Book banning battles in Kansas: Should a state legislator compel action from a school employee?
State Senator Rick Kloos waded into the cultural warfare fray on Facebook this week by calling for the Shawnee Heights High School Superintendent to remove the book, "Gender Queer," from the school library.
A graphic (comic-book style) memoir, the book, written by Maia Kobabe, deals primarily with transgender characters and subjects explained through the author’s teenage perspective.
"As a Senator who represents the 19th district of Kansas, I’m calling on USD 450 to remove the book from its library," said Kloos on his Facebook page referring to his talk with the superintendent.
As a private citizen, Kloos can voice any opinion he has, but should a state legislator compel action from a school employee?
In Kansas, local boards of education are held responsible for choosing books for the library as well as removing books.
Books are selected in a variety of ways. These include: By the school librarian based on selections of the American Library Association or other educational groups, by the librarian and the principal or superintendent and by a committee of teachers.
The U. S. Supreme Court has not ruled on how boards of education should choose books for their libraries. However, in 1982 the Court ruled in Island Trees School District v. Pico that once a book is in a library, a school board may not remove that book because they disapprove of it.
Justice Brennan concluded for the majority that school officials may not remove books based on "narrowly partisan or political grounds," because that would amount to an "official suppression of ideas."
However, a book may be removed under certain circumstances, for example, if the book is inappropriate for students age-level.
Over time many books have been challenged for removal and many Kansas schools have established longstanding protocols for dealing with censorship challenges.
These protocols are based on school board review and include input from multiple individuals before a final decision is made.
Moreover, Kansas schools have allowed parents, upon request, to withhold a book from their child’s use while the book remains in the library. Parents also may withdraw students from classes or courses where they find the content objectionable.
As a writer, I am a strong proponent of free speech. Yet, I was surprised to find that 1,145 books have been banned from school libraries in the last nine months, and "Gender Queer" was the one most often removed, according to a list compiled by PEN America. The research also showed 33% or 379 of the banned books were on the topic of gender identity.
After it was mentioned in testimony before a legislative committee this spring, I decided to read "Gender Queer." I found a simple account that might help some young people. However, the graphic display of the work also made me see why parents might have strong reactions to this book based on the maturity of their child.
I won’t share my views on whether "Gender Queer" should be censored because, frankly, I’m conflicted and because this decision isn’t up to me.
The one thing I can say with conviction is that book banning decisions should not come from political pressure at the state level or through coercion of vocal parent groups.
The decisions should be made by the local school board based on processes schools have been using for years.
Sharon Hartin Iorio is dean emerita of Wichita State University's College of Education.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: "Gender Queer" book banning and censorship hits Kansas schools
