CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Suzan Skaar stepped up to the mic during the Laramie County School District 1 board meeting’s public comment period. Holding a paperback copy of “Fahrenheit 451,” the 1953 dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury, she flipped open its pages and plucked out a letter.
“We know you are capable of doing the right thing,” Skaar said, addressing board of trustees members. “We will applaud you when you vote ‘no’ on changing the current library policy.”
Skaar is a recently retired librarian from LCSD1 and supporter of the Wyoming Family Alliance for Freedom, an organization that opposes book bans. During her speech, Skaar was referring to proposed revisions for the district’s library media services. She disagrees with these changes.
At the Nov. 20 LCSD1 Board of Trustees meeting, district interim superintendent Stephen Newton announced that more than 1,500 community members have sent in written statements voicing their concern over the board’s proposed library policy change.
The most striking change to library service guidelines involves how students and parents may check out books. According to the district’s amended document, these options include “No Access to Materials Containing Sexually Explicit Content, Parent/Guardian Limited Access, Open Access, or No Access.”
In addition, parents would have the ability to nominate books they believe meet the criteria for “sexually explicit content.” Upon review, books that meet this criteria would be removed from all elementary school libraries. For junior high schools and high schools, these books would be added to a list called “Library Materials Containing Sexually Explicit Library Content.”
Some writers, who identify as parents, say that the option to control what their children can and cannot check out is a welcome change. However, a vast majority of comments show that many community members oppose implementing the proposed library changes.
“Banning or limiting books to children is harmful to everyone,” one comment states.
“When do we vote next?” another comment states. “This is destroying our libraries and democracy.”
Restricting access to library materials is not unique to Cheyenne or Wyoming. For instance, the conservative organization Moms for Liberty has made headlines in states such as Florida for its efforts and successes in removing library books it deems inappropriate for children.
At the Monday night LCSD1 meeting, Skaar said the more than 1,500 comments she has read have given her a sense of support from the community.
“After careful review of the over 1,500 comments submitted, it is clear that the community overwhelmingly supports keeping the current policy as it is,” Skaar said at the Monday night meeting. “I hope the comments have shown you, the educators, that you are trusted, loved and appreciated in this community.”
Comments on the proposed library policy date back to Sept. 26, a day after the board of trustees introduced a 45-day review of the revised guidelines. Members of the community had until Nov. 10 to write in.
Many who have commented have pointed out the harm of banning books and noted that there are other more important issues in education to focus on. Others have taken issue with how the policy defines “sexually explicit content” or “sexual conduct.” The amended document defines each term as the following:
- “‘Sexually Explicit Content’ means textual, visual, or audio materials that depict or describe sexual conduct in a gratuitous or pervasively vulgar manner, which for purposes of textual or audio materials shall mean more than a passing reference (such as the use of a sex-related expletive) or allusion to sexual conduct but rather a description involving more than a word or phrase.”
- “‘Sexual Conduct’ means any of the following:
- “(a) Masturbation or lewd exhibition, actual, simulated, or animated, of the genitals, pubic hair, anus, vulva, or female breast nipples
- “(b) Sadomasochistic abuse, meaning actual, simulated or animated, flagellation, or torture by or upon a person who is nude or clad in undergarments or in a costume that reveals the pubic hair, anus, vulva, genitals, or female breast nipples, or in the condition of being fettered, bound, or otherwise physically restrained, on the part of one so clothed
- “(c) Actual, simulated, or animated touching, caressing, or fondling of, or other similar physical contact with a pubic area, anus, female breast nipple, covered or exposed, whether alone or between humans, animals, or a human and an animal, of the same or opposite sex, in an act of apparent sexual stimulation or gratification
- “(d) Actual, simulated, or animated stimulation of a human genital organ by any device whether or not the device is designed, manufactured, or marketed for such purpose, or
- “(e) Actual, simulated, or animated ultimate sexual acts, whether between human beings, animals, or an animal and a human being”
After Skaar’s speech at the district’s meeting, a second person walked up to the mic. Leslee Gallion is a former special education teacher from LCSD1 and is currently a school psychologist in a different district. She voiced her disapproval of the policy changes and said she is appalled that community figures and national organizations have made strides in restricting library materials.
“I’ve seen many students, especially those from marginalized groups, benefit from seeing people reflected in these books that are similar to them — in these supposedly controversial books,” Gallion said.
The board of trustees is set to vote on the library services change at its 6 p.m. meeting on Monday, Dec. 4. Meetings take place in the boardroom of Storey Gym at 2811 House Ave. and are livestreamed online on the school district’s YouTube page.
Viewers can watch the board’s Nov. 20 meeting below.
