TOLEDO, Ohio — Thrillers, fiction, fantasy, historical -- School books shelves are filled with stories your children can explore.
What about books that get pulled from these shelves though?
We wanted to know, are school districts allowed to ban books?
Let's verify.
Our sources include the Ohio Department of Education and chief academic officer for Toledo Public Schools, Jim Gault.
"We are very careful when we purchase books, we make sure that they are age-appropriate and content-appropriate for our students," Gault said.
According to a spokesperson with the Ohio Department of Education, each of the 600 school districts in the state is given "local control." That gives districts sole authority of decisions regarding the curriculum.
Gault said he has been in his position with Toledo Public Schools for 12 years and doesn't know of any books that have been banned by the school board in that time.
However, If parents think there is a questionable book, there is a form they could fill out.
"That form would then be provided to the superintendent, who would then decide to do it or not and then they would bring together a committee that is made up of faculty and community members and they would render a decision," Gault said.
There are some key questions the board has to answer to decide if a book belongs on shelves.
"We will look at is it relevant? Does it have an educational purpose and does it interrupt the educational environment in terms of what that school is providing?" Gault said.
So yes, school districts do have the authority to ban books.
The exact protocol could vary from district to district, but what is the same is that the school board will make the final decision.
Gault said if a book were to be banned with TPS, they would notify parents.
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