Fairfax County Public Schools has decided to return two books to its high school libraries, following a review into complaints that the books contained sexually explicit language and scenes that weren’t appropriate for a juvenile audience, the school system announced Tuesday.
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Over about a month, one committee read, discussed and reviewed “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison and another assessed “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe. Each unanimously recommended that its respective book remain in libraries because the panels consider the books diverse reading material that students with underrepresented identities could relate to, according to a news release from the largest school system in Virginia.
The books have been the center of a public debate in the Fairfax district. At a school board meeting in September, two speakers — one a parent, the other a woman who identified herself as a former teacher — said the books were inappropriate for a high school audience because of their sexual content and alleged that they contained depictions of pedophilia.
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Evison has previously said his novel interrogates important issues such as capitalism, wealth disparities and racial assumptions. He has denied that it contains or depicts pedophilia. Kobabe’s publisher, Oni Press, has said the illustrated memoir is an important resource for students who identify as genderqueer or nonbinary.
Fairfax is one of many school districts in recent weeks to debate what should and shouldn’t be available to students in school libraries. The Spotsylvania County School Board began the process of removing of all “sexually explicit” books from its school libraries, with two board members apparently suggesting the books should be burned. The school board later rescinded the decision
The Fairfax district has a regulation in place that mandates a committee of parents, staff and students review each library book that is challenged, so the school system pulled the books off the shelves and began the process, said Noel Klimenko, assistant superintendent of instructional services. Each committee participant was older than 18 because of the nature of the complaints.
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Both groups concluded that the books had literary value, and neither committee found depictions of pedophilia.
“In this case, the way that it came forward, the committee was very clear that they both did not think that the complainants’ complaints were upheld and that they felt that this was a piece of literature that was very important for students to have access to,” Klimenko said in an interview.
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Both committees submitted a report to Klimenko on why the books should remain in school libraries. The committee that reviewed “Lawn Boy” found the book was “an accessible examination of race, class, socio-economic struggle, and sexual identity” that could be affirming for a significant population of the school system’s students.
The committee that reviewed “Gender Queer” found the illustrated memoir was a “scientifically based narrative of one person’s journey with gender identity that contains information and perspective that is not widely represented.”
Klimenko read each committee’s report and approved both books. The school system plans to make the books available for checkout again soon, a spokeswoman said.