Hunter
04/19/23
The Iowa City Community School District has approved three members to serve on a committee to evaluate a book that was pulled from school library shelves.
The Daily Iowan reports the book “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson was removed from all district libraries in response to a series of bomb threats that were made against Northwest Junior High School in March. The emailed threats led to an evacuation of the school on March 23 and 24.
School Superintendent Matt Degner told the DI their decision to evaluate the book allows them to address the threats while also maximizing staff and student safety.
According to policy, community members can formally challenge the appropriateness of school materials by filing a Request for Reconsideration of Instructional and Library Materials Form. Within two weeks, the district must convene a committee consisting of one licensed employee, one teacher-librarian, one administrator, three community members, and two high school students.
Degner appointed Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature Executive Director John Kenyon, Monique Galpin, the president of the African-American Council at the University of Iowa, and former Iowa City Public Library director Susan Craig. Once the rest of the committee is selected, the first meeting on the book will need to be scheduled within ten days.