St. Francis banned books policy on pause as reviews disappear
Banned books policy on pause for now
St. Francis Schools have paused new book bans for the moment, but not before taking 11 off the shelf and preparing to remove more. Meanwhile, students are pushing to get all the literature back at their library. FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard has the details.
ST. FRANCIS, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Francis Schools have paused new book bans for the moment, but not before taking 11 off the shelf and preparing to remove more, and students are pushing for a complete reversal.
No new bans
Lawsuits and more:
The policy hasn’t changed even after several students, parents, and teachers filed lawsuits.
The school board chair told FOX 9 on Wednesday that they’ve paused the policy because of the lawsuits.
But there might also be another reason.
Scolding the schools
Students stand up:
Nathaniel Esboldt has earned some of St. Francis Schools' highest honors: He’s student council president, the Triple-A award winner for academics, arts and athletics, and the school board gave him its Saints Star Award at their March meeting.
By their next meeting, he was scolding the same school board for its book bans, erasing his school pride.
"I care because I do not want to have to tell (younger students) that the education and experience that I received and that the school board was so proud of that they gave me an award is no longer possible," Esboldt said.
The policy wasn’t on Tuesday night’s agenda, but students and neighbors filled the first 45 minutes of the board meeting with book ban discussion.
And the room filled with cheers for its critics.
Defending the ban?
A lone voice:
In light of lawsuits filed against St. Francis Schools, the board did not defend the bans, but one resident did.
"The books in question perpetuate the most extreme stereotypes of groups they allege to protect and empower," he said.
How they got here
A policy shift:
Last November, the board took the decision away from librarians and local folks in favor of bans based on reviews on the Book Looks website.
In all, the district pulled 11 challenged books, including The Handmaids Tale, Kite Runner, and The Bluest Eye.
Brave New World and the Holocaust memoir Night were among 36 more on the road to being banned when Book Looks ceased to operate and removed its book reports last month.
For now, the books are in limbo and a local pastor wonders how they got to this point.
"Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that the things written about in banned books won't happen if our young people don't read about them might just be the highest level of willful ignorance and spiritual blindness I have ever witnessed," said Denise Hanson of St. Frances United Methodist Church.
What's next:
The district is hoping to convince a judge to dismiss the lawsuits, and they have a hearing in June.