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Oklahoma Parents Remove Chocolate Wars
from Town's Schools

Following their success in removing Robert Cormier's The Chocolate Wars from the Broken Arrow schools, some parents in the Oklahoma city of 75,000 now want to introduce a ratings system.

The board of education voted 3–2 June 1 to remove the young-adult novel from media centers serving grades 6-10, according to the June 7 Tulsa World newspaper. Joann Bell, head of the Oklahoma ACLU, called the move "pure censorship" and said the group would consider a lawsuit.

Parent Steve Wolfe, who led the fight to remove the title, suggested that a parent committee be formed to review the system's titles and design a system to rate them.

The newspaper said the board members who voted to remove the book didn't view their action as censorship. "That's why we have public libraries," said board member Greg Greene. "The school needs to reflect the values of the community."

Posted June 15, 1998.

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