In response to a recent provincial directive regarding school literary materials, several Alberta school divisions have removed a number of books from their shelves. However, the specific titles of the removed books have not been disclosed.
The Calgary Board of Education, the largest school division in the province, identified 44 titles to be taken off shelves out of the roughly 700,000 titles available in its libraries. Similarly, Edmonton Public Schools compiled a list of 34 books to be removed from schools, out of their collection of around 480,000 titles.
Both divisions have declined to disclose the list of removed materials, citing them as internal documents. Rocky View Public Schools, located around Calgary, removed 35 titles from shelves to comply with the provincial order, with the removed books only found in high schools.
The Edmonton Catholic School Division removed six titles from shelves, while Elk Island Catholic Schools found no materials that necessitated removal. The Calgary Catholic School District and Red Deer Public Schools also did not find any materials warranting removal.
Last May, Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides indicated that new rules on school library materials were forthcoming after concerns were raised about graphic novels in school libraries. Subsequently, a ministerial order in July required the removal of sexually explicit books from schools by October, leading to the preparation of lists of books to be removed by various school divisions.
The new order, published in September, specifically targeted materials with graphic depictions of sexual acts. All school divisions, charter, and independent schools were required to submit lists of books to be removed. The deadline for adopting new policies on literary material selection and handling requests for material review was set for January 5.
Despite the removal of certain books, concerns have been raised regarding the process and the impact on students and educators. Parents and education professionals are questioning the extent of the issue and the implications of the government’s intervention in school libraries. The lack of transparency around the removed materials has also raised concerns about the erosion of trust in educators and the need for local decision-making in such matters.
