One Title Affirmed, 17 to Go
in Massive Materials Challenge
Some six months after a Fairfax, Virginia, couple challenged the presence of 18 books in the libraries of the Fairfax County (Va.) Public Schools, the school board affirmed in a 7–1 vote on March 10 that one of the contested titles, Witch Baby by Francesca Lia Block, is suitable for elementary- and middle-school collections. The action supported Superintendent Daniel Domenech’s recommendation to retain the book, as well as the placement of a young-adult sticker on its spine.
Richard and Alice Ess had contested that the book, which is the sequel to Weetzie Bat, was inappropriate for school-library collections because it contains a gay-positive subplot. “We now know the school system does not consider placement of fictional material advocating ‘altermative’ sexual orientations, even in the elementary schools, to be a mistake on their part,” the local group Parents Against Bad Books in Schools reacted March 14 on its Web site. As to the addition of a young-adult label, PABBIS countered, “If a book receiving a YA review is eligible for placement in the elementary and middle schools, there will be a flood of graphic material, bought with tax dollars, heading for pre-teen children.”
Two months earlier, the board had revisited its policy on what constitutes a valid materials challenge in light of the Esses’ mass complaint last October. Accordingly, board members modified the FCPS guidelines January 13 to give “priority” to future requests for reconsideration brought by the parent of a student who attends a particular school in which the challenged material is held.
Posted March 17, 2003.
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