To the Editor:

I am compelled to write a letter to the editor regarding the current Fahrenheit 451 attitude of the Newtown BOE as they are on the verge of potentially establishing us as a book-banning community. The members are either apparently unaware of their roles to establish and enact policy, or are ignorant of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Academic Freedom & Responsibility policies that exist.

The Connecticut Association of Boards of Education provides guidance on the roles and responsibilities of board members: “The school board is a policy making body and members are the chief advisors to the superintendent on community attitudes. Board members do not manage the day-to-day operations of a school district; they see to it that the district is managed well by professional administrators.” Library books lists are decidedly day-to-day.

The expert panel commissioned by the BOE for a recommendation and the Superintendent they hired made a unanimous decision to keep them. The Board’s job is to support it. If they don’t like the Superintendent’s decision, they are free not to renew his contract. If they don’t like these policies, they can move to redraft or eliminate them.

There are undoubtedly more sexually graphic books in the library than the two LGBTQ texts that have been targeted. The fact that this is being glossed over by the members reflects an outdated understanding of their responsibility to promote inclusivity, per existing policy. ALL students need to find themselves and be validated in the pages of books. Flamer was suggested reading for the CT Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge. Does the Board also know better than the Governor’s expert panel?

Eliminating books that deal with the very real topics of gender and sexual identity and abuse limits the tools with which students can navigate the various situations they will encounter. It’s absurd to think removing these books limits exposure to the topics they cover. It’s comical to think of how many students will now read these books because of the way this situation has been handled.

If they vote to ban the book, in addition to further marginalizing a population of students, they are opening the town up to inevitable lawsuits given the flagrant disregard of Title IX and the 1st and 14th Amendments. As evidenced in the last public meeting, the BOE has no idea how to operationalize the inane compromise that was suggested whereby students of a certain age would need parent permission to check out the book. The fact that this was even entertained is wildly inappropriate as it clearly relates to the school operations that the Board is not empowered to oversee, nor qualified to develop given the majority of their career fields.

I implore the Board to listen to your students, families, and the experts. Newtown clearly has inclusive goals, as reflected in your own policies. Do your job and follow the policies on the books. You will undoubtedly reap what you sow during the next election term. I know you’ve inspired me to consider running.

Meghan G. Martins, EdD

Newtown