Debate over sexual content continues as LCSD1 looks to amend library book selection process

Apr. 16—CHEYENNE — While drafting a potential policy that would create guidelines for the procurement of library books, one Laramie County School District 1 trustee wanted to stress that the system they were building is not "perfect."

The LCSD1 Board of Trustees restarted a familiar discussion at its April 8 meeting. Trustees discussed the possibility of changing the way district librarians would approach selecting new books to add to school libraries.

Library collection procurement is not a new topic. Last year, while the district saw months of discussion about potentially changing the system for library book access, community members discussed addressing those two aspects together. But, according to Wyoming Family Alliance for Freedom President Marcie Kindred, the question of procurement was pushed out of the spotlight to focus on the access issue.

Now, four months past the board's approval of the opt-in access policy, with a procedure for nominating books found in LCSD1 as "sexually explicit" in place, discussions about how the district should approach obscenity in school libraries has begun again.

The draft policy is currently in a 45-day review period, which started on April 9 and will end on May 23. A legal notice from the district said final action will be taken on the issue at a board meeting on June 3. The notice also advised anyone with feedback on the issue to submit it on the district website or by email to rebecca.gill@laramie1.org.

Renewed interest

At the meeting, former Laramie County Moms for Liberty President Kathy Scigliano praised the board for its implementation of the book policy over the past few months.

"First, I just want to say thank you to the district for moving so quickly on handling the book reviews," she said. "I hope you continue to move toward a good procurement policy moving forward, to make (an) effort to keep sexually explicit content out of the hands of minors."

Scigliano went on to read an excerpt from the book "Deal With It!," a book which she said was "discovered" in an LCSD1 library and symbolized the importance of amending the procurement policy. The book, published in 1999, is a sex education book for young women, according to a description by publisher Simon and Schuster.

"This book is for anyone who needs to know what it means to be a girl — from those on the edge of their teens to those who are way past them but still reeling from the trauma," a description of the book on Google Books read.

The excerpt Scigliano read described, in detail, oral sex acts. "Please think about what our minors are reading in our schools," Scigliano said at the end of her comment.

Scigliano declined to comment further for this story, but current Moms for Liberty President Patricia McCoy did share her reasons for supporting the changes in an email to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle Tuesday afternoon.

"The new procurement policy puts into place new processes regarding how librarians review books for purchase for our schools, and, hopefully, lessen the number of inappropriate books being allowed within our schools," McCoy wrote. "The new library access policy addresses the books that are already within the school libraries that shouldn't be."

She added that they want to protect children from exposure to lewd content.

"If you cannot read a book to the school board in a room full of adults because they tell you it's too inappropriate, why are we allowing the same book to be in the hands of children?" her message continued. "As parents, educators and members of the community, it is our job to protect the innocence of our children. They can learn about people from all walks of life without lewd or vulgar photos, drawings and wording in the books we choose to give them. What is the educational value of little Susie being told how to give oral?

"Our children are innocent; they should be learning reading, writing, math, science and history. They don't need to be sexualized at young ages."

McCoy also said she was "confident" the board will pass the policy, adding that the issue has significant community and stakeholder support.

Public comment

Several community members spoke during the public comment period last week, with some expressing support for the way the current policy has been enacted, and others criticizing the proposed changes.

One LCSD1 parent said that the registration for the next school year was the "easiest" she's ever seen, and pushed back on claims that book policy changes would put a strain on educators. Critics of the current and proposed policies spoke, as well, with one saying that the presence of books depicting sexuality, and other topics people have objected to, is a source of comfort and support for people on the margins of society.

Notably, state Rep. Ben Hornok, R-Cheyenne, addressed the board, saying that the district needed to set "safeguards" around obscene material. He said that Wyoming law, in certain instances, could punish someone for providing a child with that material.

"There's some interesting things with that obscene material statute that we have that allows teachers and librarians to be exempt," he said. "However, a parent is not exempt from that state statute. So, if a parent goes home and disseminates something that qualifies ... as obscene material, they are actually committing a crime in the state of Wyoming. It's a misdemeanor."

He claimed that Wyoming law would make some schoolchildren criminals for giving a book to a friend because of this law. He likened libraries to bars or "smoke shops," saying that age restrictions are necessary for a child's safety.

Board discussion

After public comment closed, trustees began a lengthy discussion of proposed language changes in the policy, which is accessible on the district's BoardDocs website. According to a document from the website that shows the new language for procurement, the policy stipulates that "library materials selected for elementary schools, whether free materials or purchased materials, will not contain sexually explicit content."

Beyond elementary school, the language for the policy shifts slightly, saying that "librarians will endeavor to select materials, whether free or purchased, that do not contain sexually explicit content." The language also said that any content that meet state and federal definitions of pornography or obscenity will not be allowed in the district.

The onus the policy will put on district staff under these new guidelines was a point of contention during the meeting, with trustees disagreeing on what standards they should hold librarians to.

Trustees Rene Hinkle and Brittany Ashby both criticized the proposed changes, saying that some books the district has already deemed explicit, like "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," are uniquely important to a child's learning experience.

Something is lost, Ashby said, if those books are not available for adolescents to learn from. She also said that creating a policy like the one suggested could open up the district to complaints or lawsuits against librarians for not adhering strictly to the letter of their decision.

Another aspect of the draft stipulated that "an ongoing list of all library materials to be procured will be maintained on the district website and will be updated at least once a month." Similar to current district policy, parents will be able to nominate books on that list for review for sexual content, if the policy is approved.

Criticism

In a conversation with the WTE Tuesday afternoon, Kindred said these proposed changes are an escalation from the policies the district has already approved. Her organization, the Wyoming Family Alliance for Freedom, has frequently criticized restrictions on books in school libraries. Kindred explicitly called these new proposals a "book ban."

"So, the argument for the (prior) policy that we fought against was that, 'This is not banning books, parents have the option, this is parent choice,'" she said. "The procurement policy supports what we've always said: this is not about parent choice, this is about banning books. I think it is impossible for the opposition, and people for these policies, to still claim that this is about parent choice. This is about removing access for all students.

"This is a book ban, period, full stop."

Kindred added that the discussion around this policy could end differently, though.

"We are hopeful that there are members on this board that truly did completely buy into the parent choice argument and will be against this," she said.

While discussing the language of the policy at last week's meeting, Trustee Brooke Humphrey, who voted for the opt-in policy in December, expressed confusion about the way the board was approaching the subject now.

"I expressed — when we started the procurement conversation — that I was having a difficult time wrapping my head around it," she said, "because we had just put a policy in place that gives parents all options and, I'm kind of still there. ... Obviously, as a parent, I would have my own preferences but, on this board, I don't represent just my kids, I'm representing the entire community."

Samir Knox is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice and public safety reporter. He can be reached by email at sknox@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3152. Follow him on X at @bySamirKnox.