- The Nazareth Area school board tabled a review committee's recommendation
- The book will not be removed at this time
- The agenda item prompted a heated debate at Tuesday's meeting
NAZARETH, Pa. — Nazareth Area School Board, during a fiery meeting Tuesday, tabled the recommendation of a book review committee to keep a young adult novel on the shelves in the school library.
Nazareth parent Jennifer Simon, who is president of Northampton County Chapter of Moms for Liberty, challenged the book "Push" by Sapphire and three other books.
The review committee recommended retaining "Push" in the school library collection.
The novel, which was made into the 2009 Academy-Award-winning movie "Precious," is about an abused, pregnant Black teenager who finds hope after meeting a teacher who helps her to learn to read.
The vote means the material is only restricted to student of the parent who challenged it.
The vote was 5-1 to table the agenda item. School Board Director Adam McGlynn voted no. Board members Kenneth Butz, Joseph Vasko and Jodi Mammana were not present.
The board had several options on how it could vote. It could have approved the committee’s recommendation, changed the recommendation, removed the book from the high school library, voted on a different motion if previous motions fail, or tabled the item.
The other books Simon has challenged include "Boy Toy" by Barry Lyga, "Sold" by Patricia McCormick and "Crank" by Ellen Hopkins.
"Boy Toy" is about a minor who is seduced by a teacher. "Sold" is about a young Nepali girl sold into sexual slavery. "Crank" is based on the author’s experience with her daughter’s drug addiction.
Process of challenging books
Superintendent Richard Kaskey said it cost the district $16,000 to review all four books.
McGlynn said has said reviewing all 23 books previously submitted to the district could cost the district more than $100,000. Former school board candidate Thomas McElroy made that request in March. McElroy, who had been endorsed by Moms for Liberty, lost in the May primary.
"I pay taxes in order to educate our youth, not to deny them intellectual freedom.”Nazareth resident Evan Davis
School board members said they plan to review the current regulations for challenged books to try to save money. Meeting attendees said they were concerned with the cost of reviewing the books.
“I actually don't mind paying taxes to support our public schools,” Evan Davis of Nazareth, a retired librarian, said.
“However, I am appalled that my taxes are being wasted to combat a campaign to limit what students can read. I pay taxes in order to educate our youth, not to deny them intellectual freedom.”
The current administrative process for a parent with a complaint about a book is to address the concern with the child’s principal. That results in only the child having restricted access with the book staying in place.
If the parent appeals to restrict it to all students, the committee must review the book. Teachers work outside of their regular duties and are paid per diem rates.
Simon blamed the cost of the reviews on the administration’s reconsideration policy and said she is not trying to ban books. She said she objects to “Push” because it discusses incest, rape and physical abuse by a parent.
“What I'm suggesting is that books available in a public school should be age-appropriate for the students that attend,” she said. “Why is that not what everyone wants?
"I am not here to argue the perceived literary value or merits of any of the books in question. I'm saying they contain explicit content.”
Candidates join discussion
The review committee, made up of seven district employees, including administrators, principals, staff and teachers, reached a decision before the board's Committee of the Whole meeting this month.
For “Push,” four committee members voted to only restrict it to Simon’s child while three voted to remove it from the district’s collection. Board President Gregory Leh said he was concerned that for the board to vote no on the committee’s decision would be a vote of no confidence.
“What I'm suggesting is that books available in a public school should be age-appropriate for the students that attend."Nazareth parent and President of Moms for Liberty Northampton County
Some board members said they were aware of only two students who had checked out the book in 13 years. Director Wayne Simpson said he read the book and called it “filth.”
“The point that I’m making is this book is incredibly vulgar,” Simpson said. “It’s disgusting. If we are going to call for a vote tonight, I am not going to be for the sexually explicit material to be in our schools.”
Kaskey said he would have recommended keeping “Push” in the high school library even if the committee decided against it.
“I am the superintendent of a public school district and I have to look at upholding the law and make sure the First Amendment rights are upheld,” he said.
The issue drew school board candidates on both sides of the aisle to the meeting.
Sariann Knerr is running as a Democrat in Region I. She works at the Children’s Home of Easton, a residential facility for neglected and traumatized children.
“More than 80 percent of book banning efforts target LGBTQ themes and publications with characters of color, or those that discuss racism, sexuality or gender,” Knerr said.
“Many of these books pertain to my students. They need to know — sorry, I get emotional when I talk about them — they need to know that they are not alone in their struggles.
"Books can change the outcomes for young people when they learn about others who resonate with them.”
Permission slips
Some at the meeting on both sides of the issue advocated for using permission slips.
McElroy said the books on the list he submitted last spring should be considered controversial and parents should be required to opt-in their students to read those books by giving their children permission slips to access them, as they must do for sex education classes or for certain movies shown in class.
“Personally, I believe in parental choice. I believe parents have the absolute right to determine what is appropriate for their children and what is not."Nazareth School Board President Gregory Leh
Leh said he supported the idea of exploring the use of permission slips.
“Personally, I believe in parental choice,” he said. “I believe parents have the absolute right to determine what is appropriate for their children and what is not.
"I’m not for removing any books that are currently in the library. Restricting their access or having permission from their parents to take them out, that's a great idea."
Leh said coming up with a permission slip policy could be difficult with the district’s libraries holding about 62,000 titles.
Assistant Superintendent Isabel Resende said the review committee’s decisions on the other three books have not currently been appealed.
So with the tabling of the motion, just one child’s access to those books will be restricted, with no additional cost incurred.
