Carmel Clay Schools has released information about the fate of several books flagged by some community members as inappropriate during a school board meeting in July 2021.
Dr Michael Beresford
During the meeting, several people read excerpts from some of the books during the time allotted for public comment.. Subsequently, the superintendent of CCS. Michael Beresford said the district would review the titles mentioned, calling some of the materials “completely inappropriate” for students and “not consistent with our values here at Carmel Clay Schools.”
According to information provided by the CCS following a public information request, many titles were removed or moved either because they were not considered appropriate for the age of the students in the building, or because lack of interest in the book, meaning they hadn’t been “verified for years or very little,” according to Emily Bauer, director of community relations at CCS. Others have been moved to a resource library accessible to teachers and parents, while another remains accessible to elementary school students. Two books were not found in the CCS collections.
The books examined in colleges and high schools are:
- “Crank” by Ellen Hopkins, removed due to age and lack of interest
- “L8r, G8r” by Lauren Myracle, removed due to age and lack of interest
- “The Infinite Moment of Us”, deleted based on age and lack of interest
- “Doing It Right” by Bronwen Pardes, deleted due to age and lack of interest
- “It’s Perfectly Normal” by Robie H. Harris, 1994 copy removed due to age and lack of interest, 2014 copy moved to a resource library
The books assessed at the primary school level are:
- ‘Phoenix Goes to School’ by Michelle Finch and Phoenix Finch, remains on the shelf
- “Call Me Max” by Kyle Lukoff, moved to a resource library
- “Introducing Teddy” by Jessica Walton, not found in CCS Libraries
- “Sparkle Boy” by Leslea Newman, not found in CCS Libraries
The CCS formed an advisory committee to review the books. The committee included the district curriculum, instruction, and assessment administrator; the Student Services Administrator; a secondary media representative; a secondary administrator; a representative of the classroom teacher; a representative of the elementary media; and CSC parents.
None of the recommendations were appealed, Bauer said.
In November 2021, the CCS launched a website for parents to provide information on the types of educational materials used in the district, provide step-by-step instructions on how to view books borrowed by their children, and suggest book reviews and a short synopsis of various titles available. Visit the site at ccs.k12.in.us/services/curriculum/instructional-resources.
