At the March 2023 Grand Haven Area Public School board meeting, parents questioned the district’s standards for selecting library books. The book Irreversible Damage (a book warning of the dangers of transgenderism) was recently denied inclusion into the school library leaving parents confused. Here is the public comment provided by a concerned citizen.
“Due to concerns over racist story lines, and concerns over “enterprising people who may want to sell them instead of returning them”, Dr. Seuss books were removed from GHAPS school library shelves.
And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
If I Ran the Zoo
On Beyond Zebra
Meanwhile, books like Milk and Honey were deemed harmless and age appropriate. I quote;
“lie me down. Lay me open like a map. And with your finger trace the places you still want to **** out of me. Kiss me like I am the center point of gravity and you are falling into me like my soul is the focal point of yours. And when your mouth is kissing not my mouth, but other places. My legs will split apart out of habit. And that’s when. I pull you in. Welcome you. Home.”
Now you are denying the book “Irreversible Damage” for school libraries because you say it is geared towards adults i.e. (not age-appropriate).
You have approved books containing sexually explicit content because credentialed experts say they are for kids. Meanwhile you have denied a book featuring warnings about the dangers of affirming transgenderism because credentialed experts say it is for adults. Yet your library currently contains several titles that credentialed experts also say are targeted at adults, while removing books that have long been favorites of parents for their children.
Masterminds & Wingman: Helping our boys cope with schoolyard power, locker-room tests, girlfriends, and the new rules of boy world
No More Nagging, Nit-picking and Nudging: A guide to motivating, inspiring, and influencing kids aged 10-18
Are you following your own standards? What are your standards? Removing Dr. Seuss while embracing Milk and Honey may be recommended by your credentialed experts, but I think your credentialed experts are corrupted by politics, power, and money because my critical thinking skills tell me these decisions do not make sense.
Wouldn’t it be better to have books marketed towards adults that address topics our children are struggling with, than books marketed towards kids and teenagers that contain adult content?
Please define age-appropriate through the use of a ratings system. “
You can view a short video of the March 2023 school board meeting here.