WICHITA, Kansas — The Goddard school district has removed more than two dozen books from circulation in the district’s school libraries, citing national attention and challenges to the books elsewhere.
The list of books includes several well-known novels, including “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.
It also includes “Fences,” a play by August Wilson that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1987, and “They Called Themselves the K.K.K.,” a historical look at how the white supremacist group took root in America.
Julie Cannizzo, assistant superintendent for academic affairs in Goddard, sent an email to principals and librarians last week with the list of 29 books.
“At this time, the district is not in a position to know if the books contained on this list meet our educational goals or not,” Cannizzo wrote in the email. “Additionally, we need to gain a better understanding of the processes utilized to select books for our school libraries.
“For these reasons, please do not allow any of these books to be checked out while we are in the process of gathering more information. If a book on this list is currently checked out, please do (not) allow it to be checked out again once it’s returned.”
Cannizzo said in the email that the district is assembling a committee to “rate the content of the books on the list” and to review the selection process. She did not say how long the process is expected to take.
Cannizzo said Tuesday that one parent objected to language he found offensive in “The Hate U Give,” a novel about the aftermath of a police officer killing a Black teenager. The parent then submitted a list of books he questioned, and district officials agreed to halt checkouts and complete a review.
“We’re not banning these books or anything like that as a district,” she said. “It was just brought to our attention that that list of books may have content that’s unsuitable for children.”
Cannizzo said she plans to meet with school librarians this week. She wouldn’t say when or if the books would return to circulation.
“We haven’t even evaluated these books,” she said. “I couldn’t even tell you what these books have in them or why someone may find them offensive or not.”
Library catalogs for all 12 Goddard schools are available on the district’s website.
A Goddard district policy adopted in 2016 spells out procedures for challenging textbooks, library books or instructional materials. Anyone with a complaint about a book is directed to meet first with the school principal and submit a “request for review” form.
If a challenge isn’t resolved at the school level, it goes to the superintendent and then the school board. Board members may forward a complaint to a review committee made up of the building principal, media specialist, two subject area specialists and two community members.
According to the district’s policy, “Challenged materials shall not be removed from use during the review period.”
