February 15, 2013 John Maddux, President Dallas County R-I School Board 309 W.

Commercial Street Buffalo, MO 65622 Dear Mr. Maddux, As organizations concerned with defending the freedom to read, we are writing in response to recent efforts to remove Phyllis Reynolds Naylors classic Alice series from the Buffalo Prairie Middle School library. We understand that these books have come under challenge recently because of objections to their content. This is not a permissible ground for removal of a book from the school library, as we discuss in more detail below. We also have significant concerns about the procedure employed by the district in handling the challenge. It is our understanding that, per the Dallas County R-I School District policy, the books are currently being evaluated by a reconsideration committee, and that the board may consider the challenge at a meeting on February 18, 2013, even though the issue is not on the agenda. We are concerned at this apparent lack of openness and transparency, the failure to notify interested members of the community of the boards deliberations, as well as the potential for conflicts of interest if those involved in the challenge, or members of their family, are also involved in the decision to retain or remove the books. The challenge is particularly troubling in that it seeks to remove the books from the school library. No child is required to read these books. Parents who object to them can enforce their own rules and standards about what their own children can read. They cannot, however, impose their view on others by denying the option to other students whose parents do not object to the books. Nor should members of the school board or any school official seek to restrict student access to materials because of their personal, subjective objections to the contents of the books. We urge you to follow your own policy, specifically to [p]lace principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate for the users of the library. (District Policy IIAC-R). The policy, in any event, merely reflects the boards obligation under the constitutional. School officials are bound by constitutional considerations, including a duty not to suppress unpopular or controversial ideas and language. The Supreme Court has cautioned

that, "[l]ocal school boards may not remove books from library shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books and seek by their removal to prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion." Board of Education v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853, 872 (1982)(plurality opinion). This constitutional duty applies with particular force in the school library, which, unlike the classroom, has "a special role...as a place where students may freely and voluntarily explore diverse topics." Campbell v. St. Tammany Parish School Board, 64 F. 3d 184, 190 (5th Cir. 1995). The Alice series is a highly regarded chronicle of the life of a young girl, from early childhood through high school that has been read by generations of students, who attest to the books literary value and their engaging, and often moving, stories. Literature like this helps prepare students for the future by providing opportunities to explore life through the eyes of another, including the difficult issues they, or someone they know, will surely encounter in life. There is simply no educationally-sound justification for depriving the students of your district of the opportunity to explore these books, which have inspired so many young readers. Their removal would set a dangerous precedent: if books are removed simply because they contain material someone considers offensive or objectionable, the library would be stripped of a great deal of valuable literature. Individual freedom, democracy, and a good education all depend upon protecting the right to read, inquire, question and think for ourselves. If we can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely,

Joan Bertin Executive Director National Coalition Against Censorship

Chris Finan President American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression

Charles Brownstein Executive Director Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Kent Williamson Executive Director National Council of Teachers of English Judith Platt Director, Free Expression Advocacy Association of American Publishers