ST. CHARLES COUNTY — Popular books including “The Hunger Games,” “Of Mice and Men” and the “Harry Potter” series could be removed from Francis Howell School District libraries if the school board approves proposals under consideration, librarians say.
Any resident or employee of the district can challenge library books if they’re believed to be “obscene,” “pervasively vulgar” or lack “educational suitability” under one of the proposals. Another would bar materials that mention drug misuse, profanity or violence in certain cases, with the board as the final arbiter of what’s excessive or unnecessary.
“Many books, from classics to contemporary literature for all age ranges, support classroom curriculum and relate to students’ life experiences despite the inclusion of these topics,” 16 of the district’s 21 librarians wrote in a letter to the board earlier this month.
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The librarians’ comments come as the board nears a decision on a new policy for the coming school year. A vote had been planned for last week but was postponed due to several changes made to the proposals, according to a district spokesperson. A vote is now planned for next month.
Critics described the proposals as veiled “book bans” that would sanitize library collections and give the board, as the ultimate authority of what’s approved, undue control over what students read.
Jeffrey Bargielski, a library media specialist in the Francis Howell district for 18 years, described the proposals as a potential “abuse of power” from the board.
“I think the board’s interpretation of things like obscenity and vulgarity reflects a really narrow set of values that doesn’t represent our broad community, and the board will censor materials that we would otherwise make available to our students,” Bargielski said.
Similar measures have been passed elsewhere. In April, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis signed a law to curb a “logistical nightmare” facing school districts as requests to remove challenged books overwhelmed school officials, Politico reported. Challenged books included Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “And Tango Makes Three,” a children’s book about two male penguins who made a family together.
Francis Howell’s proposals do not currently include a limit on how many materials a resident or employee could challenge. Neither does the district’s current procedure for complaints about materials, which hasn’t led the creation of review committee since January 2022.
Staff members can, however, request a waiver to exempt nonfiction, religious doctrines or “highly regarded” pieces of literature. Principals who receive complaints may also try to resolve any issue informally.
Board Secretary Randy Cook, who wrote the proposed policies and regulations, wrote on Facebook that he tried to set “commonsense guardrails” around what’s considered age-appropriate. He has also said that he’s open to changes.
“The proposed policies are designed to strike a balance between what is reasonable and what is over the line,” Cook wrote.
Cultural divide
The proposals are yet another display of the cultural divide in Francis Howell — and the often-rancorous public debate in St. Charles County about the appropriateness of books or learning materials since the pandemic.
In 2022, another school district in the county, Wentzville, pulled an acclaimed novel from shelves before reversing the decision in the face of a class-action lawsuit. In December, after months of controversy, the St. Charles County library system began removing books that contained “explicit photographs of sexual intercourse or sexual acts.”
Up until recently, the conservative majority on Francis Howell’s school board, which holds five of the board’s seven seats, had not focused on books.
But the board has continually fought for the perceived appropriateness of learning materials, an effort that launched board members into the national spotlight last year when they voted to rid Black history and literature courses of “social justice standards.”
Former Francis Howell School District librarian Michelle Stuerman said the policies are alarming. Stuerman retired from the district in 2023 after working there for 16 years. She said her departure had “a lot” to do with scrutiny on librarians.
In 2022, a state law subjected librarians to fines and possible jail time if they allowed sexually explicit materials on bookshelves.
“I knew it was going to get worse,” Stuerman said.
Stuerman said parents and guardians already utilized a process to challenge learning materials, and librarians worked with parents who don’t want their children to access certain materials.
Evolving policy
The district’s current procedure for challenged materials involves a review by a committee that includes two librarians. The new proposals do not call for librarians on committees for challenged library materials.
“We can bring a lot to the conversation, and they want us out,” Stuerman said.
Board members initially considered a regulation that would have barred schools from adding more than 20 unique book titles per month — all of which would have required board approval. Librarians at Stuerman’s former school, Francis Howell High, typically order around 500 unique book titles per year, Stuerman said.
The current plan, which followed complaints from librarians, does not restrict the number of such titles but would allow any title to be challenged. But challenged materials will not get immediately pulled from the shelves from a simple complaint.
Cook said in an interview the proposed book policies “touch on concerns that the community has had over the years.”
“The goal here is really to provide transparency to the community on how things are done,” Cook said.
