Districts for Democracy Weekly Newsletter: We Need to Talk About Sparta

͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ Hi all, As you know, school boards across New Jersey have seen an insurgence of far-right candidates running and winning seats over the past two years. This week, I’d like to highlight some of the challenges going on in Sparta, in Sussex County. Yes, it’s a “red town in a red county” but what’s happening there has implications for every board of education race across our state (and nation). A Little Background As you know schools across America have been torn by debates over COVID restrictions, [sex-education standards]( how to teach [American history]( and other controversies. New Jersey is no different. In Sparta: - In 2021, [the alleged suspension of a beloved high school teacher]( and coach and talk of banning a racially sensitive book had parents and residents accusing school board officials of censorship. - In August 2022, [a much-loved Sparta teacher blamed a "hostile" Board of Education for forcing him out of his job.]( The teacher had been responsible for infusing the state’s LGBTQ, Holocaust, African American history and diversity mandates into the school curriculum and supervised two clubs, the Diversity Council and the Sparta Culture and Climate Committee (Sparta C3), at the request of a former superintendent. - In November 2022, when 17 candidates vied for six open seats on the Sparta Board of Education, a six-member team running under a “Students First” banner won. Their platform highlighted parental choice and transparency in curriculum, along with promoting shared services to improve the value of property taxes. - In January 2023, they were sworn in. Since then, the board has debated ending public livestreams of BOE meetings, explored requiring teachers to provide parents with lesson plans, and voted to [remove a book from the middle school library]( over the recommendation from teachers and the superintendent that it remain. What’s Happening Now? In May, Sparta’s board of education introduced a radical proposal to rewrite policies regarding the “selection, removal, and replacement of library materials. This week, the board approved the policy for a second reading. The following bullets provided by Amy Penwell and [New Jersey Association of School Librarians]( NJSAL/NJLA Regional Response Team outline what’s at stake: - The new policy would specifically target “sexualized content,” including “visual or visually implied” depictions of sex, “explicit or implied” descriptions of sex, and “implied nudity.” - Sparta’s proposal was lifted verbatim from a policy recently instituted in the Central Bucks School District in Pennsylvania. The Central Bucks School District is currently in litigation with the Pennsylvania ACLU and under investigation by the United States Department of Education. - This language is reminiscent of phrasing used in book banning efforts in states like Texas, Florida, and Missouri. It has yet to appear in proposals or policies in any other nearby NJ districts with similar demographics. Why “Sexually Explicit” Is Coded Language - The freedom of speech organization [PEN America]( has noted that “terminology such as ‘obscene,’ ‘pornographic,’ ‘harmful to minors, and ‘sexually explicit’ is being utilized to restrict a range of content, including books on LGBTQ+ experiences…sex education materials…and art books.” - This framing, they indicate, “has become an increasing focus of activists and politicians to justify removing books that do not remotely fit the well-established legal and colloquial definitions of ‘pornography.’” Why This Matters for More Than Just Sparta - In 1982, the Supreme Court ruled in Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico that a board of education's decision to ban certain books from its school libraries based on their content was a clear violation of the First Amendment's freedom of speech protections. - If Sparta’s revised policy is approved, it could create further standing for those who would seek to overturn this crucial legal precedent. The Broader Book-Banning Context - PEN notes that the “2022–23 school year has been marked to date by an escalation of book bans and censorship in classrooms and school libraries across the United States,” and that there were more recorded “book bans during the fall 2022 semester than in each of the prior two semesters. This school year also saw the effects of new state laws that censor ideas and materials in public schools, an extension of the book banning movement initiated in 2021 by local citizens and advocacy groups… Again, and again, the movement to ban books is driven by a vocal minority demanding censorship.” - The Washington Post found that nearly 60 percent of all book challenges in this country were filed by only 11 people. Books about LGBTQ people are among the most attacked targets. “A stated wish to shield children from sexual content is the main factor animating attempts to remove LGBTQ books, The Post found.” - The school librarians and media specialists who have devoted their lives to this work deserve greater faith in their dedication, expertise, and devotion to the students they serve. We’ll be watching this issue closely, and hope you will do the same. How Can You Help? As we stated last week: Boards can't do good work without good members: Are there candidates who reflect your values running for school in your town? If not, can you help recruit some? Would you consider running for school board yourself? The [New Jersey School Board Association has great candidate resources]( you can check out to learn more about it. I’d like to learn more: GLAAD, in partnership with [EveryLibrary]( has created [Book Bans: A Guide for Community Response and Action]( informs and prepares community members to organize, create authentic messages, and work with the media to ensure diverse local voices are heard by all in the community against book bans and in support of LGBTQ+ people and all people of color. We encourage you to check it out. I have five minutes: Find and bookmark your local Board of Education website. It will list contact information for members, minutes, and the schedule of upcoming meetings. Start following what’s going on in your district, and be ready to email members and attend meetings to support non-partisan public schools! Thank you all again for your attention, and your time. Together we’re going to keep New Jersey public schools number one in the nation. Sincerely, Darcy Executive Director Districts for Democracy --------------------------------------------------------------- Districts for Democracy will work one school board, legislative, and congressional district at a time to recruit and support candidates committed to freedom of inquiry, thought, and speech for everyone. We want to keep the culture wars out of our schools, return school board elections to their nonpartisan roots, and keep our schools and universities focused on their central mission: helping our kids become educated and engaged citizens of these United States. ONCE]( MONTHLY]( Paid for by Districts for Democracy Districts for Democracy P.O. 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