Request to remove 'Changing Bodies' book from York Middle School library to draw protest

YORK, Maine — The York School Department has received a request to remove a book from the York Middle School library from a person who does not have children in the town's school system, a statement from Superintendent Lou Goscinski said Monday.

According to the statement, the individual requested the school department remove author Robie Harris’ “It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health” from the York Middle School library on Nov. 22.

Students are not required to read the book and it is not included in the school’s curriculum, according to the statement issued by Goscinski.

The American Library Association listed the book in its annual Top 10 Most Challenged Books list in 2014, 2007, 2005 and 2003. The Office for Intellectual Freedom compiles the list to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools, according to the organization's website.

Goscinski said the request is part of a nationwide effort to place pressure on school administrators on issues surrounding critical race theory and equity, diversity and inclusion.

"We're seeing it across the country ... it's just surfacing now in York," Goscinski said. "My guess is we'll probably have other requests."

Goscinski said he expects a group of people to show up to the School Committee meeting Wednesday, Dec. 1, to protest and support the book in question. An email from one parent to the school stated that they would bring a poster filled with excerpts from various unspecified books, Goscinski said.

"This is just beginning," Goscinski said.

Process for reviewing books

The York School Committee is responsible for all matters relating to the provision of instructional materials and maintenance of resources that support the school system’s curriculum, according to the York School Committee policy. If a complaint is made, York School Committee policy requires a review of the material, the statement said.

Students, parents, community members, and staff who object to instructional and library materials are allowed to challenge the material under the policy.

As the policy directs, the complaint was first heard by the person providing the materials in question, Goscinski confirmed.

The complaint was then referred to the building principal and formalized through the “Instructional and Library Media Materials Challenge Form."

Because the issue had not been resolved on an administrative level, the policy requires that a superintendent appoint a review committee composed of the YMS principal, one librarian or media specialist, one classroom teacher and the department head in the subject area of the challenged materials.

The committee to review the book will meet on Thursday, Dec. 2, Goscinski said. A decision will likely be announced early in the following week. Ironically, no student has checked out the book in four years, Goscinski said.

An earlier request was made and fulfilled by the York School Department to release the department’s catalog of approximately 35,000 books, Goscinski said. The request made on Nov. 22 for removal of the book is the first that Goscinski has received, he added. He said the request for the list of books and for the removal of "It's Perfectly Normal" came from different people.

Author Robie Harris offers her thoughts

“It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health” publisher Candlewick Press describes the book as an expert vetted resource for over 25 years on sexuality that’s appropriate for all readers.

"We don't want the kids to have misinformation, we want to give them the best information," Robie Harris said Tuesday, Nov. 30.

The book has sold over 2 million copies worldwide and been a source of controversy since it was first released in 1994, Harris said. In more recent years, the book has resurfaced to the spotlight and has come under even more scrutiny.

Whenever there's an incident where Harris' book is challenged, she said she remembers why she wrote it in the first place.

"When it happens, I'm not happy about it. I sort of get this big knot in my stomach and I think, why did I write this book that is causing all these librarians and booksellers to be harassed and threatened," Harris said. "I feel just awful, and then I realize why I wrote these books ... I feel OK about it."

Harris said she agrees that parents have every right not to have her book in their home, but that people should trust school librarians to do their job.

"The librarians are professionals and they understand child development," Harris said. "When librarians and other people are being threatened ... I find that terrifying."

Harris has had many librarians approach her throughout the years to say that although they wouldn't have her book in their own home, they would have it in their library.

"Librarians would say things to me such as, 'I wouldn't buy your book for my own home, but it's my responsibility in a democracy to have a range of well reviewed materials on any topic that children are interested in, as long as they're well reviewed,' " Harris said.

Newer versions of the book use gender-neutral language and include more topics on LGBTQIA+, gender identity, sex, sexuality, sexual safety, consent, sexual abuse, contraception, internet safety and the destigmatization of HIV/AIDS.

"If we're not honest with kids when they ask us questions ... if we leave things out, then they will stop asking us questions," Harris said.

Harris said that she understands parents' fear that if their children learn about their bodies they will become more sexually active.

"I believe facts matter. Facts can help these kids to make healthy decisions ... that's what we want for them," Harris said.

More: Maine schools to revisit Black history lesson plans under new state law, local audits

The book also includes an “honest overview” on the evolving politics and legislation on abortion, according to the publisher.

A statement from Candlewick Press released Nov. 30 affirmed the publisher's description.

"Ever since its initial publication in 1994, 'It’s Perfectly Normal' has offered young readers and caregivers comprehensive, truthful and factual information that young people need to stay healthy, and it is now widely recognized as an essential book," the statement said.

"We at Candlewick are proud to have published both the original book and its revised and updated editions ... we stand in support of librarians and educators seeking to ensure that this important work remains a resource for all the kids, teens, and families who need it," the statement continued.

The most recent edition is described as more “inclusive and accessible" and was published in May 2021, according to Candlewick Press.

In response to what he described as misinformation spread by some community members, Lou Goscinski began to issue statements at the beginning of this school year to defend and clarify the district's procedures.

The statements aim to clarify the district's policies, which some members of the public have questioned during meetings, Goscinski said in earlier interviews. Questions and accusations raised at York School Committee in recent months have, at times, dominated discussion and sparked heated exchanges between committee members and the public.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: York School Department gets request to remove 'Changing Bodies' book