Alberta bans school library books it deems sexually explicit

Alberta's education minister says material the province deems sexually explicit must be gone from school library shelves as of Oct. 1, but says the announcement is not about book banning.

Demetrios Nicolaides says the move is about putting rules in place for schools that until now have had no standard for selecting age-appropriate books for its libraries.

"This was never about erasing particular narratives from school libraries," Nicolaides told a news conference in Calgary Thursday.

"This is simply about ensuring young students are not exposed to content depicting oral sex, child molestation or other very inappropriate content."

As part of the announcement, Nicolaides issued a list of specific sex acts that can't be explicitly described in library books alongside new rules for what students can read.

Explicit sexual content, defined by the province as detailed and clear depictions of sexual acts, including masturbation, penetration and ejaculation, will not be accessible to students in any grade.

Non-explicit sexual content, which refers to depictions of sexual acts that are not detailed or clear, will only be accessible to students in Grade 10 or higher.

Non-sexual content, such as information about puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, biological functions, kissing or hand-holding, will be accessible to all students.

Religious texts, such as the Bible, will be allowed on the shelves.

School boards must review library materials, and school officials will be tasked with supervising students to make sure they are reading appropriate material.

No additional funds will be allotted for this work.

Other deadlines will follow.

By Jan. 1, new school board policies must be in place dictating how books are selected and reviewed. School divisions will also need to publish a full list of available materials.

The new policy stems from an announcement Nioclaides made in May that four inappropriate coming-of-age graphic novels were found in school libraries in Edmonton and Calgary.

He said each of the books contain graphic sexual material as well as depictions of molestation and drug and alcohol use.

The government launched an online survey prior to Thursday's announcement. The survey found that the majority of respondents across demographics don't support the government setting new standards for school library books.

Critics have said the province seems more concerned about engaging in culture-war politics than student well-being, as most of the books Nicolaides said he was looking to take off shelves deal with 2SLGBTQ+ subject matter.

Nicole Buchanan, chair of Red Deer Public Schools, who was also at the announcement, endorsed the new rules and said it's important to know that content and resources are age appropriate.

"Take substances like alcohol and tobacco, for example. Some students in our schools may be of the provincial age to consume them," Buchanan said.

"But that doesn't mean that we put them in our vending machines."

Alberta Teachers' Association president Jason Schilling said in a statement that he opposes the ministerial order, saying it may make students believe "some expressions of their gender and sexual identities are shameful and should be hidden away."

"This ministerial order accomplishes little other than adding to teacher workload, politicizing a non-issue and targeting vulnerable students," he said.

Schilling called it an "overreaction that highlights a lack of resources for school libraries," adding that schools are unable to afford their own teacher-librarians to effectively manage library resources.

"The sweeping scope of this ministerial order will result in the removal of valuable and inclusive resources from our libraries. It will also discourage teachers from seeking out materials that interest and engage students," he said.