Central Kitsap School Board considers policy review after graphic novel removal

Central Kitsap's school board will consider altering its library materials review policy after the Central Kitsap School District removed "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by author Maia Kobabe from the shelves at Olympic High last month after receiving a complaint from a parent about the book's sexually explicit content.

District officials, board directors, community members and LGBTQ+ advocates weighed in on the subject at Wednesday's virtual meeting. The school board plans to continue discussion at its next meeting, Nov. 17, suggesting that more stakeholders be included in the process of reviewing library offerings.

“We want to get it right," CKSD Superintendent Erin Prince said. "We want to have processes and policies in place that do protect our students.”

CKSD Director of Equity Jeni Zapatka said that "Gender Queer: A Memoir" was added to the Olympic High library in March to support an effort to include LGBTQ+ characters as protagonists. Professional reviews deemed it appropriate for high school-aged students and described it as an important resource for those identifying as nonbinary or asexual.

In October, a student checked out the novel and a parent emailed a complaint regarding its sexually explicit nature. On Oct. 19, the book was removed from Olympic High's library.

Zapatka cited district policy 2020, which states that the director of curriculum and instruction may remove materials while the Library Materials Review Committee responds to a complaint.

On Oct. 20, CKSD's secondary librarian team, the elementary lead librarian, and the Curriculum Resource Center program manager met with Zapatka and Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction Amy Archuleta to discuss the role and responsibilities of the library to provide resources and understand the age-appropriateness of materials in a public school setting. Upon further examination of "Gender Queer," the group agreed with the decision to remove the book from circulation.

Several community members providing public comment Wednesday approved of CKSD's choice to pull the book.

Steve Adams, a Whidbey Island resident who said he has two children attending CK schools, described "Gender Queer" as pornographic. Adams attempted to have school officials criminally prosecuted for distributing obscene material. Kitsap County Prosecutor Chad Enright reviewed the book last month and declined to file charges.

Melissa Kugler said she was "horrified" to learn the book was in a school and suggested parents be allowed to examine library offerings.

"That fact that it slipped through was disgusting," Kugler said. "Can we as parents come into the library and do an inspection? If our tax dollars are paying for the books, I think we should be allowed to."

Shelly Sanders said parents' main issue with the book is its graphic nature, regardless of the sexual orientation of would-be readers.

“Regardless of whether it would be heterosexual, bisexual, what have you — it doesn't matter," Sanders said. "It doesn’t have a place in our schools."

Other community members spoke in opposition of the district's decision.

“I understand that some topics might be sensitive for young minds. However there are ways to teach it that foster acceptance and don’t bring up anything too heavy for a young person to hear," said Keely Riggs, a senior student in CKSD who identified herself as lesbian.

“High school students are old enough to censor their own content," Riggs continued, "and removing a book pushes a narrative that LGBTQ+ identities are wrong and should be censored."

Eli Oldfield, board chair of Q Youth Resources, a county-based nonprofit that serves LGBTQ+ youth and their families, argued that CKSD failed to follow its own policy when addressing complaints about library material. Oldfield referred to district policy 2021P, which states a complainant should obtain and fill out a "Citizen's Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials" form.

"We have received emails from Dr. Prince that confirm that the complainant in this case was not directed to fill out the official request form, and that the formal process for reviewing the materials was not followed," Oldfield wrote in an email to the Kitsap Sun.

Also citing CKSD's decision to remove a "Love Has No Gender" poster from an elementary school classroom in September, Oldfield considers the district's latest action regarding "Gender Queer" to be discriminatory.

"CKSD’s choice to bypass procedure demonstrates that CKSD does not believe that procedure needs to be followed when responding to complaints about LGBTQ+ materials," Oldfield said.

LGBTQ+ advocate Michael Simonds has read "Gender Queer" three times and admits it contains some graphic content and crude slang. Simonds argues that books such as the Bible, medical textbooks and well-known classics such as "The Catcher in the Rye" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" include content some might deem too vulgar for students.

“These parents are really just politicizing a book that is trying to help children understand an identity that they might not understand yet. I think it’s extremely harmful to our LGBTQ youth to remove resources that may actually help them, especially our trans and nonbinary students."

Airen Lydick, a Bremerton resident and former director of Camp Ten Trees, a camp for marginalized youth, said CKSD sent the wrong message by acquiescing to parents who Lydick believes have no interest in the district seeking equity and inclusion.

“When you don’t return a poster like this to the classroom, when you don’t return the book to the library and you take it away in the first place ... you send a message that if they speak loudly and yell enough about that, they’ll get what they want, that they can get specific things removed and that you will sidestep existing resources," Lydick said. “I really hope that CKSD admin and school board will begin to form more powerful relationships with community members like us that are calling out the bigotry, pushing back on it.”

Following public comment, board member Eric Greene wondered if the district could find a middle ground with regards to books such as "Gender Queer" that could be considered both sensitive material and valued resources to some students.

On Greene's idea that the district could require that students receive parental permission to check out certain books such as "Gender Queer," Prince responded: "Sometimes that is the barrier for our young adults as they are exploring and the library may be their one solace to be able to find books and literature and be able to find themselves and relate.”

Board member Drayton Jackson pointed out that books in school libraries are generally considered optional reading.

"If it's not for you," Jackson said, "you don't have to pick it up and read it."

Jackson maintained that CKSD "cannot be a district that is not creating space" for all students when it comes to library offerings.

"There should be freedom enough in our libraries," Jackson said. "That should be the space right there that everybody should be able to come and find themselves, without any politics."

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: CK school board considers policy review after graphic novel removal