School Library Policies Reviewed Following Concerns

SNOW HILL – School board members reviewed policies on library books this week after concerns were shared regarding sexual context in a book available at local high schools.

On Tuesday, Pocomoke City resident Matt Lankford presented the Worcester County Board of Education with sexually explicit passages from the book “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” which he said was available in media centers at the county’s high schools. Staff explained that library books were reviewed and that there were policies in place to address concerns when they came up. Jennifer Sills, the school system’s coordinator of science and library media, stressed the importance of diverse titles on the shelves.

“Books, they’re both mirrors and windows,” Sills said. “You can go and find yourself, find something that relates to your own world and feel validated but they also allow you to see other perspectives. We try to ensure that we have books on our shelves in all of our libraries where every child in our schools can find themselves and see themselves and learn who they are and who others are.”

During the public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting, Lankford and two others brought up the issue of library books. Showell Elementary School parent Nathan Diesel told the board he and several other parents had concerns about “All Boys Aren’t Blue” as well as an interest in knowing more about what was being taught in schools. He said much of what they’re heard was hearsay.

“The concern is some of that material includes language that is base and coarse and imprecise, some may consider vulgar,” he said. “These would be the things that I and parents such as myself would be asking, that any material in terms of sex education, perhaps some of these English courses dealing with sexuality and gender issues, that full syllabuses would be made available to parents possibly even lesson plans, full lists of required or recommended reading.”

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