After hours of debate and several ejections, seven books will remain in St. Johns County schools

Following a heated meeting Tuesday, the St. Johns County School Board voted 3-2 against banning seven books that were challenged by school parents from library shelves.

This is just the first batch of a total of 56 titles school administrators are being asked to reconsider among the district's collection of books that may be viewed during school hours or checked out by students.

What will that mean for the other 49 books on the potential ban list?

We don't know yet.

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Here's what the process looks like:

• A book is flagged for review if even one parent or community member objects to it. All 56 books in question started at this level.

• The books are then put before a school advisory committee made up of administrators, faculty and parents who consider the title's merit, age appropriateness, language and content/potential harmfulness. That committee makes a recommendation of whether to keep or remove the book.

• The complainant can appeal the SAC recommendation and if so, it is forwarded along to a district committee made up of administrators. This is the stage where the other 49 books are at.

• The district committee makes a recommendation, which can also be appealed. At that point, the book would be considered by the superintendent who makes his or her own decision.

• The complainant can then appeal the superintendent's decision. If appealed, the book is sent on to the school board who makes the final decision. This final review was the point where the first seven books got to.

School district attorney Frank Upchurch said to his knowledge this was the first time he could recall objections raised by parents to questionable material rising to the level of review by the school board.

Three of the four books debated Tuesday — "My Rainbow," "Peanut Goes for the Gold" and "Ho'onani Hula Warrior" — are elementary level.

The other four —  "White Privilege," "Me and White Supremacy," "Boys Will be Boys" and "All Boys Aren't Blue" — are intended for secondary-level readers.

Hearing turns heated, divisive

After the parents who'd filed the complaints had a chance to explain their rationale — issues centered mostly around the graphic nature of the language and controversial topics like sexuality, gender identity and race theory — the hearing was opened to public comment.

Over several hours of testimony, the meeting devolved into a vitriolic shouting match that had several audience members physically removed by local police.

Speakers on both sides of the issue faced sneers, giggles and all-out name-calling while at the podium, among them parents, students, educators and community members.

Parent Kristen Diaz said she was concerned that books like "My Rainbow" by DeShanna Neal and Trinity Neal about a child who identifies as transgender, could look very appealing to young children just from the cover art itself. Diaz said, however, her kindergarten-age daughter, who can read at a second-grade level, asked her what the term "cisgender" was — something she was not prepared to discuss with her right now.

Others, including Tocoi Creek High School student Jayden Nassar, said that it's books about sometimes controversial topics like LBGTQ issues where students can see themselves reflected back. Nassar said that sense of inclusiveness is important, especially considering the suicide rate for youth exploring their sexual identity.

Nassar, a junior, said removing titles like these amounted to censorship and that concerned her.

"It could be a slippery slope," Nassar said.

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About halfway through the proceedings, several audience members were warned about their disruptions before tensions flared and St. Johns County Sheriff's Office deputies escorted those individuals from the board room.

Board votes to keep books

In the end, school board member Kelly Barrera forwarded a motion for the board to remove the controversial titles from school libraries, which was seconded by Beverly Slough. Patrick Canan, Anthony Coleman and Bill Mignon opposed the measure.

Barrera cited "age inappropriateness" as the reason for her decision.

But other board members, including Mignon, said they were worried about the precedent the action might set with district leaders having to sit in on numerous other hearings whenever materials might be questioned.

Coleman said he was worried that restricting certain books could limit the potential for students to "be who they can be, even if they don't know what that is yet."

Canan added: "There is a process. I mean, we have media specialists that are trained to do this (curate books for students)."

Barrera introduced a second motion to keep the books behind the library counter and available only by request by a student and/or consenting parent. Canan countered by saying that if no one knew the books were there it was almost the same as removing them.

"It's not consistent," Canan said.

The motion failed 4-1 but it could be brought up for discussion at a future board workshop.

Twelve of the remaining 49 books challenged will be taken up before the end of the school year by a district committee.

Those meetings, which are publicly noticed, are open to the public but generally take place on Zoom.

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: St. Johns County School Board votes not to ban 7 library books