Titles like The history of the siren, Valiente Nuevo Mundo, I know why the caged bird sings and Advantages of being an alhelí They must be taken from the library shelves in Edmonton’s public schools, according to a document shared with CBC News.
A distributed list internally obtained by CBC News shows more than 200 books considered sexually explicit are scheduled for the elimination of the library shelves for students in the kindergarten until grade 12. It comes after a policy of the Alberta Minister of Education, describes the new rules that govern books in school libraries from October 1.
“After a division review process, the following books have been identified as containing explicit sexual content,” reads the Memorandum of Edmonton’s public schools.
Beyond the Canadian classics, contemporary authors such as John Green and Emily Henry also have titles in the list. Books with 2SLGBTQ+ topics such as Queer genre and Two boys kissing They are also considered sexually explicit and will be eliminated.
The list was made public on Thursday after being distributed to some educators. Copies were shared on social networks. CBC News independently obtained the list.
“Several excellent books will be eliminated,” says Board
The list has not been officially published by the Edmonton Public School Board. But in a statement to the news of CBC, the president of EPSB, Julie Kusiek, said there is a list of books that will be eliminated from schools as a result of the government ministerial order. Kusiek said the Board shares concerns raised by community members and opposed politics.
“As a result of the ministerial order, several excellent books of our shelves will be eliminated,” is read in the statement.
“The division staff worked during the summer to ensure that only the books that directly comply with the criteria in the ministerial order were added to the division elimination list.”
CBC asked if the list of a copy was the one that referred to Kusiek, but an EPSB spokesman refused to confirm that it was the same list.
Government list to review
The Minister of Education, Demetrios Nicolaides, said that the government is aware of the EPSB list that prohibits books for students in K-12 and will review it.
“We have asked Edmonton’s public to clarify why these books were selected to be taken out, and we will work with them to ensure that the standards are implemented accurately. We do not provide this list to EPSB,” reads the statement.
Nicolaides also said that the list does not differentiate between high school students and other younger students. However, the list obtained by CBC includes more information: a second section with more than 50 titles that apply only to K-9 students.
Materials with “non-explicit sexual content” will not be available in libraries for K-9 students and this includes titles such as 1984 and The Great Gatsby.
“They can be accessible to students in grades 10 to 12 if the content is appropriate for development for students accessing the material,” says EPSB memo.
Why some say that I could create ‘culture of fear’
Nicolaides has repeatedly said that politics is not about prohibiting books, but establishing rules for schools that lack standards for appropriate material for age.
“I am dismayed and disappointed. I am not at all surprised,” said Laura Winton, former president of the Alberta Libraries Association.
Winton said politics leaves much for interpretation.
“The intention of this ministerial order was to eliminate materials from school libraries, and that is exactly what it is doing.”
Winton said just because a book has sexually explicit material does not mean that it is not appropriate for the development for adolescents.
“What the specific lists of Book-Banning will do is limit the amount of material available for students, limit the amount of topics that can be discussed and simply create a culture of fear in the classroom.”
