PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Northview Public Schools (NPS) rejected an appeal trying to remove eight books from district shelves.
The news comes after a “concerned citizen” asked NPS to remove the books last year over “sexually explicit material.”
The books in question are available only to students between 7th and 12th grades. A committee looked at them and decided the books are appropriate for that age range. Those books are:
- Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Mass
- Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
- Push by Sapphire
- All Boys Aren't Blue by George M Johnson
- Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
- Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
- Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
That decision was later appealed, which the Board of Education denied Wednesday night, meaning the books will continue to be accessible to students.
NPS released the following statement:
“Northview Public Schools is dedicated to fostering and maintaining a strong partnership with the community we are proud to serve. As part of this commitment, the Board of Education has thoughtfully established policies, guidelines and procedures designed to review instructional materials across the District. Through the thorough work conducted by the District’s book review committee and Board of Education, the decision has been issued to keep the choice reading books accessible to students as they are shelved now and the petitioner’s appeal has been denied. The District does not agree that any of the eight books in the complaint meet the definition of sexually explicit material harmful to minors when read in their entirety and considered as a whole.
"While this issue is now final, we will continue to review our curriculum as well as our board policies related to choice reading materials to ensure it meets our students’ needs and the community’s standards. We are committed to maintaining a culture of collaboration with our community and value the input we receive from our residents, as we are all dedicated to providing our students with a high-quality education.”
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
