MARIETTA, Ga. — The Marietta School Board is facing its first appeal against a book ban.
In September, the board passed a directive outlining how the district should handle books with what it deems as "sexually explicit" content. Part of that included establishing a process for challenging any removed texts.
Its first appeal is a 16-page letter written by Kayla Sergeant.
"There's simply just no reason to remove it," Sergeant said of the book. "It's a relevant text. It's got widespread critical acclaim."
Sergeant read all 370 pages of "The Flamer," a novel written by Mike Curato that "draws on his own experiences" in his "debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love," according to the book's description.
It was removed from media centers in the district. Sergeant wants it back on the shelves.
"My 10-year-old, my fifth grader, has read it comfortably with just minor discussions at home about some of the content," Sergeant said. "Books should never be removed based on one paragraph, one word, or one page or even one image."
The district said no other parents have filed appeals under the new guidelines yet. It said, "a response to the appeal will be provided pursuant to the timeline and process outlined in Appendix I of the BOE directive."
That would be 10 business days — which in Sergeant's case, is this Friday.
"We don't want books to be pulled for all children, for all kids," Sergeant said. "It's a slippery slope to get into the business of deciding what is appropriate and what's not."