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Some stay, some go as Dearborn school district decides on book challenges

Some parents file lawsuit in library book challenge situation

DEARBORN, Mich. – It has been a controversial issue in Dearborn, and Monday, the school district addressed what it plans to do with several books deemed inappropriate by some parents.

The book ban all started over the summer when a parent challenged some books found in school libraries, most of which were LGBTQ-themed. That led to a heated school board meeting last month, which more than 600 people attended.

More: Hundreds pack Dearborn school board meeting to discuss 6 books under review

The conclusion of that internal review so far is not sitting well with parents who are demanding those six books be removed for good.

Those six books are:

  • “Push” by Sapphire;
  • “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold;
  • “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell;
  • “Red, White and Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston;
  • “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson; and
  • “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson.

“The Dearborn school of education, you guys, have been served with a notice of claim and the intent to sue by attorney Darren Wesley,” said a man.

Parents and community members continued to challenge the district. An internal review conducted by a media specialist resulted in The Lovely Bones remaining on high school shelves; Eleanor and Park will be pulled from middle schools but will be available to high school students.

Push, and Red, White, and Royal Blue were deemed inappropriate and will be removed from both high school and middle school libraries.

A decision has yet to be made on All Boys Aren’t Blue and This Book is Gay.

“If we just arbitrarily walked through a library based on the title and started pulling books off of the shelves, that would be wrong to do,” said David Mustonen. “Just as it is wrong if there is inappropriate material in the libraries as well.


About the Authors
Pamela Osborne headshot

Pamela Osborne is thrilled to be back home at the station she grew up watching! You can watch her on Local 4 News Sundays and weeknights. Pamela joined the WDIV News Team in February 2022, after working at stations in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Brandon Carr headshot

Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.

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