Update 02/03/2020:
Officials voted unanimously to retain Raina Telgemeier’s Drama in an elementary school library in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Original Post 01/30/2020:
The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to Dr. Boyd Brown, Superintendent of Laramie County School District No. 1 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to urge the school district to retain graphic novel Drama, by Raina Telgemeier, in school libraries. The district is considering a challenge filed by a parent in the community who argued that books “normalizing” the LGBTQ community should not be available to children.
Joined by NCAC’s Kids’ Right to Read partners Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the American Booksellers for Free Expression, NCAC is asking Dr. Brown to uphold the unanimous decision of Saddle Ridge Elementary School’s Building Reconsideration Committee to retain the book. As the letter notes,
“The committee’s investigation and statement of reasons for its recommendation were commendably thorough. The committee explicitly addressed the concerns of the parent who issued the challenge; included findings regarding the age levels of students in the state who express interest in reading the book; references to the book’s reviews in professional library and teaching journals; and an assessment of the themes of the book.
The committee notes that the parent who issued the challenge has accepted the school’s offer to flag the account of the child so that he or she cannot check out material with themes of which the parent does not approve. In addition, the committee endorsed steps to ensure that parents are more aware of what materials are available in the library, and the reasons that those materials are selected. This indicates that the committee understood both that many parents are uncomfortable with their children being exposed to LGBTQ books and media, and also that a single parent cannot dictate that all students must be denied access to that material. The decision thus addresses the concerns of parents, while respecting and honoring their students’ freedom to read, to learn, and to grow.”
Read the full letter to the school district below. Click here for a full screen view: