Alberta to change rules to ensure books in schools are ‘age-appropriate’ | CBC News

Alberta is bringing in new rules this fall to ensure only “age-appropriate” books are available in school libraries.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said Monday the move was spurred by four coming-of-age graphic novels, most of which depict sexual 2SLGBTQ+ content, found in circulation in Edmonton and Calgary public schools.

Nicolaides, speaking in Calgary, said a group of parents had approached him with concerns about the novels and government employees were sent to schools to confirm the books were available.

“These materials contain nudity and graphic, explicit depictions of sexual acts and images, including oral sex,” Nicolaides said, adding there was also concern about depictions of molestation, self-harm, drug and alcohol use, and derogatory language.

The novels are all by American authors: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, Blankets by Craig Thompson and Flamer by Mike Curato.

Excerpts of the books published by the government to highlight concerns include quotes taken from each and pages of explicit illustrations.

Nicolaides said the government is developing new standards for school officials to determine the appropriateness of library materials. He said the province plans to have the new rules in place in time for the next school year.

Online survey launched

The government also launched an online survey on Monday to gather input from Albertans.

The survey, which is set to close June 6, features 13 questions, including how sexually explicit books should be handled and if parental consent should be required. It also asks who people think should be responsible for determining if a book is age-appropriate, with suggested options of teachers, librarians, other school officials, parents or students.

The minister was adamant the government isn’t embarking on a widespread book ban.

Nicolaides said the government is building missing guardrails as there is no provincewide standard for determining age-appropriateness.

“I want to be clear right from the onset — this is not a question of banning specific books or specific titles but rather establishing clear policies and guidelines for all school divisions to follow.”

He said the government doesn’t have the authority to ban books from schools.

“We want to ensure transparency for parents, so that they know what is available in their school library, and to have a process for complaints and concerns about book materials and other library materials.”

Nicolaides said the government’s concerns are limited to graphic images and depictions of sexual activity. Themes and depictions of graphic violence are “probably not” an issue, he said.

“That’s where I think we need to work to draw some of those lines.”

When asked if he thinks new standards would see 2SLGBTQ+ specific content prohibited, Nicolaides said he didn’t think so.

“This is not related to any kind of particular subject area,” he said.

“If there was a book on astrophysics that had graphic sexual content, I would have the exact same concerns.”

Nicolaides also said he planned to investigate the processes and procedures that led to the novels being on the shelves in the first place. He also stressed the government isn’t embarking on a widespread book ban, saying it doesn’t have the authority to do so.

Premier says parents ‘right to be upset’

Premier Danielle Smith, in a social media post that begins with a content warning, said her government plans to draw a boundary line.

“Albertans deserve to know what’s really being shown to children in some of our K-9 schools,” she said.

“Parents are right to be upset.”

In a joint statement, trustees from the Edmonton and Calgary public school divisions said the government’s announcement came as a “complete surprise” as no concerns had been raised before.

“Both our divisions follow established, rigorous processes to ensure that library resources are age-appropriate and relevant for students,” said the statement, adding both divisions have processes in place for parents and other members of the community to raise concerns about content.

Both divisions said they have pulled the four graphic novels in question from shelves while the content is reviewed. But a lack of communication from the government undermines the working relationship each has with the education ministry, said the statement

A spokesperson for the Calgary Catholic School District said they are in support of the government’s plan to gather feedback regarding age-appropriate books for school libraries. 

The Alberta Teachers’ Association issued a statement saying that while it agrees it’s critically important to make sure materials stocked in school libraries are developmentally and age-appropriate, it has concerns that the government’s approach could prioritize the views of special interest groups with predetermined agendas.

“It seems like there is no coincidence that the government’s announcement on library materials specifically singled out 2SLGBTQIA+ materials. The association welcomes being included in policy decisions concerning school libraries and learning commons spaces,” said association president Jason Schilling. 

The teachers’ group also said decades of what it called education underfunding means school libraries are rarely staffed by “certificated professional librarians or, preferably, teacher–librarians, who can help identify and develop guiding principles for the selection of appropriate materials.”

Jeff Park, executive director of the Alberta Parents Union advocacy group, lauded the announcement. Park encouraged Albertans to take the survey noting that ultimately “one vision of what literature children should be exposed to will triumph over another.”

‘Dubious culture wars’

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents library workers at Edmonton Public Schools, said the government is embarking on “dubious culture wars” to distract from underfunded schools.

“The government should talk to parents, who will tell them book censorship does nothing to solve the real issues students face,” said CUPE Local 3350 president Mandy Lamoureux.

Opposition NDP education critic Amanda Chapman said library materials need to be age-appropriate, but the decision shouldn’t be made by government.

The government said new rules developed would apply to public, separate, francophone, charter and independent schools but not municipal public libraries.