PLATTSMOUTH - Plattsmouth Community School District (PCSD) Board of Education members will wait another month before accepting or rejecting the Policy 6300 Review Committee’s recommendation on banning  Ellen Hopkins’ “Triangles” from school libraries.

Members voted to table the decision until November with Max Muller, Nolan Siemonsma and Jeremy Shuey voting against the motion and Ken Winters, Terri Cunningham-Swanson, Matt Glup, Karen Tesarek Parsons and Tony Foster for it.

Cunningham-Swanson has been the driving force for removing books from PCSD libraries that  include erotic behavior and vulgar language. Opponents have accused her of targeting books with LGBTIA+, showing certain minorities in a positive light and showing Christianity in a negative light.

To reach a consensus, review committees comprised of PCSD educators were established to determine whether the books should be removed from the shelves, placed in parental-permission area or returned to the shelves.  “Triangles” was the only one of 50 the committee recommended removing.

Director of Instructional Services Dr. Cherie Larson guided the committee through the process of reviewing the books but did not serve as a member on it. She also created a survey form for committee members to use after reading the selected books.

The goal of the first committee meeting, Larson explained,  was to ensure members understood the process and Policy 6300, which establishes criteria for media materials.

The policy states materials must address individuals’ needs  and interests within the maturity levels of the students; must encourage knowledge that will develop literary, cultural and ethical standards; reflect different religious,  social, political, historical and ethnic groups; include the obtaining of more accurate, current subject matter; and that it be without obscene, excessively vulgar or other content harmful to minors.

The six Middle School committee members met twice. The six members of the high school committee met six times. Multiple members read the books.

“Each time, I would go through the policy and ask if they had any questions about the policy or process,” Larson said. “After that we would go through the survey data. They could ask each other’s opinions and put into words exactly what would happen to the books. All six had to agree where it was placed and these weren’t short books, all were 500-600 pages. Once everyone agreed with the proposal, there was a round robin discussion on how books did or didn’t fit the policy. Everybody had a chance to talk.”

At the conclusion of all the meetings, committee members verified the results and came to unanimous agreement. “All stand behind the decision and I stand 100 percent behind the committee,” Larson said.

The committee recommended keeping the following on restricted shelves:

  • “Tricks” - by Ellen Hopkins;
  • “Red, White and Royal Blue” - Casey McQuiston;
  • “Lucky” - Alice Sebold;
  • “Without Merit,” “It Ends With Us,” “November 9”, “Ugly Love”  - all by  Colleen Hoover;
  • “Kingdom of Ash,” “Empire of Storms,” “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” “A Court of Mist and Fury” and “A Court of Frost and Starlight”  - all by Sarah J. Maas.

Selections recommended to keep on the shelves are “Fallout,” “Burned”, “Rumble” and “Smoke” – Ellen Hopkins; “I'll Give You the Sun,” - Jandy Nelson; “Gabi, A Girl in Pieces,” - Isabel Quintero; “Grit,” – Gillian French: “Juliet Takes a Breath,” - Gabby Rivera; “The Poet X,” – Elizabeth Acevedo; “America,” – E.R. Frank; “The Black Flamingo,” – Dean Atta; “Where the Crawdads Sing,” – Delia Owens; “Without Merit,” -Colleen Hover; “Clockwork Princess,” – Cassandra Clare; “Guyaholic,” – Caroly Mackler; “Go Ask Alice,” – Anonymous; “The Hate You Give,” – Angie Thomas; “George/Melissa,” – Alex Gino; “Ghost Boys,” - Jewell Parker Rhodes; and “Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe,” – Preston Norton.

In objection to the committee’s decision,  Cunningham-Swanson read several erotic excerpts from books on the list other than “Triangles”  she found inappropriate for students. She indicated more than one book needed to be removed.

“The recommendations of the committee do not reflect the policy of 6300. We cannot, with any integrity, accept these recommendations,” she said. “There are millions and millions of books that cover racism and LGBTIA+ that don’t include pornography.”

“This is a recommendation based on an outline of our policy. It’s up to the board to decide what to do with it,” said PCSD Board President Brian Harvey.

The decision followed citizen comments from Lisa and Derek Winterstien, Fawn Horner and Glennia Sand.

Sand, now retired but with an extensive background in pediatric nursing, urged committee members to study the effects pornography has on young people. In her comments she cited “The Impact of Pornography on Children,” based on a June 2016 report by the American College of Pediatricians. “

Sand urged review committees to study the effects of pornography on children. The effects include creating  anxiety, self-harming, acting out,  and a distorted self-image. “It’s the new addictive drug,” she said.

Winterstien said the school libraries are not very large. ”I could see considering volumes of quality literature going back to Socrates, Aristotle, George Bernard Shaw and J.D. Salinger,” he said. “There are many great others telling good stories they could be reading. Reading these [books reviewed] will not help you go to college.”

Winterstien agreed. “As a parent and citizen, I find many of these books found to include erotic behavior and vulgar language. They include unhealthy relationships and are anti-American. There are no benefits to keeping these books on the shelves,” she said.