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Fayetteville School Library Book debate
Fayetteville resident Laurie Taylor has made a proposal to place certain Fayetteville Public School library books she considers to be inappropriate for students on a restricted access shelf. Fayetteville School District patrons received a chance to voice their opinions on whether to restrict student access to certain school library books at a special town hall meeting. The Fayetteville School board eventually decided by a narrow margin not to restrict access to certain books. The stories below cover the issue from its beginings through the decision by the school board and the aftermath.
School board spends much of 2005 debating books
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
The Fayetteville School Board knew there would be issues to deal with in 2005. The ongoing construction of the new K-7 school on Rupple Road and redrawing attendance zones over the summer were a couple it anticipated. - Sunday, January 1, 2006
Taylor becomes public figure with war against books
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
Local resident Laurie Taylor’s tenacious campaign for restricted access to school library books sparked a huge debate within the community and made her the Northwest Arkansas Times’ choice for 2005 Newsmaker of the Year. - Sunday, January 1, 2006
Times Editorial : A good sign
To read excerpts from "Push" is to blush. To be offended. To be disgusted. To be enraged. To be saddened. And, maybe most of all, to be perplexed that such a volume might have somehow found its way onto the shelves of the Fayetteville High School Library. Really, it doesn’t much matter where you stand on the First Amendment, or whether you’re entirely supportive of a child’s right-to-know anything at any age — appropriate standards be damned. Thumb through this text sometime, and there’s hardly any way you won’t feel one of the emotions listed above. It’s just that kind of literature. - Thursday, October 6, 2005
Taylor joins UA debate team for discussion of library books
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
The University of Arkansas debate team took turns Wednesday evening arguing for and against local resident Laurie Taylor’s proposal to place certain Fayetteville Public School library books on a restricted access shelf. - Thursday, October 6, 2005
School committee says ‘crude’ book to stay in FHS library
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
While conceding the book "Push" has crude language and explicit descriptions of sexual acts, an appointed materials review committee has ruled it can remain in Fayetteville High School library. - Wednesday, October 5, 2005
UA debate team addressing school’s recent book issue
Northwest Arkansas Times
The University of Arkansas debate team has announced that it will sponsor a formal debate today on the "recent discussion of banning books" in Fayetteville Public School libraries. - Wednesday, October 5, 2005
Books wonít be restricted
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
A restricted access shelf for certain library books is not an option, the Fayetteville School Board decided at a special meeting Thursday evening. The meeting, held in the Fayetteville High School Bates Annex, lasted about two hours and least 70 people attended. - Friday, September 16, 2005
Times Editorial : Back to the books II
Fayetteville School District patrons can be proud of what happened Tuesday night in one respect: At a public forum called to discuss the district’s policies regarding library book selection and access, most of the 300 people treated each other with respect. - Thursday, September 15, 2005
The great book debate
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
Fayetteville School District patrons received a chance to voice their opinions on whether to restrict student access to certain school library books at a special town hall meeting organized by the school board Tuesday evening. - Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Times Editorial : Back to the books
Today’s the day. After months of debate, at times acrimonious, today marks the Fayetteville School Board’s official recognition that the discussion over library books needs its own venue and time to be thoroughly considered. - Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Plans set for public meeting on library books
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
Whether student access to certain books in Fayetteville Public School libraries should be restricted has been one of the most talked about community issues this year. - Thursday, September 8, 2005
District hosting public meetings to discuss boundaries, books
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
The Fayetteville School District will host two meetings, one Tuesday and another the following Tuesday, to discuss two ongoing issues. - Thursday, September 1, 2005
WHAT GIVES : Finding a solution
Greg Harton gregh@nwarktimes.com
Fayetteville’s raging debate over which books deserve a place on the shelves of Fayetteville public school libraries is reaching a fever pitch as school gets under way and school officials recognize they will have to deal with parents who want changes made. - Sunday, August 28, 2005
School board president wants public meeting for book debate
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
Fayetteville School Board president Steve Percival on Thursday evening outlined a plan to address and hopefully resolve the ongoing debate about the content of certain books in school libraries. - Friday, August 26, 2005
Times Editorial : Next step
Something of worth recently took place at the Fayetteville Public Library. Specifically, the policy regarding a challenge of library materials found itself somewhat altered. Generally speaking, polices on the Reconsideration of Library Materials were determined to be "lacking in several key areas." And so, revisions were made. - Friday, August 26, 2005
Parents unite
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
There’s a new organization in town — Parents Protecting the Minds of Children. - Friday, August 19, 2005
IN FOCUS : Mrs. Taylor
Don Elkins done@nwarktimes.com
Itold her the other day that what she’s done has become "the story of the summer" in Northwest Arkansas. She blamed or credited me for that, but I don’t believe her. Seems if you write a newspaper column anywhere in the Natural State, you’ve had to weigh in on Laurie Taylor and her "one woman crusade" to clean up literature in Fayetteville’s public schools. - Friday, August 19, 2005
Times Editorial : A formal complaint
Awar of words. That’s Laurie Taylor’s legacy ever since she became a known quantity in this community. - Friday, August 12, 2005
Times Editorial : Mixed signals
Maybe it’s just us — read the letters; some folks seem to think it is — but we could have sworn plenty of people in this town held a pretty serious grudge against the Fayetteville School Board. So much so, in fact, that we were under the impression that were a school board election to occur in this atmosphere, those members facing re-election were in for a tough time. - Wednesday, August 10, 2005
A vulgar discussion
Local resident Laurie Taylor’s attempts at protecting children from vulgar, sexually-explicit material available in Fayetteville Public Schools has become quite the tempest, and there’s more to come. - Monday, August 8, 2005
Parent files first formal complaint over questionable books
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
A Fayetteville parent who claims Fayetteville Public School libraries contain too many sexually explicit books has filed her first formal complaint for the 2005-2006 school year. - Saturday, August 6, 2005
Residents voice opinions on student access to books
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
The content of certain books in Fayetteville Public School libraries continued to be an issue at the Fayetteville School Board meeting Thursday evening. - Friday, July 29, 2005
IN FOCUS : A primal, base emotion
Don Elkins done@nwarktimes.com
"Where fear is present, wisdom cannot be." — Lactantius Those words from a long gone poet and philosopher of early Christianity seem apt today, because again, fear darkens America. Anything and everything that threatens us, or looks scary can become a cause celebre for anyone looking for a soapbox, or any politician looking to get ahead. If we can’t stop an enemy, that won’t stop us from making someone pay, or finding danger in the shadows. And, as Lactantius said, that’s when the wisdom hits the bricks. - Friday, July 29, 2005
National anticensorship group joins fight over FHS library books
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
The National Coalition Against Censorship, based in New York City, is taking an interest in the recent debate over the content of some books in Fayetteville Public School libraries. - Sunday, July 17, 2005
Times Editorial : Censorship?
On June 23, the Times reported that during the course of investigating the Fayetteville School District’s library system, local resident Laurie Taylor had come across no fewer than 70 "sexually explicit" books. During a conversation last week, Taylor told us the process of creating a final list of library books deserving of serious review is ongoing. - Sunday, July 3, 2005
Parent files complaint about 70 ‘sexually explicit’ books in school libraries
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
The Fayetteville School District has a procedure for parents to file formal complaints against school library books they find inappropriate. - Thursday, June 23, 2005
Times Editorial : Fayette-heit 451
Spring’s lingering debate over the appropriateness of sexually explicit material in some libraries of Fayetteville Public Schools reached a conclusion recently with the adoption by the Board of Education of new rules proposed by Superintendent Bobby New that struck a wise balance between competing viewpoints. - Saturday, June 4, 2005
School board votes on books
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
After 2/2 hours of discussion Thursday night, the Fayetteville School Board was still divided on how to respond to three library books that have come under fire for being sexually explicit. - Friday, May 27, 2005
Committee: Book is perfectly normal
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
An appointed committee has ruled against a parent’s complaint that a sex education book should be banned from the Fayetteville Public Schools’ library system. - Thursday, March 10, 2005
