Despite protest to the contrary, the agenda of conservative members of the Hempfield Area School Board seems to be ban books. Proposed changes to 109-AR-0: Selection of Resource Materials and 109-AR3: Request for Re-Evaluation of Resource Materials would remove students from the review board unless the student is 18 or over and also has parental permission.
The main targets are books authored or about gay, Black, Latino or Native American communities; is that because the majority of the board members want to pretend these individuals do not exist? Maybe they do not want input from the younger generation, who are more tolerant and less biased toward those who are “different.”
These policies also directly affect what books will be permitted in school libraries and in the school’s curriculums. This could mean local colleges will refuse to participate in AP and dual college curriculum programs if teachers are restricted in what they can use as course materials, and can result in lawsuits from the AFL-CIO (currently happening in Bucks County to the tune of $300,000-$500,000/month for books that county is trying to ban).
The board should be called out. This is an attempt to stifle students’ First Amendment rights and is about parental control, not protecting students.
Elizabeth Veronica Weaver
Hempfield
The writer is a member of Voice of Westmoreland.