Conservative Facebook groups are seeking to have certain books removed from school libraries or removed altogether due to their “inappropriate” or “obscene” nature, notes the MIT Technology Review.
These groups are largely made up of parents, but also teachers and conservative political figures. in the image of LaVerna in the library which has 2,800 members on Facebook and posts screenshots of “offensive” passages from children’s books. On its site, the organization explains how parents can mobilize in 5 steps. After the members join the group, a video explains how to look for “sexually explicit” books in a school library. It is then about reporting them to the educational team and removing them from the shelves.
In other groups like Safe library books for children founded in the state of Arkansas, it has 2000 members in the Facebook group. Parents exchange tips on how to find content they might disapprove of, like coming-of-age novels and specific words. They then publish their finding.
Facebook, mobilizer
In the same way, the site BookSearch, brings together parents who volunteer to rate and review children’s books. Books are rated on a scale of 0 to 5, with 0 being generally accessible content and 5 being “abnormal” content, which includes sexual assault and assault.
Once the list has been sent to the school board, the site posts “reports” on its Facebook group. “It draws attention to the Facebook group and makes people angry. Some parents will go the extra mile and talk to the principal or school librarian. It pushes schools to at least consider a disputed book even sooner.” that the school board can ask. each school to check the books. It is possible that the book will be withdrawn, even temporarily, by the librarian, which accelerates the goal of permanent withdrawal, ”specifies the site later.
And these groups are influential. like the group Utah Parents United who was instrumental in establishing the current system in the state of Utah.
political supporters
Conservative activists are gaining more and more influence in deciding what books are on school shelves. Texas districts began requiring parental approval for books; In Utah, parents not only have the power to control the books their children borrow, they also have the same status as educators to challenge and review books before including them in the library. For example, in Tarrant County, Texas, 41 books were recently removed due to pressure from parent groups on Facebook.
Active conservative groups can count on the support of elected conservatives like Matt Krause, a Republican member of the Texas legislature. In October 2021, he produced a document listing 850 books affected by a bill that prohibits the teaching of materials that would lead “an individual [à ressentir] shame, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of race or gender.” The books on the list deal with sexuality, racism, and United States history. This document has become a model for conservative groups, which have adopted it as a guide to challenging books in schools and, in some cases, successfully removing them.
Matt Krause also sent a letter to all state superintendents asking them to remove books from libraries and classrooms if they focus on topics ranging from transgender identity to gender theory.
The answer is organized.
The answer also goes through social networks, and the debates are made with tweets or posts on Facebook. An organization opposed to these conservative groups, the Florida Freedom to Read Projectargues that rating systems like BookLook’s don’t take into account whether or not teachers and librarians are specifically trained to recommend books.
“Parents of students who focus only on controversial topics in an effort to limit access to books they disagree with reflect a bias that fails to consider the needs of the diverse families and individuals served by schools and public libraries. Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom at the American Library Association, in a statement.
Source: BFM TV
