As a veteran public school librarian, I have seen my share of changes in the field of education. Nothing in my 24 years of education prepared me for the attacks on intellectual freedoms and Big Brother book banning that is sweeping across our nation like a plague. 

The public has a responsibility to serve as one set of checks to our government. In the sphere of public education, we have allowed nonexperts to dictate policy. One extreme case of this is on display in Oklahoma. The state superintendent, who is embroiled in numerous lawsuits, hired a controversial, social media starlet to head the Oklahoma State Library Advisory Committee. She has no background, degrees or experience in library services or teaching, and is linked to dozens of bomb threats against libraries.

There is no other area of government spending that allows this kind of public input, oversight and control. Long gone are the days in which voting and speaking at meetings was how the public demonstrated their approval or disapproval of school systems. A tiny percentage of mostly non-stakeholders has been allowed and become so embolden that they are shaping public education in America into an unrecognizable non-educator-lead swamp. This isn’t about voicing concerns or questioning what’s best for kids; this is an orchestrated and highly funded attempt to end free public education.

In the Clark County School District (CCSD) we have robust laws to help protect this kind of large government or “nanny” oversight, which is on display at most district board meetings. CCSD policies 6161 and 6150, which I was instrumental in getting passed, require that all school libraries have a diverse and age-appropriate collection and are led by a licensed teacher librarian.

While we are temporarily insulated by the above policies, the CCSD Board of Trustees seems far too willing to allow these groups to spread messages of hate and allows hate speech to be spouted at each and every board meeting. They are in clear violation of Nevada open meeting laws covered under NRS 241 and even CCSD policies regarding decorum, which were updated just 18 months ago. The hate speech that is allowed at meetings keeps stakeholders and community members away from meetings.

As the Southern Nevada chapter co-chair of Defense of Democracy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that “educates the public about importance of inclusivity and emotional and physical safety in public school and library systems, I am in a position to have monthly listening sessions in which community members, educators and other true stakeholders express their fears of attending trustee meetings because of the consistent behaviors on display. On multiple occasions I have expressed my concerns via email to district and trustee leadership. 

What we need is a school board that is willing to stop the madness on display at board meetings. One such example that was directed at me personally and to former Superintendent Jesus Jara happened at the end of public comment at a CCSD board meeting on Dec. 14, 2023. Not only was the chapter chair of Moms for Liberty microphone cut off, she was escorted out of the meeting by law enforcement, screaming into my face and yelling, “This teacher and Dr. Jara are grooming children and trafficking them.” Although most of her tirade was muted from the televised video, there were dozens of people in attendance who witnessed this. This type of behavior has been tolerated at board meetings at the district for more than a year. The board allows teachers, administrators and even children to be publicly attacked and threatened at these meetings, with calm chidding warnings that do absolutely nothing.

The Southern Poverty Law Center labeled one group with ties to the valley “an anti-government hate group,” while it is often referred to on news outlets and dozens of social media sites as “domestic terrorists.”  

The true cost of these book banning attempts does not end with our freedoms as Americans. The fiscal impact is not something that most taxpayers in the Las Vegas Valley are willing to pay. A single individual, who does not have a student at any school in CCSD, filed a book challenge for the same book in five high schools in the valley (at the time of publication). The organization that this individual represents files these frivolous blanket bans all over the country. It was no surprise that the local chapter would finally try the same in Vegas.

CCSD has a policy and procedure for book bans that has been in place for decades. This process recently cost taxpayers and this community approximately $5,000 in salaries and time for one book challenge at one valley high school. Every school in the district has a library committee. The members of this group are teachers, the librarian, administration and parents. All committee members must read the book and take notes as needed. The committee must then meet and discuss the book challenge.

Although this is a low estimate, it is fair to say that one book challenge costs this community thousands of dollars.

All materials that are in CCSD libraries have already been vetted by professionals, approved by site-based leadership and follow district policies regarding collection development. I have personal updates on three of the five recent book bans here in CCSD; the decision made by those committees at three high schools was unanimously to leave the book in question on the shelf.  

Do not be fooled by these outlandish and disturbing allegations. They aren’t just banning books about the LGBTQ+ community; they don’t want you to read about civil rights heroes such as Ruby Bridges. They are trying to erase the history of a woman who is still alive. 

More books about race and social-emotional well-being have been banned by hate groups than books about LGBTQ+ topics. According to Pen America, 30 percent of the books banned in 2022 were about race or persons of color, while only 26 percent of banned books were about LGBTQ+ topics or persons.

Make no mistake, this is a national movement to erase people of color and their history from our public schools. I believe that it is our fiscal responsibility as residents of this valley to ensure that a couple of  individuals are not effectively costing public education thousands of dollars to release our books from bondage. We should not listen to unstable radicals that have no training or experience in librarianship. We should not allow our educators to be publicly shamed with no accountability.  

If you are reading this and you aren’t sure what to do to help, please consider coming and speaking in support of educators at a CCSD board meeting, post your support on social media or reach out to organizations that are combating these nationally organized efforts to disrupt public education and public libraries. 

Nichole Beer has taught in public education for more than 20 years, primarily in elementary school libraries. She serves on the editorial board of the academic journal, The Political Librarian. She is the founder and co-chair of the Defense of Democracy, Southern Nevada.

The Nevada Independent welcomes informed, cogent rebuttals to opinion pieces such as this. Send them to [email protected].