Senate File 496 forces Nevada CSD to remove 65 books with "sex acts"

Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune

The Nevada Community School District has removed 65 books from school district libraries in order to comply with Senate File 496.

The bill, signed into law in May limits the content of certain school materials. It will go into effect at the beginning of the new year, giving schools a grace period to review their materials.

Books with depictions of sex acts are banned under the new law and material with LGBTQIA content is restricted to students in seventh grade and above.

Individuals who oversee the Nevada school libraries began the task of reviewing its current titles in August. Anything that could be deemed inappropriate under Senate File 496 was conservatively removed, Nevada CSD Superintendent Dr. Steve Gray said.

"Those individuals, along with administration, then spent the fall months further reviewing the content of those titles more in depth to interpret whether or not they contained any content that could be viewed as a violation of (the law)," Gray said. "Many of the initial titles were then returned to circulation."

Nevada's list of "banned books" remains subject to change due to the appeal process outlined in Senate File 496.

Books removed from Nevada schools' shelves include "1984" by George Orwell, "A Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley, "The Handmaid's Tale," by Margaret Atwood and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou.

The list also includes popular young adult novels like "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie, "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green, "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erica L. Sanchez and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky.

More: Largest US publisher, bestselling authors sue over Iowa law banning K-12 books with sex acts

Why are these books being removed from the Nevada school district libraries?

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 496 into law earlier this year, banning books with descriptions or depictions of sex acts from school libraries and prohibiting instruction on gender and sexual identity until seventh grade, among other effects.

The new law is part of an education initiative that establishes a "constitutionally protected right" for parents to make decisions for their children. It also limits LGBTQIA teachings in schools.

Gray said he could not speak to the emotional status of staff or whether the law affected lesson plans.

"Staff have been made aware of the law," Gray said. "Anytime curriculum or resources are removed, adjustments may need to be made."

More: 'I did not write it to titillate a reader': Authors of books banned in Iowa speak out

Here is the full list of books coming off shelves in Nevada schools:

  • "1984" by George Orwell

  • "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie

  • "Across the Universe" by Beth Revis

  • "Animal Farm/1984" by George Orwell, Richard Brown and Josh Cosham

  • "Blood & Honey" by Shelby Mahurin

  • "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

  • "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

  • "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

  • "City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments)"by Cassandra Clare

  • "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker

  • "A Court of Frost and Starlight" by Sarah J. Maas

  • "A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sarah J. Maas

  • "A Court of Wings and Ruin" by Sarah J. Maas

  • "Empire of Storms" by Sarah J. Maas

  • "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon

  • "Firefly Lane" by Kristin Hannah

  • "The First Part Last" by Angela Johnson

  • "Girl In Pieces" by Kathleen Glasgow

  • "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson

  • "Gods & Monsters" by Shelby Mahurin

  • "Going Bovine" by Libba Bray

  • "The Handmaid's Tale (Graphic Novel)" by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Renee Nault

  • "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

  • "Heart Bones" by Colleen Hoover

  • "House of Earth and Blood" by Sarah J. Maas

  • "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erica L. Sanchez

  • "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

  • "Identical" by Ellen Hopkins

  • "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

  • "The Infinite Moment of Us" by Lauren Myracle

  • "Introducing Teddy" by Jessica Walton

  • "Isla and the Happily Ever After" by Stephanie Perkins

  • "It Ends With Us" by Colleen Hoover

  • "It Starts With Us" by Colleen Hoover

  • "Jack of Hearts (and other parts)" by Lev A.C. Rosen

  • "Just One Day" by Gayle Forman

  • "Just One Year" by Gayle Forman

  • "Kingdom of Ash" by Sarah J. Maas

  • "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

  • "The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali" by Sabrina Khan

  • "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold

  • "Me and Early and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews

  • "More Happy Than Not" by Adam Silvera

  • "Muted" by Tami Charles

  • "Online Pornography (Opposing Viewpoints)" by David Nelson

  • "Paper Towns" by John Green"

  • "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

  • "The Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo

  • "The Rape of Nothing: The Forgotten History of World War II" by Iris Chang

  • "Reminders of Him" by Colleen Hoover

  • "The Round House" by Louise Erdrich

  • "September Girls" by Bennett Madison

  • "Serpent & Dove" by Shelby Mahurin

  • "The Sky Is Everywhere" by Jandy Nelson

  • "Slaughterhouse-Five, Or The Children's Crusade" by Kurt Vonnegut

  • "Sold" by Patrick McCormick

  • "Stolen Life: A Memoir" by Jaycee Dugard

  • "Sula" by Toni Morrison

  • "This Girl" by Colleen Hoover

  • "Tilt" by Alan Cumyn

  • "Tower of Dawn" by Sarah J. Maas

  • "Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins

  • "Violet Made of Thorns" by Gina Chen

  • "Where The Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens

  • "Without Merit" by Colleen Hoover

Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: More than 60 books have been "banned" in Nevada under Iowa law

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