SPS board of education addresses library policies

Feb. 21—Despite a continued protest against what some parents have called "pornographic" books in school libraries, Stillwater Public Schools officials say they have not processed an official request that would require a book's removal since August.

The Stillwater Board of Education has been listening to concerns about age-inappropriate books during the public hearing portion of board meetings for several months.

Feb. 14, the board heard from library specialists about how library books come to be on SPS shelves and how they might be removed. It was the first time the issue made it onto a school board agenda.

Library Media Specialist Quinn Baldwin from Stillwater Middle School and Library Media Specialist Courtney Parks from Highland Elementary School shared the process selection for SPS libraries.

"There's a lot of things that go into the consideration of what we're going to buy," Baldwin said. "It might be gaps in the collection, what teachers need, to support a new curriculum (or) what's a kid going to read."

Baldwin mentioned how the libraries evaluate the books, which included authority of the author, representation of a variety of viewpoints and interest level for the student.

Parks noted that every person in their position is "a state-certified library media specialist" and that each book is reviewed by professional selection tools that include the "School Library Journal," "Kirkus Reviews" and "American Library Association," among others.

"We are guided by our district's board-approved materials selection policy, which details how we select and deselect materials for our school libraries," Baldwin said.

Continued concern

But some are not convinced that every selection should be in the district's libraries.

Riley Flack, a Stillwater resident who has often spoken at school board meetings in the past year, shared his concern that many books at Stillwater Junior High School and Stillwater High School held pornographic content.

Flack said he sent a letter to Superintendent Uwe Gordon in August 2022, in which he stated a desire to work with SPS administrators to solve the matter.

"I want to work with my SPS administrators to discern what is happening and correct the issues quickly," he wrote in the letter he shared with the News Press. "I would like to see a good faith effort on SPS's behalf to work with me and other concerned parents, families, and taxpayers on these book issues."

Flack shared the list of books he sent to Superintendent Gordon, which included titles like "Out of Darkness," which has themes that include inflammatory racial commentary, violence, and sexual assault and battery of a minor.

"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," another book from which Flack read portions aloud in a school board meeting in May 2022, contained sexual content and profanity.

Flack posted the video on his Facebook page and it has been reposted to millions of people.

"I found pornography in the schools and sent a list (to Uwe Gordon) and said, "These need to be removed,'" Flack said. "I said, "Hey, if you don't remove these books, I'm going to come read you one. You didn't remove the books, I read you one."

Flack said he stopped looking at the school board agendas because the school board has not been listening to those who objected to the books.

"They have not tried to work with us or me. That's why I'm so hot," Flack said. "Anyone who pays taxes ought (to) be able to challenge any obscene material in schools, as they pay for it. The list of books I sent would be removed immediately upon review by anyone with common sense, decency and if they actually cared about kids."

Flack said he's spoken with dozens of parents in the district, but there is no petition from parents about the books.

"Most parents I talk to tell me 'Thank you,' but quietly," Flack said. "Most who engaged individually have already left the schools because they were rebuffed and not heard."

SPS library policy "All the books are selected based on several criteria," SBE President Tim Riley said. "One of them is age appropriateness, so, just because it's on some list, doesn't mean it's available to every student in the district."

Riley noted that many of the books that are being quoted, SPS does not have on its shelves.

"It's my understanding that we've had one parent challenge a book in 16 years, and all of the concerns that we've heard have all been at the public comment section of the meeting," Riley said.

Board members are not permitted to reply to people during the public comments section of board meetings.

"We don't see any requests, unless it's escalated through the process. This has never happened in my tenure," Riley said.

Riley explained that when parents challenge a book, policy requires that the child must be attending that school site.

The SBE media center policy EFA-R1 states that "requests for reconsideration may only be submitted by parents or guardians at the site where their child attends."

"We direct any concerns to the school site where a certain parent has a concern," Riley said. "The district staff handles (the request). The board would only get involved if the concern was escalated through the process."

One of the main functions of the SBE is to set district-wide policies. Although library policy is one that SBE implements, it is not something they manage on a daily basis, according to Riley.

Media specialists and administrators at each school site in the district manage the selection of books and have criteria that they follow.

"The board has nothing to do with selecting books," Riley said. "It's important to go directly to where your concern is to best resolve it."

Riley also noted that one parent's concern is not reflective of every parent's concern.

"There may be parents who don't agree with a book that teaches a theory of math a certain way. We're not going to pull that book," Riley said.

Looking into it

An online search on SJHS and SHS library sites revealed that the titles on Flack's list dealing with themes of nudity, profanity and pornography are available to students.

Of the 21 books on Flack's list, 10 were in the SJHS library and 19 were in the SHS library.

Only one parent sent in a request in August for a book titled "The 17 Guide to Sex and Your Body," which is listed as a book for parents and was not available to students.

The book is no longer on SPS bookshelves, according to SPS Communications Coordinator Barry Fuxa.

"(It's) the only request that Dr. Cathy Walker has received in her six years in the Assistant Superintendent of Education Services role," Fuxa said.

SPS has received other requests from a parent who didn't have kids at that school, but nothing else from a parent whose child attends a specific school site.

SPS does not have a "banned list of books," according to Fuxa. But he stressed that parents can notify their child's school if they do not want their child reading a specific book.

Senate Bill 397

Sen. Warren Hamilton (R-McCurtain) authored Senate Bill 397, which was approved by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.

The bill would require that school and public libraries label books and other materials into age-appropriate groups — elementary, junior high, under 16 or juniors and seniors. The books would be in their respective sections so that students can only access books that are appropriate for their age group.

"This bill would stop students from accessing obscene or offensive content at school," Hamilton said. "Parents across the state are concerned that their students may be able to get their hands on inappropriate materials from the library. This in no way stops parents from having discussions with their children about these topics or allowing them to read these things at home, but it gives parents peace of mind that their child will not be exposed to materials at school that are obscene or not age appropriate."

SPS Board President Riley shared concerns about censoring books, calling it a "slippery slope."

"As a board we're not here to make judgment on anybody's belief system," Riley said. "We're here to serve all 6,300 kids and their families. There's a wide variety of religion, race, beliefs and value systems, and we try to have a school district that values, all our students and gives them the best possible opportunity for a healthy student experience."

Flack noted that he has been in contact with hundreds of parents across the state and said he has received thousands of messages and comments from parents across the nation who have shared their concerns.

"Parents moral rights are being usurped by the board, the right being to direct the moral and educational upbringing of their kids," Flack said.

The bill also stipulates that schools and public libraries would have until July 1, 2024, to inventory their materials and sort them into the proper sections.