Is it another book ban, or not? Central York removed two books from its library

It's being called a book ban, but the administration of Central York School District doesn’t frame it as such.

Two books that have been pulled from the high school library in recent months are referred to as “challenged,” in a letter posted by Superintendent Peter Aiken on the district’s website.

What happened was the district received complaints about the books and submitted them for review by a committee consisting of two administrators, two classroom teachers and a librarian.

The committee found that two of the books - “Push,” a coming-of-age novel narrated by a teen mother who is abused by her mother and raped and impregnated by her stepfather, and “Court of Mist and Fury,” a fantasy novel described by one reviewer as “a sexy, action-packed fairytale” - were inappropriate for “independent” reading without the aid of a teacher to provide proper context.

A third book, “Sold,” a novel about an Indian girl who is sold into prostitution in Mumbai, passed muster and remained on the shelves.

Previously:These are the books and other resources banned by the Central York School Board

Book ban reversed:Central York school board votes unanimously to rescind book ban: 'It has taken far too long'

Nicole Montgomery, the district’s communications and marketing director, said the district followed the school board’s policy for reviewing books in the library’s collection. “It’s not uncommon for school boards to have policies like this,” she said, noting that perhaps every school district in the state has similar policies.

But, given the recent history at Central York, it’s not that simple, or routine. In 2021, the district attempted to ban a list of books, most of them used in its diversity education curriculum, only to be met with protests that the school board was attempting to ban books that some members found politically disagreeable. After weeks of protests, the ban was reversed.

A student group called Panthers Anti Racist Union recently started a petition online protesting the removal of the two books, gathering 120 signatures in less than a week. The petition reads, “Sadly, we are back in the same position we were in 2 years ago: facing a book ban. ... Removing books leads to the silencing of audiences. It is important for students to see themselves represented in the classrooms. Diversity is not just a box to check off on a piece of paper.”

In his letter posted on the district’s website, Aiken wrote that “Push,” which was later adapted into the Oscar-winning film "Precious," was removed from the library after the committee found it lacked “quality literary structure and standards” and contained “sexual content” and descriptions “of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse that do not meet the standard of developmental appropriateness for independent reading material in our library.”

He wrote that the committee also reviewed “outside, external reviews” of the book and found that some did not recommend it for high-school-age students.

Aiken’s letter does not address why “Sold” was deemed appropriate or why “Court of Mist and Fury” was not. But Montgomery said “Court of Mist and Fury” was removed from the library because it “lacked literary structure and standards” and contains inappropriate “sexual content.” While “Sold” also contains some violence and sexual content, the novel does have “strong literary merit.”

Meanwhile, the school board is looking at revising its policy of reviewing books available in the library. The board will be considering the revised policy at its next meeting on March 27.

Aiken, in his letter, said the administration is looking at creating a rating system for books – similar to the rating system for movies – that would provide parents with information “to identify those books which may contain material not all families are comfortable with.”

Columnist/reporter Mike Argento has been a York Daily Record staffer since 1982. Reach him at mike@ydr.com.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Central York's removal of two books from its library called a ban