First eight books deemed 'sexually explicit' by LCSD1, one deemed appropriate

Mar. 6—CHEYENNE — Laramie County School District 1 has completed the long-awaited review process for the first nine nominated books under the district's new library book policy, designed to prevent students from being exposed to sexually explicit books without parental consent.

Eight books, reviewed by a three-person panel made up of two educators and one parent/guardian, were deemed sexually explicit. One book, "The Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo, was determined not to fit the district's definition.

Thirty books have been nominated for review by the school district, and 10 of them have review committees formed that haven't made an official recommendation yet.

The eight books identified as sexually explicit are:

— "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

— "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

— "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews

— "This Book is Gay" by Juno Dawson

— "Flamer" by Mike Curato

— "The Nowhere Girls" by Amy Reed

— "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi

— "America" by E.R. Frank

All are located in high school libraries in Cheyenne, according to laramie1.org.

After the panel, which is convened separately for each book, completes its review of a book, its recommendations are written in a report, with textual examples of sexual content, publicly available on the district's website. LCSD1 Superintendent Stephen Newton signs off on a document with his recommendation after that.

While most of the identified books were unanimously called explicit, "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" and "Flamer" both had one reviewer who said the book was not too sexually explicit for the schools.

District staff have previously told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that their recommendations can be appealed by parents/guardians that are unsatisfied with the district's initial determination.

Newton gave a general summary of the process to nominate a book to the WTE in writing on Wednesday.

"Our Board policy states 'Parents or guardians of LCSD1 students may nominate library materials that they believe contain Sexually Explicit Content as defined in this Policy,'" he was quoted as saying in an email to the WTE. "If a parent desires to nominate a book, they would fill out Exhibit 85b. Chapter VII, Section 21 is the administrative regulation detailing the process."

LCSD1 community relations staff said that district officials did not want to comment further on the subject.

Jen Solis, the board president of Wyoming Family Alliance for Freedom, and a frequent public critic of the policy, said the policy has amounted to the "book ban" that her organization, and fellow critics, have said it would.

"It's what we all were warning the board about. It's a terribly flawed system," she said. "It takes books completely out of context, and it's effectively a ban for anyone who is believing this bombastic rhetoric, that we're providing pornography and smut to our children. It's just not true. The books that have been placed on this list are all age-appropriate."

She echoed prior sentiments made at school board meetings, calling the policy an attack on trained, well-meaning teachers and educators.

"They were curated by highly skilled librarians in our district," Solis continued. "When you look at these books, if you take a sentence out of it, sure it might raise the hair on the back of your neck. But, if you put it in the context of the purpose of a book, and the theme of the book, it has value. That, historically, has been a measure of whether or not a book is appropriate for a school or a public library, and this school board has completely thrown that out the window."

Solis also alleged that the books that were nominated, and deemed inappropriate, were targeted for textual depictions of LGBTQ people having relationships.

"'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' is a perfect example. I read an excerpt from that and — what do you know — it was about two boys engaging in a sexual relationship," she said. "'Well, that book better get out of my kids' school.' Then, 'This Book is Gay,' 'Flamer,' all of these books that provide information to people who some don't agree with suddenly have to go. ... I mean, there's sex in lots of books. There's sex in you know, classics, Steinbeck, and there's sex in Hemingway and there's sex in Stephen King."

Broadly, she concluded that those concerned with the policy should pay more attention to local elections.

"We need to get people to understand that school board elections matter," Solis said.

Leadership of Moms for Liberty, a conservative interest group that frequently expressed verbal support for the policy during school board meetings, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Samir Knox is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice and public safety reporter. He can be reached by email at sknox@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3152. Follow him on Twitter at @bySamirKnox.