'Why can't we have our own mind?': Central York speaks out on book ban

“Why can’t we have our own mind — our own voice?”

That was the question Central York High School junior Favor Gabriel asked her elected school board during a more than 2-hour-long meeting Monday night that centered around the district's second book ban in the span of three years.

The school board did not respond to Gabriel's question at the meeting but did discuss two policy changes that district officials are considering that could result in the removal of even more books from classrooms and libraries.

Led by Superintendent Peter Aiken, Central York officials outlined two policies that the school board is expected to vote on April 17. The first would lay out a specific sequence of events allowing parents to submit written challenges to books used in the classroom. The second would require all teaching materials to be approved by the school board.

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A third policy, which hasn't yet been written and would not be considered at next month's school board meeting, would govern complaints from parents about library materials.

Monday's contentious board meeting came after two books — including Sapphire's "Push," an account of childhood abuse and teen pregnancy — were removed from Central York High School's library following parent complaints. The latest book ban prompted a student-led protest, including the circulation of a petition to reverse the ban. Some students have opted to wear red, the color of the "Push" book cover, to register their opposition to censorship.

Angry and hurt: Gabriel, one of dozens of people who spoke out at the meeting, said she felt angry and hurt when she heard the book was removed. 

“A book was banned that stars a main character that looks like me,” she said, adding she may not have the experiences, but she can generally relate.

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Gabriel said students should be involved in these decisions, noting that the policies the school district is considering don't allow for that.

Process not 'fool-proof': Aiken, meanwhile, asked for patience and grace as the district figures out its next steps.

“If nothing else, we were going to follow a process this time,” he said. “Was it a fool-proof process? No.”

Aiken noted that he wasn't around in 2021, when the school board banned teachers from using about 200 materials on the district's Diversity Resource List. He added that the district has learned some important lessons over the past three or four weeks, amid the blowback from its removal of the two library books.

“There’s no playbook for this,” he said.

Central York, as Aiken noted, is far from the only district struggling with parent complaints and the question of whether to ban certain books.

According to PEN America, Pennsylvania ranks third in the nation for school book bans — with Central York leading the pack thanks to its 2021 book ban — based on data collected between July 2021 and June 2022.

As Central York's policy currently sits, challenges must be submitted in writing to the building principal and assistant superintendent, who will meet with the teacher and department chairperson to review the material. The challenge can be escalated to a review committee, made up of administrators and staff, to inspect the material. The final escalation steps could be moving the complaint to the superintendent and to the board. 

“That [policy] will not be used going forward,” board member Amy Milsten said Monday night.

No policy for library books: The policy and curriculum committee members discussed the issue before the meeting. Board member Vickie Guth pointed out during the curriculum and policy meeting that material policy review is about resource materials but doesn’t specifically apply to libraries. 

“How do you deal with the complaint because it doesn’t fit into things defined by policy 109?” Guth said.

Resident Marie Damiano said that while this policy wasn't supposed to about library materials, it was used to ban two books.

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Guth said when there isn’t a policy for a specific event, another policy that states the administration or superintendent can deal with the matter at their discretion, bring it to the board and decide on how to proceed. From her understanding, Aiken and his staff did what they thought was right, even if there was no specific policy. 

After some discussion on the regulations and policy, the committee settled on creating a policy for library materials that are not used in the classroom curriculum. They will try to get that new policy done quickly, with an administrative regulation that the board can approve but not write. Guth said this has to be fast-tracked because it will remain “an open-ended issue until it’s resolved.”

Aiken told the committee the books in question are pulled from the library. For now, he said, there are no plans to return either "Push" or the other banned book, Sarah J. Maas’ “A Court of Mist and Fury,” to the library until after they go through these new policy and rating systems.

“I cannot in good conscience put this back out there without first having a committee look at this again,” he said.

From his vantage point, these books should not be read independently by students. Aiken noted that he'd like to seek input from a social worker or counselor on the value of challenged books.

Transparency a concern: Milsten said the board found out about the situation at the same time the public did, noting that transparency is another goal for the district in this process.

She and board member Rebecca Riek agreed that what parents think is right for their children may not be right for all children. 

“Look out for your kids," Riek said. "But I don’t think it's fair to say that it's not OK for other kids."

Riek said she's in favor of transparency because everyone has the right to know what books are challenged and be given a chance to speak their opinions about them before a decision is made. 

Riek added the administration admitted a vetting process for these books will be extremely difficult and any input would be welcome. 

“Students have constitutional rights, just like we do as adults,” she said. “And when we do remove something from circulation, that is possibly a violation of student rights.”

'I can't stomach it': Board member Danielle Allison, meanwhile, said she started reading "Push" amid the controversy.

“I can’t stomach it,” she said, noting that she worried about students being traumatized by the book.

Aiken said the review committee, which was made up of two administrators, two teachers and a librarian, did not include a social worker or counselor. He said in hindsight, that could have helped. 

“We’re going to attempt to make this right,” he said. 

He asked listeners to help find a way to work together and solve this, as the district's roughly 6,000 students watch the community discuss this. 

Varied perspectives from community: Dozens of community members spoke out Monday, with numerous perspectives on the book ban.

Parent Kara Kowalski argued that the banned books were tantamount to pornography.

"If this is too vulgar for adults, why is it anywhere near schools,” she said.

Another parent, Benjamin Walker, said the district needs to go back to drawing board.

"Don't segregate our libraries," he said, specifically speaking out against the district's plan to create a rating system for acceptable books.

Noah Riek, a Central graduate and board member Rebecca Riek's son, pointed out that Hitler's "Mein Kampf" is currently on the shelves of the library — a fact confirmed by the school's online library catalog.

But Riek wasn't speaking in favor of removing "Mein Kampf."

Instead, he said, difficult texts help students understand humanity and see the world more clearly.

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Central York High School English teacher Patricia Jackson, meanwhile, read a letter from "Push author Sapphire, stating: “‘Push’ heals, ‘Push’ teaches, but most of all ‘Push’ is about love.”

The Central York School Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. April 17 at 775 Marion Road, York. The meeting can also be viewed on the district's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWkB16bFmoScfZyxCVIuXhQ/.