'Handmaid's Tale,' 'Slaughterhouse-Five': KC area schools now ban these books and more

[mahatmakanejeeves]

‘Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’: KC area schools now ban these books and more

BY SARAH RITTER UPDATED OCTOBER 03, 2022 9:39 AM

For months now, a handful of books dealing with LGBTQ themes have been targeted by Kansas City area conservative parent groups and politicians. But facing a new Missouri law, some schools have now removed a much wider array of books from library shelves, including “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “Watchmen” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

The law, which bans sexually explicit material from schools and went into effect in late August, is tucked into a larger bill addressing sexual assault survivors’ rights. Librarians or other school employees who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor, risking up to a year in jail or a $2,000 fine. ... In response, several school libraries have pulled at least 20 book titles in districts on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro, according to reports provided to The Star through open records requests.

The legislation specifically prohibits images in school materials that could be considered sexually explicit, such as depictions of genitals or sex acts. As a result, most of the banned books are graphic novels. The law does provide some exceptions, such as for works of art or science textbooks. ... Proponents argue the legislation will protect children from inappropriate content and indoctrination.

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Kansas City area school districts, including Independence, instructed staff to remove books determined to have sexually explicit content following a new Missouri law. The list in Independence includes “Watchmen” and “Slaughterhouse-Five,” according to a presentation obtained by The Star. Independence school district

BOOKS PULLED FROM SHELVES

In Independence, district administrators instructed staff to remove a dozen graphic novels from library shelves that they determined had sexually explicit content. ... They included Kurt Vonnegut’s American classic “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “Watchmen” by Alan Moore, “Blankets” by Craig Thompson and “Home After Dark” by David Small, according to a presentation to staff obtained by The Star.

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This story was originally published October 3, 2022 5:30 AM.

SARAH RITTER Sarah Ritter covers K-12 education for The Kansas City Star. Formerly a reporter for the Quad-City Times, Sarah is a graduate of Augustana College.

https://twitter.com/sarahgritter
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[Joinfortmill]

1. Any book they ban should be required reading

[RoverSuswade]

2. When I was a junior in high school our principal banned Peyton place

But you know what it backfired because all my buddies got a copy and we went off some place and reddit so fuck you book banners it won't fucking work

[Itchinjim]

3. I first read "Slaughterhouse 5" in my CATHOLIC high school.

An actual nun recommend to me. What the hell is wrong with these people?

[MuseRider]

4. Why the bother?

This must all be for political cred. Every one of these books can be downloaded and read at the leisure (or during boring false history class). If I still had a kid I would be downloading every book that was banned and reading them to my kids or having them available to them at all times. I have a granddaughter who is in school in Missouri. She is in tiny pre-school but will be going to a Missouri public school soon enough. My son will take care of this, at least in their home, radical guy that he has become.