Osceola County schools deem books inappropriate for children, decides to leave them in schools anyway

Osceola County School Board pulled book approval items from its Tuesday evening agenda. PHOTO COURTESY OF CLICKORLANDO.COM

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A chapter of a Fla. nonprofit organization that helps citizens defend their faith and freedom says that the Osceola County School District acknowledged that a series of books it makes available for children are suitable only for young adults, but refused to pull the books from the shelves.

Citizens Defending Freedom Members in Osceola County are challenging the appropriateness of “Assassination Classroom,” a graphic novel series in which students are tasked with killing their alien teacher, and asking for the series to be removed from the Liberty High School Library.

The group filed for challenges to the books via the School Library Media Advisory Committee.

One of the questions on the form, which was completed by the Media Advisory Committee and returned in response to the challenge, asks, “Is there a preoccupation with sex, violence, cruelty, brutality, and aberrant behavior that would make this material inappropriate for children?”

The School Library Media Advisory Committee answered “Yes” to that question.

Still, the School Library Media Advisory Committee said the books will remain on the shelf, deciding that they were suitable for “young adults.”

In an email to school officials, Citizens Defending Freedom executive director on Osceola County Chris Fontenot sent an email to school leadership asking them why books that are suitable for “young adults” would be made available to high-schoolers, most of whom are still children. Fontenot also said that Citizens Defending Freedom plans to appeal the ruling.

Citizens Defending Freedom is no stranger to “Assassination Classroom.”

The group is already challenging the books at the state, asking that they be removed from school libraries.

According to an analysis by Citizens Defending Freedom members, the books contain “explicit violence, mild profanity and sexual activities.”

For example, one illustration in one of the books depicts a group of students aiming guns at their teacher, who appears to be an alien. Other depictions show students pointing weapons with captions such as “GET READY,” and “F-I-I-I-R-E.”

After failing to kill the teacher, and after launching a firestorm of bullets, one student says, “ALL THOSE BULLETS … AND WE MISSED!?” while two other students say “WE’RE ASSASSINS AND OUR TARGET IS” … “OUR TEACHER.”

BookLooks Review rates the series as “Minor Restricted.”