Board re-evaluates Cabarrus County Schools’ library book policy

CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) – Leaders with Cabarrus County Schools are considering changes to the district’s library book policy.

It comes after some parents sent district leaders a letter concerned about the process to remove books.

On Monday night, school board members, parents and teachers were at the district office to express their concerns about changes to the policy during a board meeting.

The district has been developing a policy for selecting books for the library and classrooms.

Back in the spring, district leaders began laying out the process for how to handle complaints from parents who might find a book objectionable.

Initially, a committee of staff, students and parents would review the material and make a recommendation to the board on whether to keep the material or pull it.

During Monday night’s meeting, the district’s lawyer presented a new policy proposal that would leave the reconsideration and review of books up to the board of education.

It would not include that committee of teachers, students or parents as part of the process.

The proposed policy says the school board will decide if said material is in line with education goals.

If the board decides to pull a book, members would have to announce publicly that it is up for review before a vote.

The board would then decide to keep it, pull it entirely, or move it to a section of the library that would require a parent’s signature in order for the book to be checked out.

The book in question that spurred the concern is called “Looking for Alaska,” the debut novel of author John Green, who also wrote the popular “The Fault in Our Stars.”

Green’s novel does contain graphic descriptions of a sex act. It was one of the most banned titles nationwide during the 2021-22 school year, according to a report issued Monday by Pen America, an advocacy group championing the freedom to write.

The book remains available to Cabarrus County high school students, although all copies have been checked out.

Opinions at Monday’s meeting were divided.

“Public schools is about public education. I think we need to be careful about what that education material is,” one person said.

“The board does not provide media collections. We as the school library media coordinators, who are all highly qualified to do our jobs and have the master’s degrees to prove it, do,” another person said.

“The fastest way to get a teen to read is to ban a book. So good job,” one other person commented.

The board didn’t make a decision Monday night. That’s expected to come at a later date.

In a series of tweets, Green said “Looking for Alaska” has been in print for 17 years and has been challenged countless times, “but I’ve never seen anything like the concerted effort in 2022 to remove it and so many other books from libraries and schools around the country.”

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