School Administration to Recommend Action on Challenged Books

Mat-Su Borough School District Superintendent Dr. Randy Trani is expected to present a proposal to the school board this week on how to approach books that have been reviewed by the district’s Citizen Library Advisory Committee.

The committee was tasked last year with reviewing fifty-six challenged books and making recommendations to the school board on whether they should remain in school libraries. While the process is ongoing, the challenged books have been removed from library shelves. The district is currently facing a lawsuit and request for preliminary injunction over the removal of the books.

Thus far, the committee has reviewed just over a third of the challenged titles. The committee votes twice for each book. The first vote asks whether members believe the book in question violates Alaska statute on distribution of indecent material to a minor. The second asks which, if any, school libraries committee members believe should retain the book.

The committee voted unanimously that five books do not violate state statute. Members also voted unanimously that one book, It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, does violate state law regarding books that may be distributed to children sixteen-and-under. The remaining thirteen books reviewed thus far received a mix of votes regarding the state statute.

The recommendation of school district administrators is that the school board retain the five books that the committee decided do not violate statute and remove the one book that it was unanimously decided does violate state law. The fate of the remaining books would be left to district officials under the proposal.

The committee will continue to meet until at least this summer. Its next meeting is scheduled for this Thursday. The school board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:30 pm.