Idaho Progressive Group Threatens Legal Action Against Nampa
It looks like the battle over books is not over in Nampa. You recall a school board meeting where the board voted to remove certain books because of inappropriate content. The meeting received significant local media attention covering the board's decision.
Most folks in that school system cheered the Nampa School Board's choice to remove books. Education advocates said parents should have the right to monitor what books their kids are exposed to in the school library. One liberal group has said, 'not so fast, my friend!'
On the other side, folks across the area organized protests saying that the policy is a First Amendment violation.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho (ACLU) has demanded that the school board produce records that they say were excluded from a public records request. The group sent the letter to the superintendent and the board of trustees. 22 books were removed from the Nampa School District.
The ACLU of Idaho issued a the following written statement, "“The Trustees made their rash decision without following regular and unbiased procedures for reviewing the books after just one parent complained. That sole parent ultimately abandoned her challenge to four of those books. The Trustees also ignored the recommendations of School District staff that at least six and as many as 16 of the challenged books contained ‘little or no sexual content’ and should have remained on library shelves,” said Aadika Singh, ACLU of Idaho legal director.
Will the ACLU Sue Nampa?
A story like this is good for the ACLU. It will attract a ton of media attention which means more money and more donations for the group. A lawsuit will only further divide a community and the district. Perhaps the ACLU would better serve the public if they took on on state government agencies that fail to comply with sunshine and public records requests.