WSD BANS ‘THE BLUEST EYE’ ‘The Bluest Eye’ was briefly removed from all libraries within the district by Sruthi Ramesh, Editor-In-Chief of LHStoday
The Wentzville School District’s Board of Education historically voted to remove all Many community members felt uncomfortable with the principle of the Board copies (physical and digital) of “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison from libraries on Jan. of Education having the power to ban books based on what they deemed “appropriate.” 20. It is important to note that this book, published in 1970, was not required by any Wentzville is not alone in facing a surge in challenged material — this is occurring in curriculum used within the district, and the title is only mentioned as a supplementary districts all across the country. reading for students for one particular course taught exclusively in high schools. AP Literature & Composition teacher Mrs. Tarrant-Oliphant understands parents’ “The Bluest Eye” was formally challenged by a community member on Sept. 30, citing concerns about the sensitive topics covered in the selection, but feels as though books like themes of pedophilia, incest, and rape. The book is one of eight that have been challenged “The Bluest Eye” are important for young adults (high school students) to have access to and during the 2021-2022 school year. experience. At the January Board of Education meeting, Director Shannon Stolle originally made “There are difficult and uncomfortable topics that come up in this text, but difficult a motion that night, to “move ‘The Bluest Eye’ by Toni Morrisson to the restricted list for and uncomfortable topics come across our doorways all the time,” explained TarrantAP classes only with parent opt-in requirement.” This would have removed the book from Oliphant. “Insulating people from education is, quite frankly, the first step of oppression. all Wentzville libraries and only allow for Taking literature and books away is what happens when the book to be read upon a parent’s explicit you want people to stop thinking for themselves. It’s approval. In a roll call vote, the motion failed, not right.” 4-3. As referenced in the College Board’s AP 8 books challenged by After more discussion, Secretary Dale Wentzville School District Central, “The Bluest Eye” has previously been used Schaper made a second motion to simply “not as a supplementary text by teachers of “AP Literature constituents: & Composition.” Currently, Liberty High School’s to retain the book.” This motion passed 4-3. Many who came to watch the meeting teacher of this course, Mrs. Tarrant-Oliphant, does not Lawn Boy, Jonathan Evison the night of Jan. 20 were expecting to see a include this book as a part of her curriculum. discussion about COVID-19, but stayed to On the other hand, many who support the Heavy: An American Memoir, Kiese Laymon witness the district’s first-ever ban on a book. removal of this book are relieved that this title But as indicated by how long it has been since is not available to students anymore. Crawford All Boys Aren’t Blue, George M. Johnson the title was challenged and other national spoke at the October 2021 board meeting and Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Alison Bechdel headlines regarding the barring of select titles urged Superintendent Dr. Cain to remove the book from public school libraries, this issue has permanently after she had not heard back from the Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, Isabel Quintero been simmering under the surface for a while. challenge committee. According to the book’s summary, “‘The “This is in no way appropriate (for) a school Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari Bluest Eye’ is the story of 11-year-old Pecola library,” Crawford said during the public forum portion Invisible Girl, Lisa Jewell Breedlove— a black girl in an America whose of the meeting. love for its blond, blue-eyed children can Community members who were against “The The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison devastate all others—who prays for her eyes Bluest Eye” being in libraries continued to speak to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so at board meetings, leading up to the January 2022 that people will look at her, so that her world meeting where the fateful decision was made. will be different. This is the story of the Vanessa Hagedorn expressed her frustrations nightmare at the heart of her yearning and toward the board at the November meeting, saying the tragedy of its fulfillment.” “Why, why, why are us parents, who just want to protect our children, jumping through The debut novel by Nobel-Prize winning author Toni Morrison has been continually hoops to get this trash removed?” included in the American Library Association’s list of most challenged books. As of 2020, Even Timberland student Robert Warren came to declare his stance on the challenged “The Bluest Eye” ranks No. 9 on the list, citing reasons such as “sexually explicit” and material and spoke at the December public forum. “depicts child sexual abuse.” “After I read some of these books, I was grossed out and it made me uncomfortable,” How does a book get removed?: Wentzville community Warren said. member Amber Crawford filed a formal challenge against “The Bluest Eye” on Sept. 30, Beyond Wentzville: The banning of “The Bluest Eye” garnered 2021. As soon as a formal challenge is submitted, the book in question is removed from attention outside of the district, resulting in multiple articles from local and national circulation in both physical and digital form. In the Wentzville School District, the only publications. buildings that had physical copies of “The Bluest Eye” were Holt High School, Timberland The Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Missouri Libraries Association sent a letter High School, and North Point High School. to the board and Superintendent Dr. Cain on Jan. 28 about their decision, encouraging According to the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning Dr. Keri Skeeters, the Board to reexamine their decision. They went on to express a major underlying issue community members must follow a formal process to challenge any type of media. that seems to plague the multiple challenged materials across the nation: the books contain “There is a form that the community member completes, which asks them to provide perspectives of those who belong to marginalized groups— mainly BIPOC and queer several pieces of information— what they object to, what level they object it for (grade level, communities. course requirements), and then they submit that to the superintendent,” Skeeters said. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Wentzville School Once the board receives the formal challenge, the book is removed from libraries, District on Feb. 15, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, on behalf classrooms, and ebook circulation. Within 15 days of receiving the challenge, a committee of two Wentzville School District students. The class-action lawsuit was filed “to stop the made up of nine people is then formed to read the book. During a 20-day process of removal of books that are by and about communities of color, LGBTQ people and other the review process beginning, “the committee shall meet, review the written request for marginalized groups.” reconsideration, read the questioned materials, evaluate, and prepare a written report of Book Is Reinstated: The Wentzville School District Board of its findings and recommendations to the Superintendent of Schools.” (Regulation 6241, Education held a special meeting on Feb. 25 to “revisit the decision to not retain the book BoardDocs) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.” The board voted to rescind the decision they made on The committee formed to review “The Bluest Eye” voted to retain the book on Jan. Jan. 20 (which was to “not retain the book”) and then passed a motion to return the book 13. The final verdict was made up of six votes to retain the book, two votes to retain with back to Wentzville high school libraries. Both motions passed 5-1, with Director Dale restriction, and one vote to not retain. The committee’s report cited reasons such as that Schaper abstaining from both votes. “students are not assigned this book, but rather it is a choice that is one of thousands of In response to the book being reinstated in libraries, the ACLU released a statement books in the library,” and that “as part of an AP choice reading list, it is important for the shortly after the school board meeting. library to retain this book so students can have access.” “This is welcome news, but the fact remains that six books are still banned,” stated “In my time in the curriculum department for about 15 years, we have not had a book Anthony Rothert, Director of Integrated Advocacy of ACLU of Missouri. “…Wentzville’s removed from the library or from classrooms,” Dr. Skeeters said. policies still make it easy for any community member to force any book from the shelves Community Opinion: The removal of the book caused mixed reactions even when they shamelessly target books by and about communities of color, LGBTQ among teachers, students, and community members. people and other marginalized groups.” The Wentzville School District is aware of the lawsuit but has declined to comment on the matter. It is unclear whether the BOE was inclined to schedule the special board meeting News | lhstoday.org because of the filed lawsuit. design by: G. Block
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