Illegal vote means more decisions ahead on G-E-T Middle School book ban

Another meeting to decide whether to ban a book from the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau Middle School library may need to be held after an illegal vote at last week’s instructional resource committee meeting.

The four-person committee voted by anonymous ballot, with voters writing their ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote on whether to ban the book on a nameless piece of paper. The committee was assembled by Middle School Principal Pete Peterson as outlined in the school policy.

The book, titled Queer Ducks (and other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality, was published in 2022 and looks into same-sex sexual behavior in the animal world while comparing it to human nature.

State Statute 19.88 (1) reads that “no secret ballot may be utilized to determine any election or other decision of a governmental body except the election of the officers of such body in an any meeting.”

District Superintendent Michele Butler said in an email to the Times that she was verifying with legal counsel and would let the Times know when another meeting is scheduled on the topic.

The committee originally planned to meet on the book in closed session, but state statutes do not allow for closed session in that instance because the committee is created by rule of order and is considered a government body.

Committee: Book is too sexual for middle school age

A 3-1 vote showed the committee was in favor of banning the book despite numerous public comments in favor of keeping the book on the shelves of the library.

The hearing was necessary because a parent filed a formal “request for the reconsideration of an instructional resource” form as allowed through school guidelines.

Three complaints on the book were fielded by the school and pertained to concerns including age appropriateness, portrayal of how to have sex and biblical teachings, according to discussions at the meeting.

The book is currently available at the Galesville Municipal Library with no age restrictions and is also in the high school library. 

The G-E-T Middle School library currently does not tell parents what books their children are reading, and finding books for the middle school age is a challenge due to varying levels of maturity and experiences of students, according to librarian Megan Shaw.

Libraries are about learning, Shaw said, and students are not required to check out certain books. She spoke in favor of keeping the book.

Different sellers and publishers have the recommended reading age between 12 and 18.

Money to buy books does not come from taxpayers, Shaw noted, pointing to the common school funds, a grant from the board of commissions of public lands. It would be irresponsible to censor books that have been deemed age appropriate by reviews and the librarian, Shaw said.

“An effective school library provides learners with a venue to explore questions that arise from personalized learning opportunities and out of individual curiosity and needs,” Shaw said. “The school library focuses on the development of a culture of reading, supports reading for the learning and personal enjoyment and provides opportunities for learners to read for pleasure.”

Peterson sat on the committee last week and said his issue was with the explicit sexual wording and illustrations in the book, not the fact that it talked about LGBTQ topics. 

If the book was only available to the school’s oldest students, he wouldn’t have an issue with it, he said. Students range from ages 11 to 14, and he pointed to words such as “orgy” and sexual detail such as ejaculation, positions and imagery.

“It’s the extent that maybe some of these are portrayed that I questioned a little bit,” Peterson said. “That was my biggest concern reading through this was an 11-year-old picking up this book and having access to that without parent approval.”

Community member Melanie Pederson also sat on the committee. She said she would not want her middle school children to read the book, saying she bought a copy and started with an open mind.

"This is more than I thought I was gonna read," she said in reference to the sexual detail.

Teacher Melanie Bawek sat on the committee and pointed to a Whitehall School District policy that allows middle school students to check out books from the high school with age appropriate labels with parent approval. She asked if the district could consider that.

She and fellow teacher Laura Knutson both said they want students to see themselves in books available to them.

“If this book can help one student so that that student doesn’t become those horrible statistics that we don’t want them to be (mental health/suicide), I have a really hard time not having that access,” Knutson said.

Public comment shows majority wanted to keep book

Eleven of the 13 community members who spoke about the book on Tuesday said they felt the book should remain in the library for varying reasons. About 40 residents attended the meeting.

Among those who spoke in favor of keeping the book included G-E-T school board president Larry Moore and board member Paul Kinzer.

Fourteen-year-old student Juni Waller broke down in tears as community members consoled her following Tuesday’s ban vote. 

The recent eighth grade graduate of G-E-T Middle School told the committee that she is an LGBTQ student and believes the book can help others and make LGBTQ students feel seen.

“When I came out in sixth grade, that was scary. And if I had had this book, I wouldn’t have felt so afraid or alone,” Waller said, saying reading that LGBTQ is part of nature was reassuring.

“Knowing that all of these animals that exist in real life do kind of feel the same way as me? That’s something that I don’t think I ever thought I would have, and I know every single person up on that panel and I know that even in some like completely different way they care about me,” Waller said. “And they care about all of the students and they want us to be able to come to school and not feel afraid and feel like you can’t be you.”

Trempealeau resident Sara Olson read an article on sexual grooming and coaching sex to the committee, saying the book should be banned.

“My personal concern as a parent and aunt and a friend to many of the community and my family, this concludes the actual stages of grooming,” she said. 

“Remember, we were all taught stranger danger,” Olson continued later. “These inappropriate sexual talks are meant to be had between the parent or parents and the child in their home, not public schools with staff. And no, the idea of having secrets at school between students and staff without the parents’ knowledge is completely unacceptable.”

Kylie Rostvold has two students in the school, and her concern is talking about sexual intercourse and attraction in schools. She wants basic human anatomy of reproductive organs to be all that is taught in middle school.

Families could still research the book at the local library instead of the school if the family so chooses, Rostvold said.

“Books going into detail about how to have sex or how physically having sex occurs — sexual intercourse of any kind — I do not feel is appropriate for children of this age should not be in middle school.”

Moore argued that critical thinking should be welcomed in schools and said students do not leave their First Amendment rights at the door of schools.

“I fear the heavy hand of government censorship, whether it’s local, state or federal, more than I fear the words or ideas of any books in any library,” Moore said. “I think the so-called controversy is not really about the book, but it’s rather part of what the media calls the culture war."