Six controversial books will remain in Rockwood School District libraries

EUREKA, Mo. – Six books that have been protested by Rockwood School District parents for having sexually explicit content are being placed in the high school library.

A review committee decided to withhold without restriction “All boys are not blue” by George M. Johnson, “Winch” by Ellen Hopkins, “Gender Browser” by Maia Kobabe, “Searching for Alaska” by John Green, “The Haters” by Jesse Andrews, Michael Crouch, et al., and “Where I End and You Begin” by Preston Norton.

The findings were presented at a December 16 board meeting by Dr Shelley Willott, assistant director of learning and support services. She notes that retained books are only found in high school libraries.

The review committee consisted of two teachers, two librarians, a curriculum coordinator, a school board member, four parents, and two high school students.

During the committee meeting, the person who opposed the book shared their concerns with the committee and was subsequently dismissed. The review committee then discusses the district’s library policy, as well as the value of the book relative to those concerns, followed by a recommendation, according to Willott.

“I think it is important to point out that the reason we let the challenger leave after the conversation has started is that we want to allow the committee to have an authentic conversation without interruption and without afraid their conversation ends up on social media,” said Willott.

“We once had a case where we had a challenger take a photo of the committee during one of our sessions, so there was some concern from them.”

The district has three other books under review, including “This One Summer” by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, “Heroine” by Mindy McGinnis, and “The Breakaways” by Cathy G. Johnson.