Why do school libraries contain inappropriate books?
Would you let your child see an R rated movie? How about a PG-13 movie or a MA (mature audience) television show? If you had any doubt about a film you would likely preview it before making your decision. When faced with a decision you would likely bring your child to a G rated movie and save the R rated movie for later after you have had more time to do some research. The purpose of ratings is to help parents decide if a movie is appropriate for their child to watch.
Film producers create a wide variety of content to serve customers based on their age and interests. Likewise, authors and publishers create a wide variety of content to serve customers. Public libraries take a similar approach by offering citizens a wide variety of reading options. School libraries also serve a range of customers with different interests and reading abilities so must also offer a range of options. However, there is a major difference when it comes to public school libraries. The age range of those checking out books is much narrower and the responsibility for protecting the child falls largely with the school.
Librarians at Grand Haven Area Public Schools try to protect children from reading books that have the potential to harm them by talking about the impact of books with students. They explain to children that they should be careful what they read because they can’t unread or unsee something. At the same time children are given this lecture they are offered books that have the potential to harm them. It is up to the child to determine if a book will have a harmful effect upon them and cease reading. Children are told to stop reading a book if it makes them uncomfortable. Unfortunately, by that point much of the damage has already been done. Ask yourself if you would have walked out of an R rated movie when it made you uncomfortable, or would you have continued watching to see what happened? Books have impacts that can last lifetimes.
Although it is difficult to predict exactly which books will be harmful to what percentage of children, there are some books within the Grand Haven School Libraries that are clearly inappropriate for the majority of students. Once parents read excerpts or examples from these books, they have absolutely no doubt that something has gone horribly wrong. In the past, schools have done a good job of offering a variety of books, but in recent years books arriving in school libraries are increasingly inappropriate in content and quantity.
There are many books that are infused with the ideas of Critical Race Theory, but the words Critical Race Theory are found nowhere in the text. There are books that normalize multiple sex partners, teen drinking and drug use, and teen sex. School officials point to incidents of racism as a justification for CRT based books. Likewise, they point to situations of child abuse for the justification of abuse in books. “Children need to see reflections of themselves in books.”
This is a confusing argument, because we all want children to see examples of hope, over-coming obstacles and positive moral values from a variety of characters. The reality is that the variety of characters being presented are often used to normalize the inappropriate behaviors of abuse, teen sex, bullying, and drug and alcohol use.
The school librarians argue that when a book offers a moral lesson, it is acceptable for it to contain some inappropriate material. I argue that with the plethora of books available why not select books we know to be safe? We should select books that send messages of hope, promote family values, celebrate fathers, and teach lessons that build-up rather than break-down our children. Our children should be free to be children. They should focus on friends, family and sports. They should not be asked to carry the weight of the global warming world on their shoulders.
When young children visit public libraries, they are usually brought by a parent or caring adult. The adult helps them find books appropriate for them to read. In the public school, that caring adult is replaced with the librarian. Books can have big impacts on readers, and they impact each of us differently depending on our experiences. If parents or librarians feel it is necessary for a particular child to have access to a book that would be disturbing to many children, they can help the child get access to that particular book through the public library or bookstore. When a book contains material that is inappropriate for the majority of children, it should be identified, restricted by requiring parental consent for access, or removed from the school library.
What one student finds interesting may actually harm another student. If a book is likely to harm a significant percentage of the students who read it, it should not be in the school library. What interests one child may not interest another, and a book that challenges one student may be easy for a different child to read. Providing a range of options is essential for any library, but protecting our children from the harm of reading an inappropriate book is even more important.
Earlier posts on this website contain specific examples of books available in the Grand Haven Area Public School libraries. If your child has brought home a library book that you felt was inappropriate, please send an email to jsn1984@protonmail.com and tell us your story. Provide as much detail as possible including school, book title, grade level, and a description of the issue. Thank you.