Earlier today, in order to keep the school board and community updated on the District’s ongoing book review process, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale explained why six additional books have been removed from school media centers.
Like those previously removed, the most recent books contain sexually explicit content, making it inappropriate for the District to provide open access to them.
The Superintendent’s full remarks are included below the video.
"In compliance with this Board's request to be notified when we determine materials should be removed from circulation in the District's media centers, I am today reporting an additional six books have been identified as containing sexually explicit and graphic content inappropriate for unrestricted access by children in a public school.
This will bring the total number of materials removed from circulation to twenty-six out of literally more than one million media assets.
Each of these 26 books includes graphic sexual language, images, and experiences that I cannot say on air as we broadcast this meeting live.
The six additional books that we found to contain sexually explicit content that is not safe for children are:
- A court of wings and ruin
- A court of thorns and roses
- A court of mist and fury
- A court of frost and starlight
- A court of silver flames
- Ironfire
The 26 books we have now removed are available on our website.
I encourage you, particularly those of you who defend this content in schools, to read the excerpts for yourself before doing so. Google them. Use community websites. Go to the bookstore. Go to the public library. I trust you will conclude that, like rated "R" movies, children should not be provided unrestricted access to all media.
Please remember we are removing from circulation twenty-six items out of literally more than one million media assets. The media assets of this District are and will remain broadly inclusive of the diverse individuals, groups, stories, and experiences of our nation. They will not, however, contain sexually explicit and graphic language inappropriate for children in a public school.
Again, if parents choose to provide their children access to this material at home, we respect that choice as belonging to that child's parent. However, as a public school serving over 100,000 students, we are not going to impose that choice on other people's children."
