COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC) School Board continued the discussion surrounding the potential banning of certain library books during part of its meeting on Monday night during a public work session.
No change in the policy was made Monday and Board President Nicole Wheeldon said the conversation will continue with another public work session before the board’s next meeting on September 25.
During the public comment portion, Jahon Hobbeheydar, who spoke against the idea of banning certain books, read three passages from the Bible that included graphic sexual content. “So this brings up a really awkward question. Do we want to restrict access to the Bible? My hunch is that this is one thing that almost everyone in the room would agree would be a terrible idea – that all of those passages that I’ve read have a greater context around them, they tell a bigger story.”
During the previous meeting earlier this month, the BCSC board acknowledged receiving a petition with 500 digital signatures from concerned citizens claiming certain materials in school libraries are harmful to children. It asked the board to enact standards for “appropriate” library books at elementary, middle, and high schools.
Board members also obtained a letter from 14 BCSC librarians and assistants saying such concerns and the creation of a subcommittee to address them “undermines our professionalism and shows a lack of trust in our abilities to perform our jobs.”
A Columbus North High School student, Adeline Hearn, received nearly 1,500 signatures on an online petition called “Protect Our Right to Access Information in School Libraries” which she presented to the board during the meeting on Monday night.
“As a student within the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., I have personally witnessed the impact that our school libraries have on our education and personal growth,” the petition reads. “However, recent attempts to censor certain materials by defining ‘profanity and vulgarity’ across our libraries threaten our fundamental right to access information and explore diverse perspectives.”
Complaints can already be lodged regarding library books per BCSC’s policy 9130 and Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts said only minimal changes would be needed to comply with state legislation passed during the previous session.
