A school board meeting in Ohio flipped my stance on challenged books

I used to think pulling a book for a parent complaint was fine, no big deal. Last month I sat in on a school board meeting in Columbus where they voted to remove 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian' after one mom called it vulgar. The room was packed, maybe 60 people, and half of them spoke up saying the book helped their kids deal with bullying. But the board members had already made up their minds, they didn't even ask the librarian for a summary. I went in neutral and left feeling sick because the vote took maybe 4 minutes. What gets me is that nobody read the book cover to cover before banning it. Has anyone else watched a decision like that happen in person and changed their mind on the whole process?

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blair_nguyen18d ago

My buddy Marcus sat through almost the exact same thing in Virginia, a few years back with a different book, and he said the vote took less time than the Pledge of Allegiance. He texted me after, fuming because the board chair admitted during a break that she hadn't even opened the book, she just went off a list from a group online. He walked in thinking parents should have the final say, but he walked out saying that a single complaint shouldn't override the 40 other parents who were there supporting the book. Did you stick around after the meeting to talk to any of the board members, or did you just leave?

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