Scales on Censorship: It Takes Three to Tango

Our superintendent has removed Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell's And Tango Makes Three (S & S, 2005) from our library. He had heard that the picture book, which tells the story of a same-sex penguin couple and their child, had been challenged by some school and public libraries. Since nobody in our district has questioned the book's content, is the superintendent's response appropriate?

No, his actions aren't appropriate. There's a good chance that the book will be embraced by your students and parents. They should be given that opportunity. See Board of Education v. Pico, a 1982 case in which the Supreme Court ruled that school officials may not remove titles from school libraries simply because they disagree with the book's content or ideas.

My public library director has asked us to move And Tango Makes Three from the picture-book section to our nonfiction section. Is that a form of censorship?

It's certainly an attempt to restrict access to the book. And Tango Makes Three should be housed where young children can easily access it. Though young readers have a natural interest in nonfiction, they don't always gravitate to that section of the library without guidance. It usually takes a parent or a librarian to lead children to the nonfiction books related to their particular interests. The children in your public library are in luck if they happen to love animals, especially penguins. I recommend that you meet with your director and ask her to reconsider her request.

One of our school board members frequently browses our library's shelves and often asks me to justify the titles in our collection. He typically interrupts me when I'm working with students. In fact, it's gotten to the point where I feel he's harassing me. What should I do?

It's possible that your district has a board policy about visitors during the school day. This policy should include unannounced visits from a school board member. Tell the board member that you're happy to speak with him, but that a more appropriate time to talk would be when school isn't in session. Also, let him know that students are your first priority. You might even suggest a specific time and day for him to drop by. That puts the ball in your court and says you aren't intimidated by him. When you do meet, give him a copy of the materials selection policy. Discuss your policy with him and make sure he understands the library's mission. My bet is that this will satisfy him. If not, seek help from your principal or superintendent.

Our school purchased 900 copies of Sean Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens (Fireside, 1998) for our students, but the principal and district administrators were offended by one of its phrases: "You're not ready to have sex if...." So they've had the phrase covered with a sticker that says, "Fifty reasons not to have sex." Is that legal? By the way, we offer the book in our library collection—without the sticker.

Some states have a law that prohibits anyone from defacing a work of literature or art. My advice is to find out if your state has such a law, and if it does, make sure your administrators are aware of it. Ask whoever selected the title to meet with your administrators and explain how the selection process works and how the book will be used. My guess is that your administrators haven't read the entire book—they're only reacting to what they see as a potential challenge from parents.

Good for you for putting an "uncensored" copy of the book in the library. The actions of the administrators have shown great disrespect to your students, and they've sent a message that censorship is OK. I can assure you that students will try to peel off the stickers. Once they discover that you have the book in its original form, they'll flock to the library to read it.