Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates running for Blue Valley Board of Education to address leading up to the Nov. 7 election.
Based on that feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to Blue Valley district patrons.
Each day this week, we’ll publish the candidates’ responses to one question.
Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
School boards, including Blue Valley’s, have in recent years been faced with requests from some parents to remove books and other materials from school libraries or classrooms, often because of the books’ sexual content. The American Library Association says many of the books most frequently targeted for challenges last year were those with LGTBQ themes or authors. As a board member, what principles and standards will you use to determine whether a book or other material should be removed from a school library or classroom?
Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on this issue:
Member Area 1
Jan Kessinger (incumbent)
The Blue Valley School District has a clear process in place for reviewing books for classroom and library inclusion. For curriculum use, the Board of Education provides students, their parents, residents of the school district and school district staff the opportunity to challenge the quality and suitability of materials used in the district’s educational programs. The school district subscribes to the principles of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. I support that process where a review committee considers the book for inclusion or not.
A similar process is in place for books to be available in the school library. Any parent or guardian can prevent their student from reading any book in the library, but should not have the right to ban another student from reading that book if they choose.
An unacceptable book for inclusion in curricula or a school library would lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value. A book must also be age-appropriate as determined by established professional educational associations.
Christine Vasquez
As a board member I would be looking for age appropriate curation of books, Lexile levels and ensuring our underage children are not exposed to sexually explicit material in our school libraries.
Member Area 2
Patrick Hurley (incumbent)
The Blue Valley School District has a process and utilizes a national evaluation system to determine which books are in the library based on age-appropriate content, and there is a policy setting forth a process for any book to be reviewed by a committee of parents and community members to recommend to the board whether books should be removed from the district libraries if they do not have any literary value. Parents should be able to decide what library books their kids can access or be notified when a book is checked out.
Trisha Hamilton
The fact is we’re focused on the wrong subject. This is not an LGBTQ issue. The question we should be asking is, “Why are we introducing sexually explicit, violent or any other adult content to our students at such an early age?”
The pre-frontal cortex of the brain is still developing in teens until their early to mid-20s. This portion of the brain performs reasoning, judgment and impulse control, all necessities for being an adult.
The current process for which we select books to be included in our school libraries needs to be reviewed.
Member Area 3
Rachel Faagutu
Library materials with graphic or explicit sexual content do not belong in our school libraries, regardless of the underlying topic.
Is it possible for reasonable people to disagree on what is “graphic” or “explicit?” Of course, but it is my view that we need to be very cautious about putting materials in our libraries that contain sexual content.
Jodie Dietz (incumbent)
Blue Valley has a well-thought-out process for a parent to request a review of materials they have concerns about and I support the process.
At-Large
Clay Norkey
The Blue Valley community insists on high educational standards. Therefore, the district provides a strong curriculum and wide selection of books and resources. Education professionals lead that selection process with parental and community input and advice. Later, selections are re-reviewed and re-evaluated. It also provides a process to challenge or ask for reconsideration of books or other materials.
I support the policy, which includes a process to review challenged materials by a panel of teachers, librarians, parents and students (in the case of high schools). Most are resolved early on. In other cases, or when the challenger wants to remove access from other students, it might reach the board.
At that point, board members should review the challenged resource in its entirety, read appropriate professional reviews and recommendations, review appropriate intellectual freedom documents and be advised in the law. Personal feelings and objections should be set aside in favor of an objective assessment. Ultimately, the board decides whether the resource was chosen by appropriately using the initial criteria.
Questions to ask involve: (a) the material’s literary value; (b) whether it helps students appreciate and accept themselves and/or others; (c) K-12 professional reviewers’ opinions regarding appropriate age group; (d) relationship to curriculum and student interests; (e) the intended students’ emotional and social development, learning style and ability levels; (f) an absence of gratuitously employed vulgar language, sexual explicitness and violent imagery; and (g) its quality, based on a number of independent factors.
Michael Huebner
There are numerous examples of sexually explicit materials in our school libraries right now. Additionally, there are many examples of books far below grade level being implemented in curriculum to push certain agendas.
This is unacceptable. These materials are damaging to the mental wellness of our children and don’t enhance their academic prowess.
Our schools and our school libraries should only have age-appropriate materials that challenge our students academically, and our school board should ensure that is the case.
Tomorrow, we will publish candidates’ responses to the next question:
Teacher and staff retention has been a concern for years in local schools, a problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Districts continue to enter each new year with dozens of vacancies, most notably among special education teachers. Schools are also having trouble filling classified, non-teacher staff roles, like paras and custodians. What, if anything, can the school board do to help schools recruit and retain qualified staff?
