Ten library books will be removed from the general circulation of Madison County Schools’ libraries in the upcoming school year and placed on a “controlled” list of books available only to students with parental permission in grades 9 through 12.
Madison County Schools Superintendent Charlotte Seals made the announcement at Monday’s Madison County Board of Education meeting.
The books are among a list of 22 titles initially challenged last January by a group of conservative parents called “Madison County for Freedom,” which is chaired by Madison parent Lindsey Beckham.
Related news:Parents discuss banning books at Madison School Board meeting
Beckham offered a mostly conciliatory note addressing school board representatives during their regularly scheduled meeting in Ridgeland on Monday night. She insisted the aim of the group is not to ban books, but rather to give parents more control in deciding which books are appropriate.
“We want to work with you for what is best for our children. None of us are asking that children not be taught about history or gender — we are only asking that the books be age-appropriate,” Beckham said.
Still, after the book classifications were announced by Seals, Beckham expressed frustration over what she called a lack of transparency in how certain books were classified.
One such book not on the controlled list, “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, Beckham described as “very concerning” at any grade level.
She also called on school officials to create a more specific bathroom policy in the coming year.
“Today we are seeing children coming out more and more as transgender. I believe God created male and female and would be very uncomfortable with a male transitioning to female using the same bathroom as my daughter,” she said.
Seals promised the district would work toward being more transparent moving forward.
“We understand parents want transparency in how books are selected and vetted and will be taking a deep look at our policy in the coming year,” Seals said.
District 1 board representative Dr. Jason Dean of Madison praised Beckham and her group for their efforts.
“I encourage any parent to reach out to us. I like the engagement and appreciate your coming,” Dean said.
Although no one at Monday’s meeting went on record opposing the group’s efforts, some parents have complained on social media that the district has been too accommodating to what they consider a small pressure group.
Published reports have also linked the group to “Mass Resistance,” a group characterized by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an LGBTQ hate group.
Although an article published on the group’s website describes the book challenge as initiated by “Mississippi MassResistance parents,” Beckham denies any affiliation to the group. “We are not affiliated with Mass Resistance in any way shape or form,” Beckham said.
The only national affiliation Madison County for Freedom has, Beckham, said, is with “Moms for Liberty,” a Florida-based group that has initiated similar book challenges in other school districts throughout the nation.
American Library Association officials have stated that book challenges have been increasing nationally in the past year with the majority of challenged books written about minority or LGBTQ individuals.
In announcing the new book policy, Seals said the district is initiating three new classifications for library books: 1. Books available for full circulation in grades 6-12; 2. Books available for full circulation in grades 9-12; and 3. Controlled books requiring parental consent for grades 9-12.
The full list of books challenged by Madison County for Freedom and the resulting classifications follow:
Group 1 — Full circulation in grades 6-12:
- “The Benefits of Being an Octopus” by Ann Braden
- “Piecing Me Together” by Renee Watson
- “Touching Spirit Bear” by Ben Mikaelsen
- “Uglies” by Scott Westerfeld
Group 2 — Full circulation in grades 9-12:
- “All American Boys” by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
- “Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person” by Frederick Joseph
- “Dear Martin” by Nic Stone
- “Discovering Wes Moore” by Wes Moore
- “Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
- “Love, Hate, and Other Filters” by Samira Ahmed
- “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson
Group 3 — Controlled circulation requiring parental consent in grades 9-12:
- “Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie
- “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang
- “Beloved” by Toni Morrison
- “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison
- “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell
- “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas
- “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika Sánchez
- “Let Me Hear a Rhyme” by Tiffany D. Jackson
- “Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Pérez
- “Queer, There, & Everywhere” by Sarah Prager
An additional title challenged by the parents’ group, “Monday’s Not Coming” by Tiffany D. Jackson, does not appear in any category. “We do not have that book available,” Seals said.
In other district news:
School officials have reacted to rumors that district-issued computers for students will be universally disabled for use as early as 9 p.m. as being false.
Both Seals and district Technology Director Gavin Guynes said there have been some preliminary discussions about limiting certain functions late at night for younger students–such as playing games or engaging in non-curricular activities.
However, they said the restrictions would not be universally applied for all grade levels and would not likely apply to older high school students.