Iowa school librarians await guidance as they prepare for new law that will ban certain materials

The Iowa Library Association is cautioning school librarians to wait for guidance from the state education department before removing books from school libraries to comply with state law.

The law, Senate File 496, signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds May 26, bars from school libraries books that depict or describe sexual acts. Schools are also required to have a policy that allows someone to request removal of any classroom materials.

The law also requires schools to put their library catalog online and allow parents to review certain instructional materials, a practice many schools already have in place. The Iowa City district, for example, has had an electronic catalog — that is accessible to the public — of all school library collections “for decades,” said Kristin Pedersen, Iowa City schools spokeswoman.

Without guidance from the state, librarians are left trying to interpret the law, which is not their role, said Michelle Kruse, director for the Iowa Library Association and past president of the Iowa Association of School Librarians.

“The beautiful thing about a library is that if you find a book that doesn’t speak to you — maybe it doesn’t align with a belief you or your family has — you can close it, return it and move on,” Kruse said. “Now, we have a law that’s going to limit that access.”

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Kruse — along with Sam Helmick, president of the Iowa Library Association — sent a letter May 9 to Iowa Department of Education Director Chad Aldis with dozens of questions about how to implement the new law.

Aldis responded, thanking them for the letter. Answers to their questions have not yet been provided, Kruse said. The law takes effect July 1, and penalties for violating the law begin Jan. 1, 2024.

Some of the questions posed by Kruse and Helmick include:

The Iowa Department of Education will not be providing any guidance regarding the new state law, a spokesperson said. She said the education department recommends schools and municipalities consult with their legal counsel if they have any questions about the law.

Iowa’s Area Education Agencies, which provide services to schools in Iowa, offer print and online materials for educators to use in their classrooms.

Grant Wood AEA spokesperson Renee Nelson said any titles that do not meet a school district’s requirements can be deactivated by a staff member who manages the school’s media collections.

Another concern is that “classic literature” that is part of Advanced Placement curriculum — created by the College Board — might now be illegal because it is deemed inappropriate for students, Kruse said.

“Is the Iowa Department of Education going to notify the College Board that some literature students have traditionally read (for Advanced Placement classes) might not be considered age-appropriate?” Kruse said.

Kruse declined to provide examples, saying she is “not willing to create” a list of books for the state to potentially ban.

Kruse, who also is a teacher librarian at Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy in Cedar Rapids, said the prospect of removing books from school libraries reminds her of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when there was a strain on stores supplies. “The shelves were a little bit empty and there were products you were used to having and all of a sudden they’re not there anymore,” she said.

“We want kids to read, and if we limit their selection, their ability to read a book they see themselves in, then maybe they won’t read,” Kruse said. “A student will choose to walk away and take nothing before they choose to take something that doesn’t have meaning to them.”

Sam Helmick, also the community and access services coordinator for the Iowa City Public Library, said the library’s mobile library will continue to offer books with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer characters.

Senate File 496 does not apply to public libraries, however, Kruse said in some school districts, public and school libraries are in the same building and even in the same room. In those cases, will the public libraries be subject to the same requirements as school libraries, Kruse asked.

“Whatever topics become limited to Iowa students are ones we’ll devote ourselves to getting to our patrons,” Helmick said. “If they’re getting published, they’re part of a national conversation. Iowa students have the right to know what conversations are taking place around them.”

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“Are we teaching Iowa students what to think or how to think?” Helmick asked. “Removing these topics from curriculum will not stop them from existing.”

Instructional Materials Reconsideration Committees

Many Iowa schools already have a process through which families and community members can request the reconsideration of the use of library or instructional materials.

Last month, the Iowa City school district’s reconsideration committee returned “This Book is Gay” to school libraries. It was temporarily removed earlier this year after two bomb threats were called in to Northwest Junior High School in March.

This was the only formal book reconsideration process in Iowa City schools during the 2022-23 school year. No reconsideration requests were made during the 2021-22 school year.

In the Cedar Rapids Community School District, citizens can make a written complaint against a library book, classroom material or other instructional resource. A committee convenes to provides a context in which differences of opinion and possible selection errors may be examined openly. The committee then makes a recommendation to the superintendent, according to the district’s website.

Complaints are considered and acted upon within thirty school days of receipt in Cedar Rapids schools. Members of the committee include curriculum coordinators, teachers, at least two high school students and at least two parents or community members.,

According to board documents, Cedar Rapids schools reconsideration committee last met March 2, 2022, to discuss and make a recommendation about the 1986 graphic novel “Watchmen,” an American comic book series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, and a National Public Radio article about adverse childhood experiences and survey.

The committee voted unanimously to add language in to the course description in which “Watchmen” was read that “Students in this class will study recurring themes in potentially controversial texts from the United States and around the world.” “Watchmen” is still used in the class.

The NPR article and quiz are optional materials and are not a required class activity, the committee voted.

Iowa schools waiting for guidance

Iowa City schools spokeswoman Kristin Pedersen said the district is waiting on guidance from the Iowa Department of Education and the district’s legal counsel before working through its collection to ensure the books meet the new law.

“As of this moment in time, they have not provided any guidance for removing books that violate the legislature’s new definition of ‘age-appropriate’ materials,” Pedersen said in an email to The Gazette on June 1.

Marion Independent schools Superintendent Janelle Brouwer and Mount Vernon schools Superintendent Greg Batenhorst said they also are waiting for guidance from the Iowa Department of Education before implementing anything.

Some Iowa City classroom teachers will be paid this summer to review and revise curriculum to ensure the books they are using in class are age-appropriate as defined by the law, Pedersen said.

“It has not yet been determined the scope of the work school librarians will be completing over the summer,” she said.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com