Through history, good guys don’t ban books. Why are we doing it in Kentucky? | Opinion
Scholastic, the wide-reaching children’s book publisher and distributor, recently made headlines for how they handled their 2023 Fall book fairs. The 103-year-old company quietly implemented a strategy for releasing “diverse” book titles under a voluntary opt-in program. Librarians either selected yes or no to include these books in their Fall fair. It wasn’t complicated, but it caused a ruckus.
The troubling question is why Scholastic felt the need to roll out this program. Simple enough, they explained through a press release, “There is now enacted or pending legislation in more than 30 U.S. states prohibiting certain kinds of books from being in schools – mostly LGBTQIA+ titles and books that engage with the presence of racism in our country.”
They went on to explain that to minimize risk for teachers, librarians, and volunteers from being fired, sued, or prosecuted, it was decided to try this option. The alternative they mused was not offering these books at all – which simply was unacceptable in their opinion.
The legislation referenced by Scholastic is a legitimate concern. Kentucky’s Republican party, working diligently on their culture conflict, passed Senate Bill 150, targeting classroom speech on gender and sexuality. In their reckless and counterproductive behavior, legislators decided to table critical business so they could tackle imaginary issues at hand.
Riding the wave of legislation and using it as justification, Boyle County Schools proceeded to ban more than 100 books from its libraries in October, then under immense scrutiny returned them in November. The Kentucky Department of Education simply offered, “SB-150 does not provide for the removal of media resources from a school library.” Whether Boyle County caved to a pressure campaign from parents or was trying a preemptive maneuver to avoid the issue altogether, they briefly became a school district of censorship and idea suppression.
In the bizarre world of cancel-culture, Scholastic took the brunt force of its otherwise staunch supporters. Scholastic’s lukewarm approach left the impression that they were excluding authors, denying children access to books, and restricting content. Not long afterwards, they did a reversal and said the opt-in program Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice collection would be discontinued next season. There would be no more segregated book titles.
Scholastic’s initial approach served to insulate educators and volunteers who served their popular fairs. While that was considerate, they ultimately shined a brighter spotlight on a glaring problem — the safety and security of educators and the unimaginable task they face.
The belabored notion of spending so much time and money battling an engineered boogeyman while school children are being lunch shamed is utterly insane. Book banning is nothing new in our country, but the guise used to enact its practice keeps changing.
It’s common to hear about the conservative’s efforts to censor “troubling” books, but liberals’ hands aren’t entirely clean. From their groaning over The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird, to the not-so-subtle Amazon ban of Ryan Anderson’s book When Harry Became Sally. The knife is cutting both ways and the hypocrisy of each argument is maddening.
I have read my fair share of banned literature. Each book illuminated a different corner of my mind and brought about consideration for varying subjects. They taught me empathy for those different from me. These targeted books added context to areas I didn’t understand. Also, worth noting – I visited my school library to feed my appetite for fantasy and adventure, not strictly for “instructional materials.”
Students crave complicated and ambiguous subject matters to shape their perspective. Even more important, students should be given the opportunity to analyze issues, not be force fed political propaganda.
While Kentucky has added to the obstacle course Scholastic now finds itself in, I know the heat will only continue to rise. In 2022 the number of books challenged in Kentucky tripled from the previous year, moving from 23 to 70 titles.
The right-wing group, Moms for Liberty, continues to try and infiltrate public school boards to sow chaos from within and promote their “parent’s rights” agenda. In a refreshing rebuff, districts across the country used their votes to reject these radical agents. A recent Washington Post article offered insight from UVA professor Larry Sabato, explaining, “Parents may want more input in the schools, but as a group they certainly aren’t as extreme as many in the Moms for Liberty.”
Tensions will continue to mount in school districts and critical subjects will likely suffer. Students and teachers will have to learn to tiptoe the lines of curriculum and freedom of information and ideas. To the educators filled with apprehension, my hope is that your passion continues amid such unnecessary pressure.
Jim Jackson resides in Franklin County. He can be reached by email at jackson.m.jim@gmail.com.
