Lang
5/19/23
A book that reportedly led to bomb threats at an Iowa City school has been returned to bookshelves.
A “reconsideration committee” put together by the Iowa City Community School District has voted to return This Book is Gay to school libraries. The June Dawson book is geared towards LGBTQ+ youth who are having difficulty coming out and being openly gay among other adolescents. It 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.
According to school district 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.
Superintendent Matt 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 to the reconsideration committee. The group ruled the book was appropriate for the intended audience, and it was returned to bookshelves.