Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Library Citizens Advisory Committee meets for inaugural meeting

The inaugural meeting of the Mat-Su School District Library Citizens Advisory Committee met at the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District Building in Palmer on Thursday, August 10th. In attendance were the 11 members of the advisory committee and about fifteen audience members.

The Matanuska-Susitna School District has a noted history of book challenges. In April of 2020, they voted to remove “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison, “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald from the school curriculum.

The removal of the novels made national headlines. According to Alaska Public Media, the books were later sent to a library council for review after the board rescinded their earlier vote. The books are still available in the Matanuska-Susitna School District libraries and are able to be seen in the Mat-Su School District Library Catalog.

Associate Superintendent of Secondary Schools for the Mat-Su Borough School District Dr. Justin Ainsworth facilitated as chairperson for the meeting and called it to order. Each member introduced themselves, with an option of stating what they did in life, if they had children in the district and how long they have lived in Mat-Su. There were several teachers – current and retired – presenting, most with children either in or graduated from the school district. There were many parents of homeschoolers in the group.

The meeting went smoothly as procedures were stated. Ainsworth frequently paused to tell the group, “This is your committee,” and explained choices they could make. He told them that they had 56 books to read and that they could read three books per month to discuss and make recommendations to the board on.

The school district attorney, Saul Friedman, explained the difference between curriculum books and books for the library. He told the committee that their purpose is to make decisions about the list of books “that have been selected because of some controversy that they may have engendered.” The committee would decide if they met the standard of pornographic or indecent material as outlined in Alaska Statute 11:61.128, then make recommendations to the school board.

Friedman told the committee that the books are library books, not curriculum material and that there has to be “more substantial reasons [to exclude a book] other than that we disagree.”In a nutshell, library material is voluntary while curriculum is mandatory and part of the classwork.

He quoted the United States Supreme Court in a case of the Island Tree School District, “The special characteristics of the school library make that environment especially appropriate for the recognition of the First Amendment rights of students. And why is that? It’s because students can literally explore the unknown, discover areas of interest and thought not covered by their prescribed curriculum. The student learns that the library is a place to test or expand on ideas presented to him in or out of the classroom.”

Friedman said that the school library is something “different and special” and that the committee has to decide on which side of a “thin line” the committee will find the books. Is each book protected by the student’s first amendment rights to enrich the student's learning experience, or is the book pornographic and indecent to the point that  students need protection?

Friedman directed the committee and the audience to examine the “Distribution of indecent material to minors” statute, and explained how to read it and why it is a concern to school districts and school libraries.

Freidman let the committee know that they need to tell the public what books they will be discussing or voting on in a meeting. Ainsworth reminded the committee that they have resources available such as the administration, subject matter experts, staff and Mr Friedman who added that“we don’t want you to think you have to navigate this by yourself.”

The committee’s questions showed that they are a group that is concerned with doing the job well. The members seemed humble without being self deprecating.

Committee member Katie Clark asked if there was a way that they could find out what concerned people about the books. Ainsworth said that the committee’s job is to evaluate the books and see if they meet the criteria to be pulled or kept without knowing what people found concerning.

Other questions touched on the sheer number of books to get through, and that books varied in complexity and tone. They also asked if there was someone who could help them prioritize the book reading list. Answers from Friedman and Ainsworth reaffirmed that they could decide those things within the group.

In an email to The Northern Light Jillian Morrissey, the public information officer for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District wrote, ”In the past, if a family member of a student had a concern about a book, this was handled at the school level with the School Librarian and/or Principal working towards resolution.”

Ainsworth said during the meeting that the board is looking at revising the policy since it had not been evaluated since 2008.

The meeting ended with the committee members taking home four books “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “Drama” by Raina Telgemeier, “It’s Perfectly Normal,” by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley and “Lovely Bones,” by Alice Sebold.

Future meetings will be held on the second Thursday of each month from 5-7 pm at the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Building.