Alberta’s new school library guidelines make sense

New rules on sexually explicit books in libraries ensure that students only have access to age-appropriate materials

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Should books with sexually explicit content be in school libraries?

If your answer to this question is “no,” then you agree with the Government of Alberta’s recent ministerial order on school libraries. If your answer is “yes,” then you agree with the critics who oppose this order. It is that simple.

Judging by the reaction of the government’s critics, one might think the Alberta government had just enacted a sweeping book ban. However, the guidelines announced by Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides are clearly targeted at sexually explicit content. Unless you believe young children should have access to sexually explicit content at school, it makes little sense to oppose these new guidelines.

Lest one assume no school would allow sexually explicit content in its library, the Alberta government posted excerpts from four American books found in many Alberta school libraries. There is no question that the content in these books is sexually explicit, something any reasonable person can confirm.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), which seems to oppose every announcement this government makes, issued a statement claiming these guidelines would “result in the removal of valuable and inclusive resources from our libraries.” However, it’s unlikely many parents think there’s anything valuable or inclusive about providing children with sexually explicit content.

In its news release, the ATA also argued these guidelines would “have a chilling effect on our schools and signal to students who are coming to understand themselves that some expressions of their gender and sexual identities are shameful and should be hidden away.”

However, these guidelines do not single out or target any gender identity or sexual orientation. Instead, the focus is entirely on books that contain sexually explicit content. Students will still be able to access books that portray a variety of gender identities and sexual orientations from their school libraries. Additionally, these guidelines do not apply to books that address topics such as puberty and menstruation.

Critics argue that these guidelines impose an unreasonable burden on school boards and distract them from more important issues. However, there is nothing unreasonable about requiring school boards to make clear what criteria they use when selecting books for their school libraries. Frankly, this should have already happened years ago.

Regarding the argument that these guidelines distract from more pressing issues in education, nothing in this announcement detracts from other current initiatives in Alberta schools. In fact, the announcement was made in July, one of the slowest times for the education system. If the government really wanted to distract from other issues, one might have expected this announcement to happen in September or October, when the school year is just beginning.

In addition, some school boards have been vocal in their support for these new guidelines. For example, Nicole Buchanan, chair of the board for Red Deer Public Schools, spoke in favour of the library guidelines at a provincial news conference. As part of her remarks, she said, “This isn’t about banning books or silencing voices. It’s about recognizing that some content simply isn’t appropriate in a K-12 setting.”

Buchanan is absolutely right. Just because some things are widely available to students outside of school doesn’t mean they must be accessible within school. For example, as a teacher, I understand many students watch television shows and YouTube videos that contain plenty of profanity. However, that doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for me to use the same words or show the same videos in class.

As a society, we recognize that schools have a responsibility to protect students and ensure they are exposed to positive influences. While we cannot control what students do outside of school, there is certainly an expectation that any content we provide to students in school is age-appropriate. This is true whether we are in the classroom or in the school library.

The Alberta government did the right thing when it introduced guidelines for school libraries. There is nothing unreasonable about ensuring students, particularly those in elementary school, are not exposed to sexually explicit content in school.

Parents and students deserve no less. The Alberta government has made the right decision.

Michael Zwaagstra is a senior fellow with the Frontier Centre for the Public Policy.