Ontario orders school district to reverse 'illogical' book ban on classics

Ontario Education Minister Steven Lecce has ordered the Peel Regional School District to reverse its widely criticized book ban, which saw titles such as Anne Frank's Diary, Harry Potter, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar removed from library shelves simply because they were written over 15 years ago. 

Lecce called the move "offensive," and stressed that it was a disservice to students to not expose them to works of the past.
 

"It is offensive, illogical and counterintuitive to remove books from years past that educate students on Canada's history, antisemitism or celebrated literary classics," he said in a statement, adding that, "Ontario is committed to ensuring that the addition of new books better reflects the rich diversity of our communities."

The weeding out process began in the spring, and was based on guidelines set by the provincial government with the goal of ensuring libraries were filled with books that promoted particular values, such as anti-racism, equity, and social justice.

The first step was to find all the books published prior to 2008. Librarians were then instructed to look at each title and determine whether or not it was misleading, unpleasant, trivial, irrelevant, available elsewhere, or had been superseded in accordance with the "MUSTIE" system widely used across the country. Those that met any of the criteria could then be placed on the chopping block.

As the CBC reports, some librarians appeared to have simply discarded any book that was more than 15 years old, opting not to go through all the steps of the process. 

"The books are being weeded by the date, no other criteria," PRSD board trustee Bailey told the committe during a meeting in May, when the empty shelves were first noticed.

"That is where many of us have a real issue," she added. "None of us have an issue with removing books that are musty, torn, racist, or outdated, but by weeding a book, removing a book from a shelf based simply on this date, is unacceptable."

The move baffled trustees, teachers, community members, and students alike. Reina Takata, who returned to class in September to find that many historical books had been removed, expressed her outrage, pointing out that in its quest to promote equity, the school district had inadvertently erased many of the voices they were trying to uplift.

"No one asked for our opinions," she told the CBC. "I feel that taking away books without anyone's knowledge is considered censorship."