Utah School District Places Book About Lesbian Moms Behind Counter

Update (June 1, 2012): Utah Librarians Fear Decision About Lesbian Mom Book Sets Bad Precedent (via SLT)
From The Salt Lake Tribune:

A picture book about a lesbian couple raising a child was removed from the shelves of elementary school libraries in Davis County after a group of parents raised objections about the suitability of the story.
In Our Mother’s House by Patricia Polacco remains accessible at schools in the Davis School District, but only if a student presents a permission slip from a parent to check out the book, said district spokesman Chris Williams.
The decision to keep the book “behind the counter” in libraries followed an April 30 meeting during which a seven-member committee determined the book didn’t align with district curriculum standards. The committee, comprised of teachers, administrators and parents, voted 6-1 to keep the book off shelves, with a high school librarian casting the dissenting vote.
“State law says schools can’t have anything in the curriculum that advocates homosexuality,” Williams said. “That is why it is now behind the counter.”

Read the Complete Article
Davis School District Policy
via The Salt Lake Tribune

Filed under: Libraries, School Libraries