ACCOMACK SCHOOLS DECIDED TO KEEP THE BOOKS!
Two classic American novels have been pulled from bookshelves in Accomack County Public Schools in Virginia and these books are no longer being used to teach students a critical piece of history. The books were pulled due to a parent’s complaint that a racial slur appears in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” We feel that it is unconscionable that students across a school system are being restricted from reading texts with historical significance and an anti-racist message simply because of the historically accurate language used in the books. Students must be given the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of our past. We are asking you to sign the petition against the banning of critically important books in Virginia schools.
How Banned Books Marginalize Children
When librarians and teachers reject works that may be “emotionally inappropriate” for children (a common excuse) they’re adhering to the traditional and mostly prevailing view that children’s literature should avoid controversial topics. It’s understandable that adults want to minimize children’s anxiety, and schools are often under intense social and financial pressure to maintain established standards. But it’s also important to recognize that this tradition was established in the 19th century to serve the needs of the producers and consumers who have dominated the field of American children’s literature for much of the past 200 years. “When we say ‘This book is inappropriate,’ we’re telling those children ‘your situation … your family … your life is inappropriate.” More broadly, keeping books about certain types of children or experiences out of libraries or putting them on separate shelves perpetuates a troubling vision of a sheltered American childhood that in fact has rarely existed.
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Superintendent Chris Holland says the use of both novels in classrooms and libraries has been suspended per guidelines in the Accomack County Public Schools policy manual. A committee consisting of a principal, librarian, teacher, parent and potentially others will review the complaint and make a recommendation to the superintendent. Holland said that there is no set date as to when the recommendation will be made. The decision can be appealed and the policy is available online under “KLB.”