The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom has sent a letter to the superintendent of the Alamogordo, N. M., Public Schools, asking that the district rescind its removal of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere from Alamogordo High School classrooms and the library.
The ban, which was reported last week, came after a parent complained about content on one page of the book. In interviews, Superintendent George Straface has stated that the removal is temporary, pending a review of the book by school administrators.
In the letter, OIF Director Barbara Jones points out that the removal of the book goes against the interests of students – as well as against the stated policies of the school district:
As your own policies emphasize, “Resources shall be recommended for their strengths rather than rejected for their weaknesses, and shall be judged as a whole.”
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ALA letter to Dr Straface