ATLANTA — Cobb County School District leaders sent an email to school staff Monday letting them know that they would be removing books that contained what has been deemed "highly inappropriate" content from libraries. The announcement came just days after a teacher was fired for reading a controversial book to fifth graders.
Individual schools issued an email to families as well notifying them of book removals and apologizing for having possibly inappropriate books on the property. The emails added that staff are "making every effort to ensure our library only includes materials that are aligned to Georgia standards."
School communications did not say which books were being pulled, but the district confirmed that the two books in question are "Flamer" and "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl." The former is a semi-autobiographical novel in which the protagonist was bullied during a Boy Scouts summer camp for appearing to be gay. The latter is about a boy rekindling his friendship with a girl who had been diagnosed with leukemia.
A district spokesperson said the books are considered to have sexually explicit content and are inappropriate.
"We removed the books immediately, are in an ongoing investigation, and are committed to ensuring our students are taught with content in line with Georgia standards, Board policy and the Law," a district spokesperson's email read.
A former Cobb County teacher and now-president of the Cobb County Association of Educators Jeff Hubbard told 11Alive educators have been contacting him around the clock for the last several days about the email.
“They literally feel like they’re in limbo right now," he said. "'What if I say something wrong? What if I do something wrong? What if I hand something out that somebody feels some way about?'"
He said it's been a rocky couple of days for some educators and that Monday's announcement has only heightened anxieties.
“Our teachers are scared. Our media specialists are scared," Hubbard described. "They’re literally throwing away hundreds of dollars worth of books and supplemental materials from their classroom because if just one parent comes up with a complaint – they can be in danger of losing their jobs."
Some teachers have taken to social media to post anonymously about their concerns in the days after fifth-grade teacher Katherine Rinderle was terminated last week after reading a book that challenged gender norms, which triggered Georgia's divisive concepts law.
Cobb County Board of Education member Leroy Tre' Hutchins apologized to teachers after receiving dozens of messages about fears over how the teaching climate is changing.
"I think we have found ourselves in a place where we're demonizing the profession," he said. "We do not pay educators what they deserve, what they need to live. And so this is just another stumbling block, another roadblock to helping us get educators in the pipeline to continue meeting the needs of our students."
District officials have argued that firing Rinderle was a way to keep the classroom a neutral place, however, opponents worry it could have long-term detrimental impacts.
“If we have to censor ourselves as professionals – what message does that send to everyone else? Are we going back in history?" Hubbard questioned.