Public commenter urges Buncombe board to resist "book ban" pressures and support diverse materials

A single public commenter at the Sept. 4 Buncombe County Board of Education meeting urged the board to "stand up to the bullies" and to defend diverse curricular and library materials.

Craig White told the board that while state curriculum standards provide the framework for instruction, "there's a new force in play, the force of bullying and intimidation" that leads to voluntary overcompliance such as principals or teachers removing books to avoid conflict. He said such behind-the-scenes removals leave "no transparency, there's no accountability as books by people of color, as books with LGBTQ characters and families slowly vanish from our school shelves."

White said recent court decisions have blocked some censorship measures but that state laws and local pressure still affect teachers' ability to teach. "Teachers and students and families who want diverse books have civil rights too," he said, and urged caregivers to review curriculum and support teachers who resist removal of diverse materials.

Board policy requires public commenters to address the board as a whole; the board did not respond to the comments during the meeting. The public comment session closed after White's remarks.