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The Lexington School Board is facing controversy over a book recently pulled from Lylburn Downing Middle School’s library.
The issue was raised earlier this month when Elizabeth Braman, a mother with five students in the Lexington school system and a teacher at Waddell Elementary, wrote an open letter to the School Board, asking for its removal.
The book in question is “Kiss Number 8,” written by Colleen Venable and illustrated by Ellen Crenshaw. According to the publisher’s summary, “The novel follows the protagonist’s experiences through a series of horrible kisses and humorously explores her sexuality, family, and faith.”
In 2019, the book was long listed for a National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and was included on the New York Public Library’s list of best books for teens.
Braman took issue with the novel’s depictions of Catholic symbols, and with what she feels is an age-inappropriate discussion of sexuality.
The book was brought to her attention by another parent.
“The pages of this book were shown to me by another parent. It had been checked out of the library,” she told The News-Gazette this week.
After reaching out to other parents, she chose to address the School Board directly.
“I contacted the school initially - I wanted to know if this book’s presence in the library was a mistake or somehow an oversight. It was not,” she said.
“Believing that parents had a right to know, I reached out to friends with my letter. It was then posted and shared by others. I directed another letter, which was essentially the same, to the School Board itself.”
In her letter to the School Board, Braman amended her original request to have the book removed to read, “Now that Kiss Number 8 has been removed from the library, would you please ensure that this decision does not get reversed?”
She goes on to make six other requests, including that the School Board, “organize and facilitate regular library open houses, such that parents may come in and see for themselves the books that are actually available to their children.”
Braman’s desire for more parental oversight comes after what she considered an unsatisfactory response by school staff.
“School management did not seem fully aware of the contents, or type of contents, of books in its library,” she told The News-Gazette. “Some parents, even ones who were aware of rumbling controversies regarding library books in general, were shocked when I showed them these specific pages.”
This controversy is something that school administrators are aware of, having had similar complaints in 2022. The school system is actively working to address these concerns, according to Superintendent Rebecca Walters Tuesday.
“In 2022 one of the things we did was add a young adult label, a sticker on all of these books to communicate that they were for more mature readers, and we communicated with families and kids about what that means,” she said.
“Parents can also opt-out of the young adult literature, so if they feel that their student is maybe not mature enough they can opt to not have them check out anything young adult from the library. And if teachers want to use any of those things in their classes, they will communicate it, and give enough information beforehand that families can opt their student out, can ask for a different assignment or different reading material.”
This categorization of books according to age range is largely the reason the book was removed from the middle school, according to Walters.
“Upon review, we found that [Kiss Number Eight] was more appropriative for older students, ages 14-plus, which would be grades 9 through 12,” she said. “Looking at age and grade, we decided it wasn’t best suited for our middle school aged kids.”
Issues of appropriateness are particularly relevant to the middle school, which sees a broad range in terms of student age and maturity.
“The middle school library is a bit of a puzzle. You have students who have just come out of elementary school, you have those who are truly in the middle, and then you have students getting ready to transition into high school,” Walters explained.
“We are a library that serves minors. We’re not a public library, and not a bookstore. We’re looking at the American Library association’s guidelines, looking at what’s appropriate for certain ages, and at what is going to support our students. We want to be confident in the collection that we have, and feel good about the opportunities that provides for our students,” she said.
Others have opposed the school’s decision to remove the book, including 50 Ways Rockbridge, which has started its own petition, which reads, in part, “We object in the strongest terms to any attempt by individuals to dictate changes to the collection based on personal or religious preferences.”
“Please continue to abide by the Virginia Educational Association’s standards of inclusivity and intellectual freedom in school library operations.”
The petition is collecting signatures online, while 50 Ways encourages citizens to go to the next meeting of the Lexington School Board on Oct. 3.
Braman, too, hopes that people will make their opinions known at the meeting.
“Whatever our beliefs may be, I want everyone to be able to make informed decisions,” she told The News-Gazette. “I hope that any publicity surrounding this issue or the upcoming school board meeting will shed light, for everyone, such that all parties, in whatever their relevant capacity, may function more intelligently and effectively.”
While the district continues to work on its materials and guidelines, Walters said administrators are taking community feedback into account.
“We’re listening to feedback. We’ve been working around the clock to come up with more clear guidelines and policies. We’re talking to families,” she said.
“We want to make sure we’re doing our best by the students we serve, and by the families that entrust them to us.”
