LAPEER, MI – Lapeer Community Schools is temporarily removing several books from its library shelves for review.
Several community members spoke during the district’s Feb. 4 Board of Education meeting, with several voicing their support for the removal and review of the books and others expressing opposition to the decision.
“I believe there are some topics parents would like to address with their children on their own and not have the school, which is the government, get involved on these topics,” Lapeer High School graduate and district parent Jacob LeRoy said during the meeting. “Removing certain books from the public school library the community finds objectionable is not banning books.”
The board didn’t take any formal action during the meeting, but the district will form a committee to review the books. Multiple books discussed during the board meeting are included in a list of reading material flagged by a group advocating for the removal of such books from school libraries, Take Back the Classroom.
“We are not a political board,” Superintendent Matt Wandrie said. “This is a board representative of our entire community. Our job is to teach young people how to read, write, and do math. Not how to teach them how to live or what to think. We believe in that here, and we safeguard that pretty passionately.”
Take Back the Classroom’s website identifies more than 80 books it deems sexually explicit, as “promoting the progressive agenda” or as including LGBTQ issues or characters.
The group’s list includes 58 books at Lapeer High School, 23 books at the Zemmer 7-8 Campus, and one book at the Rolland Warner Campus, “Better Nate Than Never” by Tim Federle, which the group considers to be sexually explicit.
“I don’t want to ban books, but I do want to provide appropriate materials for our children,” board member April LaBar said. “That is my job.”
Other titles on the list include “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold, “Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, “Sold” by Patricia McCormick, and “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson.
In addition to voicing their opposition to the removal of the books, multiple community members questioned the intentions of Take Back the Classroom, with one resident referencing a statement on the group’s website: “Pornographic books have infiltrated classrooms and libraries for the purpose of grooming our children under the guise of education. It’s time to take back control.”
“I think this is actually a horrible assertion against teachers and I firmly believe in accountability for teachers,” retired Lapeer Community Schools English and French teacher Jean Coon said. “I do know that these 83 books at one point were considered, deemed appropriate, purchased, and placed on the library shelves, and I wonder why they’re being scrutinized now.”
Wandrie said books were removed temporarily after a community member informed them about the presence of the materials on district library shelves, but he noted no formal complaint or request for action was made.
The book review committee is expected to consist of teachers, community members, age appropriate students in certain cases, building administrators and district administrators, Wandrie said.
The committee will also evaluate the district’s book selection process.
“Consistent with other issues of this nature, district officials reserve the right to examine any and all district practices, policies or procedures to implement improvements, changes or necessary updates,” Wandrie told MLive in a statement.
Multiple residents urged district officials to ensure the committee considers context as well as expert opinions and develops a clear rubric to consult in its decision-making.
“Books that meet the criteria must be returned to the shelves, and I volunteered quite emphatically to Mr. Wandrie yesterday that I would like to be a member of the committee,” said Coon, who taught in the district for nearly 30 years.
The district didn’t provide any additional information regarding the temporary removal of the books in question or the review process.
Book banning has been a major issue for school districts and libraries across the United States in recent years, including at the Lapeer District Library, which became the center of controversy last year amid rumors that certain members of the library’s board planned to ban books, including multiple books containing LGBTQ+ content.
Lapeer District Library Board member Kari Kohlman offered comment during the school board meeting, stating she supports the temporary removal and review of books included in the list.
“Schools exist to educate, not to expose, to guide, not to prematurely introduce adult themes that parents should have the right to address on their own terms and timeline,” Kohlman said. “We can support intellectual freedom while also recognizing that children are not adults and school libraries are not public bookstores.”
Kohlman’s fellow board member Peggy Brotzke also voiced her support for the review process during the meeting.
“I would like you to know that I support a review of concerning books, and I feel it is very important to take a good look at the process of how they make it onto the library shelves in the first place,” Brotzke said.