Fairfax VA retains books

Fairfax County Public Schools, the largest school system in Virginia, completed a two-month review process and returned Gender Queer and Lawn Boy to school libraries. In a press release, the Fairfax district stated, "Both reviews concluded that the books were valuable in their potential to reach marginalized youth who may struggle to find relatable literary characters that reflect their personal journeys."

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The Fairfax challenge of these titles preceded and provided a model -- in terms of both talking points and protest strategies -- for the NH-V protestors. We are hopeful that the NHHS reconsideration committee will arrive at conclusions similar to those of the Fairfax County Public Schools.

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• Read the Washington Post article

• Read the Fairfax committee report on Gender Queer

• Read the Fairfax committee report on Lawn Boy

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BOE meeting: FReadom fighters outnumber book banners

At the Nov. 23 NH-V Board of Education meeting, community attendees waited nearly two hours after the board left the auditorium, without explanation following the flag salute, to conduct business in executive session.

 

When public comments finally began, nine community members urged the board to support intellectual freedom and retain the five challenged books (All Boys Aren't Blue, Fun Home, Gender Queer, Lawn Boy, and This Book is Gay). Six community members repeated previous demands to ban the books.

 

The board provided no status or updates on the work of the reconsideration committee, suggesting that decisions have not yet been made. 

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The recording of the meeting is available on the BOE Agendas, Minutes & Recordings page. Public comments begin at 2 hours, 55 minutes. 

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