Last year, Janice Danforth, faced opposition when she addressed her concerns about two books, she found in the Bixby public school library. The books, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Thirteen Reasons Why contain explicit sexual content. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl contained over 200 uses of the “F” word and the “S” word. Janice followed protocol and spoke to the principal who passed the issue on and suggested a committee review the books.  Janice agreed but was shocked when she wasn’t involved in the selection process and, worse yet, realized the people on the committee either worked for the school or were biased. After waiting 60 days for the board members to read the two young adult books, they decided: the content of the books had no objectionable material and would remain in the school library.

Janice’s experience shows the difficulty faced when holding school administrators and librarians accountable to protect students from damaging and inappropriate reading material not suitable for their age group. Bixby is a small school district in a conservative community and state. If it’s a problem here, it’s likely a problem in most public schools.      On the offensive, school administrators school boards cite the First Amendment as their justification for allowing all material available to all students. They refer to a 1982 Supreme Court case, Board of Education v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853. A case that dealt with books the school’s curriculum that parents considered objectional due to graphic content. Because the Supreme Court split on the issue, the outcome remained unclear. Both sides often cite the case to prove their point.

The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) could help deal with a local school administration and its school board. PPRA requires a local educational agency or local school board that receives federal funds to consult with parents to develop and adopt policies regarding the parents’ right to review their children’s curriculum.

Behind the scenes in the hotly contested debate is the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). AASL encourages school librarians to become change agents because, as a member, you are a part of a diverse and engaged community of educators transforming teaching and learning. AASL also encourages schools to make LBGTQ books available for the most vulnerable, a term used for the student looking for something to read that will reaffirm a decision to become transgender. The AASL website emphasizes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and information on how to be politically active.

Each February the ALA publishes The 2022 Rainbow Book List, of their top ten titles for LBGTQ young readers and young adults. The ALA and the AASL are powerful and well-financed with taxpayer money.

Janice placed herself on the front line of opposition to books that encourage sexualization, violence, and hate before a child reaches an appropriate age to discern the good and bad of the book’s content.

Below are three ideas that have emerged to help parents take a stand:

• Pay attention to local school board elections. Low voter turnout is a problem. The elections usually occur off the grid of significant elections.
• Oklahoma needs a bill like the Florida bill that would require elementary schools to publish on their websites in a searchable format all books and materials used in their classrooms.
• Insist the enforcement of the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).

The Bixby school system is not the only one to house objectional books. Now is a good time to look at Tulsa Public School Libraries.