Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools tells staff not to ‘explicitly’ celebrate Banned Books Week

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools this week quietly told librarians not to explicitly observe Banned Books Week in school — again.

The last week in September is Banned Books Week , a national initiative launched in 1982 that’s intended to draw attention to the harms of censorship and highlight “the value of free and open access to information,” according to the event’s website.

The American Library Association uses the week to educate the general public about historic attempts to censor books and to celebrate the freedom to read. Schools and libraries around the country, including in CMS, have held events and created library displays in the past marking the event and informing readers about the dangers of censorship. Last year, a public relations fiasco prompted Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools to walk back a directive prohibiting schools from observing the week.

CMS leadership told staff Monday they shouldn’t make displays or hold events that specifically highlight Banned Books Week. Any displays should, instead, “promote reading in general.”

Leaders said this year’s decision was made to maintain neutrality and abide by district guidelines.

“The district maintains a neutral stance on the celebration of (Banned Books Week), and while we fully support promoting ethical access to and use of resources, we must ensure that any displays or activities remain in compliance with district policies,” a district spokesperson wrote in a message sent to digital learning and library staff Monday. “Media Coordinators are encouraged to promote reading and literacy in alignment with our curriculum, but without explicitly celebrating (Banned Books Week).”

The letter, which The Charlotte Observer obtained from both CMS and community members, was not signed. However, the district said the guidance was issued by its academic leadership team.

The letter went on to cite the district’s process for selecting and reviewing library materials and the required criteria, including that content is age-appropriate.

Banned Books week decision response

Stacy Staggs is a CMS parent and an organizer with Public School Strong , a public education advocacy group in North Carolina. By asking librarians not to celebrate Banned Books Week, CMS is not truly maintaining neutrality on the event, she said.

“Had they written that email without the explicit direction to not celebrate Banned Books Week, they might be able to claim neutrality, but that’s not what they wrote” Staggs said. “There is a clear directive in that communication to not talk about Banned Books Week.”

Staggs says it’s a misguided attempt to avoid ruffling feathers over Senate Bill 49, titled the Parents Bill of Rights. The NC law, which passed in August 2023, prohibits “instruction on gender identity, sexuality and sexual activity” for grades K through 4. It doesn’t, however, define those terms or what constitutes “instruction.”

Book banning efforts increased in North Carolina in recent years, as well as across the United States. Books that contain LGBTQ+ content and books by authors of color are disproportionately challenged nationwide.

The American Library Association reported 4,240 unique titles were targeted for removal or restriction in 2023, a 65% increase from 2022. Preliminary data shows that more than 47% of challenges targeted LGBTQ+ titles in the first eight months of 2023. Of the top 10 most challenged books of 2023, seven contained LGBTQ+ content.

An analysis by researchers at the University of Colorado found authors of color, particularly women of color, were 4.5 times more likely to be banned than white authors in 2022.

Staggs says the district’s decision delivers a worrying message to marginalized students and staff.

“Those are groups whose voices are being pulled off the shelves,” Staggs said. “When CMS gave that directive, they’re promoting the erasure of these marginalized groups…That affects students when they don’t feel safe.”

By contrast, Brooke Weiss, chair of the Mecklenburg County chapter of Moms for Liberty, says the district made the right call.

“I appreciate the directive because there have been incidents in the past where highly sexualized material was promoted, and parents had no idea that kind of age-inappropriate material was available to their children in an educational setting,” Weiss said. “It’s easier to make things clear ahead of a potential incident than to try to clean up and explain matters after one occurs.”

2023 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools decision

CMS’ statement is notably gentler than the initial directive it issued this time last year — when principals were told to cancel all events, displays and any other communications planned for Banned Books Week.

“‘Banned Book Week’ is not aligned with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools academic curriculum or our pillars of excellence. It is not something we teach in our classrooms or as supplementary material for out of school learning,” Shayla Cannady, then-communications chief for CMS wrote to principals Sept. 29, 2023. “Under the Parents’ Bill of Rights, any attempts to share material in relation to Banned Book Week could be seen as a violation of the measure.”

After complaints from staff and community members as well as media coverage, CMS walked back its earlier directive.

“We are not taking a position on banned book week as it is a site-based decision,” Cannady wrote in a follow-up message that evening. “It is not a violation or in any way associated with Parents’ Bill of Rights.”

CMS has erred on the side of caution in its attempts to abide by Senate Bill 49 since the legislation passed. It became one of the first districts in the state to make changes to its policies in response to the law and came under fire earlier this year for discontinuing use of a popular e-book app district officials were concerned could violate the law.

Staggs says she fears CMS simply changed the tone of its message this year, rather than the intent to discourage celebration of Banned Books Week.

“I think CMS recognizes they mishandled last year’s communication, but rather than change their directive or recognizing the importance of Banned Books Week, they changed the delivery,” she said.

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