Who should watch over what kids read, the Alberta government or educators?

It would be difficult for even the staunchest of free-speech absolutists to say that it’s OK for a kindergarten student to access a book that depicts graphic sex or violence in a school library.

But who should vet the books that our kids can access in public spaces? Should it be government or the educators?

This week, Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides highlighted four graphic novels which he called “sexually explicit” that were found in Alberta school libraries. The graphic novels dealt with sexuality and/or LGBTQ2+ themes. The government has launched an online survey to help create a “consistent standard” for books in Alberta’s school libraries. 

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This led to an angry response from Julie Kusiek, chairwoman of the board of trustees at Edmonton Public Schools.

“I’ve made his office aware that we’re disappointed in the approach that his office has taken, and that we are hoping that we can mend the damage that has been done to the relationship,” she said. “I think that it’s a pretty big deal when the minister of education chooses to name a specific school board in a news release without coming to them about the concerns that they have.

Kusiek’s reaction illustrates a larger question at play — to quote the most famous graphic novel of all time, “who watches the watchmen?” Should the government step into territory that’s traditionally been the purview of educators?

Canadian School Libraries, an organization that represents school librarians, said the Alberta government has to shoulder the blame as cutbacks have led to fewer full-time librarians in schools.

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“Not every book in a school library is meant for every student,” reads a statement from Canadian School Libraries. “Schools need to have a wide range of age and developmentally appropriate resources that cover the needs of the student population.

“There is no one-size-fits-all model that can easily be applied to every school. Without trained specialists to make these decisions, it is not surprising that issues would arise.”

In 2024, the Alberta School Learning Commons Council was dissolved. That’s because membership of teacher-librarians from across the province had dwindled to less than 100. It had grant money, but there weren’t enough professionals out there to use the funds.

The worry about lack of library oversight is echoed by Catherine Little, chairperson of the Young Alberta Book Society, which represents authors of children’s and young-adult books from across the province.

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“We believe that literacy is a foundational life skill and developing it relies heavily on well-staffed, well-stocked school libraries and classrooms,” said Little. “The teachers and librarians of this province are dedicated and hard-working professionals with extensive training in the field of child and youth education.

“Our province’s schools are not lacking in policies and processes. What is lacking in Alberta are teacher librarians and school librarians. Properly trained school librarians are the best placed individuals to ensure that materials in school libraries are age-appropriate, well-researched, reliable, informative, and relevant to their students. Ideally, a separate funding stream from the Government of Alberta that specifically supports the provision of a teacher librarian in every school would be the best way to match kids with the books they need, when they need them.”

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The Writers’ Guild of Alberta has no official position on the government’s new policy, but executive director Giorgia Severini is concerned.

“We find any discussion involving the potential suppression of books troubling,” Severini said. “The WGA supports every citizen’s right to intellectual freedom and freedom of expression, which includes the freedom to access and read materials as they choose.”

Nicolaides said that the government is making funds available for school boards, and he sees the province’s initiative as working with librarians, not working against them.

“We have been making significant new investments into our education system to help keep up with rising costs and growth,” he said. “In Budget 2025, we are investing $1.1 billion in new funding for our school boards to use. I know our librarians are working hard and doing their very best. I am not interested in pointing fingers at anyone. I just want to make sure extremely graphic images that depict sexual activities do not end up in the hands of minor children.”

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Alberta has a reputation

Local author Janice MacDonald remembers one rejection letter she received in the late 1990s. She and illustrator Pamela Breeze Currie had put together a children’s book called The Ghouls’ Night Out. As the title suggests, it was about an incredible Halloween night out with a witch, a ghost and a skeleton.

“They told me there was a witch in Alberta,” she said. The publisher felt that there would be too much pushback from parts of the province against a kids’ book where the hero is a witch.

Even then, Alberta had a reputation for not being the best place in Canada for free speech.

The book was eventually published by Ronsdale Press.

MacDonald, who was since penned the locally loved Randy Craig mystery series, and started a new series with her 2024 novel, Victor and Me in Paris, said it’s not up to the UCP to monitor what kids are reading.

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“It undermines the will of parents and what they want to expose their kids to,” said MacDonald.

Jay Bardyla is the proprietor of Rolling Tales Pop Culture, which carries all four of the titles flagged by the government. Bardyla has made many visits to schools to expose kids to graphic novels and comic art, and he’s also advised several schools when it comes to their choices of graphic novels. He’s warned elementary schools not to carry Watchmen, because, even though Alan Moore’s epic has lots of superheroes, it’s aimed at adults.

But don’t think that Bardyla supports the idea of government oversight of our province’s school libraries just because he talks to librarians about which books are appropriate for elementary school-level readers, and which are not. On Wednesday,  he’s attending a library conference and is planning to bring three of the four books highlighted by the government with him.

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“This is government overreach at its finest,” he said. “And it’s targeting a group of people who don’t need to be targeted. These are autobiographical stories. By targeting them, are we saying that people in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community don’t have the right to share their stories? This is a dog and pony show.”

One of the four books selected, Craig Thompson’s Blankets, was published in 2003.

“Blankets is more than 20 years old. Are you telling me that someone just discovered this now?” said Bardyla.

Publisher:  Book bans aren’t government’s business

Alexis Marie Chute is the owner of Wild Skies Press, a local book publisher that’s just about to release The Feast, a collection of poetry from two-spirited writer Alycia Two Bears.

She said the government needs to leave the decisions about what’s on school library shelves to the educators and librarians who are plugged in to the kids they serve.

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“The government should not be making decisions in areas where the educators know better,” said Chute.

ssandor@postmedia.com

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