Hanover County School Board votes to adopt new controversial book policy

ASHLAND, Va. (WWBT) - At a heated meeting on Tuesday night, the Hanover County School Board voted 5-2 in favor of adopting a new policy over explicit books in school libraries.

The new policy will allow residents to file a challenge to remove books with sexually explicit material, rather than allowing educators to adequately assess the content of the libraries.

In addition, under the new policy, the school board can have sole discretion to remove books.

Following this decision, the school board exercised this new power and went on to remove 19 popular books from circulation, including “Looking for Alaska” and “Water for Elephants.”

The public comment portion of the meeting went on for two hours until 10 p.m. with emotions running high on both sides of the aisle.

Dozens of people, including residents, students, and teachers, spoke out in strong opposition to this policy.

“Banning books contradicts the very essence of what our country stands for,” Dottie Walsh said during public comment.

Many stood before the school board arguing the proposed changes are part of a politically motivated agenda, saying each family should make a personal decision for their children instead of banning certain books for all children.

“This makes me suspicious that you’re willing to whitewash history and that you’re anxious to eliminate books covering difficult social issues,” a woman named June said.

One student, a senior at Atlee High School, broke down in tears thinking of the implications of this policy. She says, as a victim of sexual abuse, reading about her trauma through books is how she came to seek help and heal.

“Reading books about girls who were assaulted and had to move on helped me get over my own assault and by taking these books out of libraries, you are making sure that other girls and other boys and other children don’t have that support system,” she said.

Even after endless concerns were expressed, Hanover County School Board ultimately sided with those who say sexually explicit material is rampant in school libraries.

“I am not in favor of banning books, but I am in favor of banning pornography,” one speaker said. “I have looked at some of the books in question and if I were to read them aloud to you at this meeting, my mic would quickly be cut off.”

Another speaker says this policy will be protecting children from pedophilia and the constant hyper-sexualization of children.

“To all of you porn peddlers in this room tonight, if you want to expose your children to porn ... that is your right and you actually can continue to do that in the public libraries or at the bookstores,” another speaker said. “But the purpose of our schools is to teach reading, writing, arithmetic, history, and science and not to push porn into the hands of minors.”

At the end of public comment, board members discussed deferring the vote to a later date, arguing that the public deserved more time to review the changes to the policy and learn more about it.

However, several board members strongly disagreed, ultimately pushing to get it passed.

“We’re not trying to ban ‘To Kill A Mockingbird,’ we’re not trying to ban anything,” Board Representative Steve Ikenberry said. “The books that we’re referring to are over-the-top graphic.”

“It’s obvious from the comments that y’all have made tonight that you don’t any idea of what these books contain,” Mechanicsville School Board Representative John Redd said. “I encourage this board to vote tonight, I don’t see any reason to defer.”

“What’s your concern, the children or how we appear?” John Axselle asked his fellow board members, urging them to pass the policy. “Let’s pass it because the actual books aren’t good for the children.”

After the policy passed 5 to 2, board members went on to unanimously vote to remove several books from circulation on the basis of lack of educational suitability and not being age appropriate.

Below is a list of books that were voted to be removed from the shelves:

• A Court of Mist and Fury
• A Court of Silver Flames
• All Boys Aren’t Blue
• Choke
• Flamer
• Haunted
• Identical
• Let’s Talk About It
• Looking for Alaska
• Lucky
• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
• Red Hood
• The Bluest Eye
• This Book is Gay
• Sold
• Tilt
• Tricks
• Water For Elephants

Some of these books tell stories of homosexuality, sexual abuse, sex slavery, child molestation, sexual assault, drunkenness, racism, and incest.