North Little Rock School District orders 50 LGBTQ+ books hidden on students’ digital platform

A Central Arkansas school district ordered its staff on Tuesday to block students’ digital access to a wide range of LGBTQ+ books “as soon as possible,” according to an internal memo the Advocate obtained via the state Freedom of Information Act.

“It has come to our attention that certain reading materials on the Epic Reading platform may not align with the diverse belief systems of all our school district families,” North Little Rock School District administrators wrote in the memo to elementary principals and teachers.

Epic is a digital reading platform that hosts more than 40,000 books, audiobooks and educational videos. The two-page memo provides NLRSD staff with a step-by-step process for how to hide the listed 50 books from students.

“This measure is a proactive step to ensure all content used in our classrooms is appropriate for our students and respectful of family beliefs,” the memo states. “We affirm the worth and dignity of every student and family in our district and remain committed to providing learning environments where all children feel safe, accepted, and supported. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.”

The memo is from Superintendent Gregory Pilewski, Assistant Superintendents of School Performance Thomas Rogers and Jacob Smith, Assistant Superintendent of Network Support Services LeAnn Stoll, and Coordinator of English Language Arts (ELA), Literacy and Reading Carmen Langston.

Over the past few years, some Arkansas elected officials and community coalitions have sought to keep LGBTQ+ content out of children’s reach in libraries, calling it “indoctrination” and “age-inappropriate.” Opponents of such efforts have said this content reflects the community and restricting access to it is censorship.

Most of these efforts have pertained to public libraries, but some school districts have restricted access to certain books, such as Conway and Farmington.

Some of the titles North Little Rock administrators seek to keep away from students include:

• “Love Wins,” an account of the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States;
• “Bathe the Cat,” a children’s book about household chores that includes a rainbow flag in an illustration of a family’s refrigerator;
• “The Mother of a Movement,” a biography of Jeanne Manford, the founder of PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays);
• Biographies of LGBTQ+ public figures Megan Rapinoe and Jazz Jennings.

As of Thursday morning, NLRSD spokesperson Dustin Barnes had not responded to an email from the Advocate asking what prompted the memo.

But in a statement to the Arkansas Times, Barnes said: “The North Little Rock School District is bound to comply with all state laws while continuing to foster a rich learning environment that values respect, belonging, and academic growth for every student. Our actions are not based on individual or personal beliefs, but rather on the need to adhere to state law and maintain consistency across our schools. We recognize that conversations about curriculum and materials can raise questions and differing perspectives. Please know that our educators and administrators approach this work with professionalism, care, and a focus on meeting both the academic and legal responsibilities entrusted to us.”

Laws on book challenges, ‘indoctrination’ create culture of fear in Arkansas school libraries

All Arkansas schools are required to have content challenge policies in place, and Act 372 of 2023 put the final say on the availability of challenged books in the hands of school boards. Librarians told the Advocate in 2023 that the new law created a culture of fear and self-censorship in Arkansas school libraries.

The same law would have given city and county officials authority over challenged books, but U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks of Fayetteville blocked this portion of the law temporarily in 2023 and permanently in 2024. The state appealed Brooks’ ruling this year.

Act 372 also would have created criminal liability for school and public librarians who distribute content that some consider “obscene” or “harmful to minors,” two terms that the law does not define. Brooks’ injunction also blocked this provision.