Officials with the Stillwater Area School District have deemed that two books recently acquired by the district can be checked out only by students who have their parents’ permission.
Funding for the purchase of the books, “Grandad’s Pride” by Harry Woodgate and “Call Me Max” by Kyle Lukoff, was recently donated to the district by a community member, district officials said in a statement posted on the district’s website.
“Grandad’s Pride” is about a man’s memories of attending Pride events and the importance of LGBTQ+ history; “Call Me Max” is about a transgender boy.
The community member donated funding for the purchase of more than 30 books to elementary media centers across the school district, officials said.
“As the books were being unpacked, district staff reported that one of the books contained an adult image that may be inappropriate for elementary school students,” according to the statement.
Staff also raised concerns about two other donated books, officials said.
District administration pulled the books for review and determined that “Granddad’s Pride” contains “an adult image (that) is inappropriate for elementary school students,” according to the statement. “‘Call Me Max’ also raises concerns given the age and maturity of the intended audience.”
District officials have decided that both books will be made available only to students with parental permission. “This approach allows for informed decision-making while ensuring continued availability,” officials said.
“The process of adopting these books failed to meet district expectations,” Superintendent Mike Funk said Friday. “The books are restricted so that the families of our youngest students can make an informed decision while ensuring continued availability.”
Later this spring, the school board will consider a new policy that specifically addresses media center resources and includes standards for determining the selection of materials for the media center and for determining when materials should be removed from the media center, district officials said.