Escambia Considers Removing More Books From Public Schools
by Jeremy Morrison
The Escambia County School District is continuing to work its way through a sprawling list of potentially obscene books, reviewing each to determine if the title should be pulled from availability. On Nov. 28, a district review committee met to begin looking at a collection of titles, all with illustrations.
“Due to the shorter content of picture books, these titles were grouped together for one committee to review,” explained Cody Strother, district spokesperson.
Escambia has a growing list of more than 100 titles that the district must review as per a new state law that requires any media material challenged by a citizen to be assessed for its appropriateness in the classrooms or libraries within the district. Most of the books on Escambia’s list have been challenged by one person, Vicki Baggett, an English teacher at Northview High School.
In November, the first title from the list, Stephen Chbosky’s “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” made it through Escambia’s full process, which included community input via online forms, a review committee assessment, which determined the book was appropriate for high school seniors, an appeal by Baggett, and a final decision from the Escambia County School Board that deemed the book should be removed from the district’s offerings.
Now, Escambia has bundled together five titles, each with illustrations, that Baggett has found objectionable. The titles are “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justine Richardson; “When Adrian Became a Brother,” by Kyle Lukoff; “When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball,” by Mark Weakland; “Stella Brings the Family,” by Miriam Schiffer; and “Draw Me a Star,” by Eric Carle.
The most well-known author on this list is likely Eric Carle. Many parents will recognize the author from more familiar titles such as “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” or “The Grouchy Ladybug.” In “Draw Me a Star,” Baggett has targeted an illustration featuring a naked man and woman.
“The nudity outlines are obvious and may be deemed age-inappropriate for primary and elementary students, especially according to state law regarding graphic images,” she explains in her challenge.
While Carle’s book is targeted for an illustration featuring nudity, the other books in this grouping feature themes that have become popular for conservative activists to target and, in particular, ones that fall under the purview of recent efforts at the state level by Gov. Ron DeSantis to tightly control how issues of race, sex and gender are addressed in public schools.
“And Tango Makes Three,” based on a true story, is about two male penguins at New York’s Central Park’s Zoo who form a bond and raise a chick. “When Aidan Became a Brother” addresses transgender issues. “When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball” deals with issues of race and discrimination. And, finally, “Stella Brings the Family” is also about characters with same-sex parents.
Although these books do have illustrations, Baggett’s concerns detailed on her Request for the Reconsideration of Education Media forms list other critiques: “LGBTQ introduction” … “opines prejudice based on race” … “race-baiting” … “alternate sexualities; harmful to minors” … “sexual deviance agenda” … “LGBTQ agenda using penguins.”
Prior to entering Escambia’s review process, the public was provided the opportunity to comment on these titles on the district’s website. Additionally, a committee of teachers from each grade-appropriate school (depending on the title’s reading level) has weighed in with an assessment of each book being reviewed.
During the Nov. 28 meeting, the district’s review committee was introduced to the material being assessed and will now be given some time to consider the material; no public participation is accommodated during the committee’s meeting. The review committee’s decision will come sometime in the future.
If “Perks of Being a Wallflower” has provided any template in this still-new process, it should take a couple of weeks for a decision. If anyone is unsatisfied with the decision, they may appeal it to the school board. Baggett appealed the first review committee decision the same day it was delivered, Oct. 4 via certified mail, and has said she plans to do the same with any she disagrees with.
Escambia has one more meeting on its calendar before the end of the year to reconsider educational material. That meeting is slated for Dec. 7, and will focus on a singular title: “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” by Alexie Sherman.
To see a complete spreadsheet listing of the books currently under review by the Escambia County School District, including the forms outlining the concerns about each title, visit: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hv6Wtu55zY3t5bmbksY2ie7Q-L3zAQdjrtaFh4duLC4/edit#gid=0