other people's children what they should or should not read."Įven when official challenges make it to a school board, they aren’t always successful. "It's scary how organized this is, and just the mentality of 'I'm going to choose the books for everybody to read, not just for my child to read,'" Sartain said. Sartain said members of her organization have seen similar book lists circulate online in districts across the state. Nearly 90% of challenged titles counted in the survey came from just four people. In North Carolina, it’s a small but vocal group that drives the bulk of challenges. "If a kid comes to my library and needs to find a book, I want them to be able to find that book that speaks to them and that they can see themselves in as well," Abel said. School Library Media Association, said ensuring her students are represented among the titles on the shelves is a major part of building out the catalog. Jennifer Abel, current president of the N.C. ![]() "Now it seems like more issues are escalating up to the district level and going in front of the school board."Ĭritics of book challenges have started to push back, saying small groups should not dictate policies for entire school districts. "It might be before where a parent would have an issue with their child reading that book and it would be handled most likely at the school level," said Jenny Umbarger, past president of the N.C. Such challenges have become increasingly public and political, according to some advocates. This happened in Pender County, where school administrators reviewed 42 titles after a small but vocal conservative group highlighted them as concerning. "If you see a book that maybe is being banned in other places, there's a chilling effect that happens when you see that book in your library collection," Meehan said. Kasey Meehan, PEN America's Freedom to Read program director, said the increase in challenges can cause some principals to self-censor. School Library Media Association, said some districts avoid using the term “book ban” or "challenge" but quietly remove books – or make them harder to access – when parents complain “to try to not sound like they took the books out.” Kristy Sartain, president-elect of the N.C. Books can be left in a library, but taken out of a class, or moved from a middle school to a high school library, according to PEN America. In some cases, books are off shelves indefinitely during a review by school administration. Rarely does a formal challenge reach a school board, according to a review of school records.īut PEN America argues that censorship can happen even if a book is not formally removed through a challenge. Sheriff’s Association Executive Vice President Eddie Caldwell.ĭefining when challenges are successful is not straightforward. But to date, no law enforcement agency or district attorney has pursued these cases, according to N.C. In at least two cases, parents have sought to press criminal charges against schools.
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