Osseo school board rejects book ban by 4-2 vote

The Osseo County School Board has denied a request to remove a book from one of its school libraries.

The board rejected the motion on June 25 by a vote of 4 to 2.

A local resident asked the school district to remove the book “What Girls Are Made Of” by Elana Arnold from the Osseo Area Learning Center library.

A district committee initially rejected the application.

An appeal against this decision was lodged with the school board.

Britt Stuessy, who had submitted the request to have the book removed, stated that its content was not suitable for use in schools.

“The rationale behind this book challenge is not to restrict access to information, but to question the appropriateness of sexually explicit and obscene material in publicly funded school libraries,” she told the school board. “The book in question, ‘What Girls Are Made Of,’ is sexually explicit, obscene and pornographic. It openly promotes and normalizes sexual behavior among impressionable teenage girls.”

The Osseo Area School Board rejected a request to remove “What Girls Are Made Of” by Elana Arnold from the shelves of the Osseo Area Learning Center library.

Osseo School Board votes to keep textbook

Osseo Area School Board member Sarah Mitchell supported removing the book from library shelves.

“Does this book enhance or enrich our district’s curriculum? I don’t think so,” Mitchell said. “Is sexually explicit content appropriate for minors? I think the majority of stakeholders and parents would say no, it doesn’t… Does this book diminish a young girl’s self-esteem? And is that a message we want our district to convey? My concern is that this book does not value a girl’s self-esteem or image, which is the opposite of the mission statement on the wall behind me.”

Board member Heather Douglass also voted to withdraw the book.

Others spoke out against a ban on books.

“We know from history that book bans are designed to erase marginalized communities, and we saw that last year with book contests aimed at LGBTQ students,” said Osseo Area School Board member Tamara Grady. “This book contest shows that book bans are also designed to take away students’ freedom to learn about themselves and others.”

Board member Jackie Mosqueda-Jones said the book could be “very useful for certain students. Do I think every child should read it? No.”

See also: Newsmakers: Rep. Frazier calls book ban bill a “net win”

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