'Monday's Not Coming' out of school libraries

Somerset County Board of Education hears book's content

Crisfield-Somerset County Times
Posted 11/24/21

WESTOVER — The book Monday’s Not Coming that was in the libraries of both Crisfield and Washington High schools has been "checked out for an informal review by two administrators" after …

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'Monday's Not Coming' out of school libraries

Somerset County Board of Education hears book's content

Posted

WESTOVER — The book Monday’s Not Coming that was in the libraries of both Crisfield and Washington High schools has been "checked out for an informal review by two administrators" after parent Matt Lankford showed the Somerset County Board of Education a video that raised questions about its content.

The novel by Tiffany D. Jackson about a teenage girl’s disappearance is purportedly appropriate for teen readers but instead parents have criticized its content as being out of bounds for an audience that age.

Mr. Lankford introduced his video by asking "Who picks the library books?" and answers the question tongue in cheek that parents need not worry. "The staff picks them out, and they get help from the professional library, media and literacy organizations. But most of all, they use their own professional judgment."

Mr. Lankford went step by step to checkout the book, and then with a warning that the material was adult in nature there was a recording embedded from a May meeting of the Loudoun County Board of Education when parents took to the podium to read excerpts from the book.

There were descriptions of kidnapping, assault, false imprisonment, underage drinking and raw content of sex acts. "If this is inappropriate for me to read to you, this is inappropriate for our children," one woman tells the board.

Another speaker on the video asked members of the Virginia-based board if they wanted to talk about any of this, but no hands were raised. "Your own Code of Conduct says this is sexual harassment," he said. "We know it because all of us would be fired from our day jobs if we said this crap at work."

Mr. Lankford returns to the video to say, "So much for the reviews from professional library, media and literacy organizations." "Is there really any difference between uncensored hardcore porn letters, and Monday’s Not Coming? Where did the staff professional judgment go? What happened to the superintendent, the board attorney, and the staff working so hard to get this right?"

Mr. Lankford said the public can fight "to get these dirty books banned" despite not having "professional judgment," as parents, grandparents and citizens "know what pervasively vulgar is when we hear it and what is educationally unsuitable when we see it."

He called his video presentation "Episode Number One" about a series of library books that he planned to expose with another book review planned for the December board meeting "to see how it stands up to sunlight."

It took several months for the Somerset County Board of Education to reconcile and amend policies on curriculum and library material selection, and at the October board meeting Mr. Lankford went through the former policies and how they were not followed.

Last school year Mr. Lankford filed an appeal on books used in his son’s ninth grade honors English class at CHS, and that has not been settled. Board attorney Fulton Jeffers pointed out that fact during Mr. Lankford’s comments in October and wanted Mr. Lankford to stop speaking because it was covering information in the complaint, but Mr. Lankford was allowed to continue.

According to Somerset County Public Schools’ Public Relations Specialist Victoria Miele, there has been no formal parent or community inquiry submitted per newly-amended Policy 500-19 which is titled "Selection of Media Center Materials."

She wrote that the review now being taken is informal and because the books are out on review they are not available to students at this time.

"Their return to the library would depend on the results of the informal review," she stated in an email, and would advise whether they would be available to students again.

As for the board after Mr. Lankford’s video members had no comments as is its custom but Chair Penny Nicholson said during her remarks at the end of the Nov. 16 meeting without being specific that some of the presentations were "hard to hear" "but something we need to take to heart."

If a formal complaint about this book or any other book is filed the procedure is for a letter to be sent to the teacher and principal outlining the concerns which is followed by a meeting. If the resolution is unsatisfactory for the complainant the process moves to the superintendent and then to the board if necessary as the final arbiter.

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