Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reverses ban on Banned Books Week events at schools
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools quickly reversed a ban Friday on Banned Books Week events planned in schools.
In an email to principals Friday afternoon, a CMS spokeswoman warned that the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week Oct. 1-7 “is not aligned with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools academic curriculum or our pillars of excellence.
“It is not something we teach in our classrooms or as supplementary material for out of school learning,” CMS chief communications officer Shayla Cannady said in the message, a copy of which was obtained by The Charlotte Observer.
WFAE first reported about the message.
“Please do not out any communication on ‘Banned Book (sic.) Week’ or use school resources to promote or communicate about this observance,” Cannady wrote. “This includes but is not limited to daily announcements on the loudspeaker, visuals on screens, bulletin board displays, book displays in the media center or in classrooms.
“Additionally, please do not hold any book readings or offer suggestions for resources for staff and students,” the message continued.
CMS had learned that some schools planned events to mark the week, Cannady said in the message.
“If this is the case, all principals are requested to cancel all events and messaging associated with this observance,” she wrote.
By Friday night, CMS reversed course.
“We are not taking a position on banned book week as it is a site-based decision,” according to a follow-up message Cannady sent to principals after 8 p.m. “It is not a violation or in any way associated with Parents Bill of Rights.”
It was not immediately clear Saturday what prompted the ban on planned Banned Books Week events and the later lifting of the ban.
Friday night’s follow-up email, provided to the Observer by Susan Vernon-Devlin, CMS executive director of communications, said only that CMS “received several inquiries about whether the information shared earlier about Banned Book (sic.) Week was mandatory for distribution.
“The original message shared by the Communications Division was shared in response to several principal requests about the observance,” Cannady wrote.
CMS employees clearly weren’t pleased by the edict, Stacy Staggs of Mecklenburg County’s chapter of Public School Strong told the Observer Friday night.
Multiple CMS employees reached out to her that night about the CMS email, she said.
“The recent community engagement survey collected 60,000 pieces of feedback from the community and the No. 1 topic is literacy,” Staggs said. “Specifically, early literacy. They can’t come for books and expect people to be quiet about it.”
The annual Banned Books Week has been around for at least 40 years, according to the American Library Association.
“By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship,” according to the association website ALA.org.
This story was originally published September 30, 2023 at 11:57 AM.