Parents concerned with violent and sexually explicit content in Grand Haven public school library books have advocated for a ratings system and parental consent based on those ratings. Despite showing the school district numerous examples of books containing text and pictures more appropriate to the confines of an adult book store, the school district has held firm in their belief that everything is okay. Since concerns have not been adequately addressed, last year some parents took a different approach. They suggested the library add specific books which they thought would bring more ideological balance to the current collection. Some books were accepted, but others denied. One in particular that was denied proved that this issue is about the inequitable application of the school’s own standards.
Videos of concerned parents reading from lewd materials found in school libraries have gone viral all over the country. I could post endless examples, but a few will be an adequate refresher.
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This small sample of parents represents those labeled book banners. School leaders everywhere cite the First Amendment and “freedom to read” as the reason for including these books in school libraries, but at the same time often cut parents off who attempt to read these books at school board meetings. But this debate is not about the First Amendment or the “freedom to read.” It is about standards and Grand Haven Area Public Schools just proved it. They abandoned their so-called “freedom to read” and First Amendment principles when they ignored their own standards and denied the book Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier.
Irreversible Damage discusses how social contagion and social media influence has led to a sudden exponential growth of children, particularly young girls, identifying as transgender. According to the book, transgenderism was until recently unheard of in young girls, and now they make up the majority of cases. Irreversible Damage shows the perils of affirming care being offered, is well researched, contains real-life examples, and contains discussions with board-certified doctors and therapists.
When local parents suggested this book be added to the school library, curriculum director Mary Jane Evink and a school librarian requested a chance to preview it. Nearly one year later, Evink said she had not had time to do so. Therefore, a group of fourteen citizens read from the book at the February 2023 school board meeting. They took the opportunity to preview the book for her.
After the meeting, the school district said listening to 42 minutes of reading was not a sufficient preview. Interestingly, the librarians have previously said they do not have time to read every book they order for the library. Instead, they rely on recommendations from national education based organizations; in other words, “credentialed experts”. Therefore, books recommended by the “credentialed experts” are ordered sight unseen, while books district parents recommend require more than 42 minutes of preview.
Shortly after this email was sent, Superintendent Scott Grimes sent a response denying the request.
In the reasoning above, Mr. Grimes states “its intended audience is adults and specifically parents. It’s a book more appropriate for public libraries, rather than high schools…” This would perhaps be a valid reason if the school district was consistent in their selection standards, but that is not the case. Here are some books currently available at GHAPS.
These three books are for interest level “adult”.
Parents can supervise their children in a public library or bookstore and monitor what types of books they are looking at. In a school library they must trust the school leaders. With the explicit materials found in the school libraries, it’s safe to say that trust has been broken, necessitating a ratings system and parental consent.
The logical conclusion is that, after years of calling concerned parents book banners, GHAPS school leaders effectively banned this book. They are the book banners. All attempts to label parents as book banners were merely projections. What the school also admitted is that there is a difference between school libraries and public libraries in how printed media should be made available to students.
The school, possibly unwittingly, just agreed with parents who have spoken out about age-inappropriate books. GHAPS now agrees that there are standards for book selection in a school library. School libraries are not free-for-alls where minors have the freedom to read anything. In fact, GHAPS used the same argument as parents concerned with age-inappropriate books. Their reasoning for denying Irreversible Damage was that its target audience is adults. Parents have logically argued that sexually explicit books target adult audiences as well.
So, now parents and school leaders can focus the discussion regarding library books on age-appropriate standards. We can move beyond the condescending accusations of “book banners” and the deflective talking points of First Amendment Rights and “freedom to read”.
Current school standards are inconsistent at best. A standard that rejects Irreversible Damage, requires Dr. Seuss books be pulled from library shelves due to “racially insensitive” text, while including violent and sexually explicit books is not cutting it. It shows that in actuality the school’s standard isn’t rooted in what’s best for children. It’s rooted in ideology. Irreversible Damage did not fit the ideology, so it was banned.
One single book that discusses the perils of transgenderism and its social contagion was a bridge too far for GHAPS. GHAPS does not believe in the “freedom to read”. The publicly-funded school district, not concerned parents, are the book banners.