3 Rivers board rejects complaint to remove 'Tricks' from high-school libraries, cites new state law

At its June 11 meeting, the 3 Rivers/Josephine County School District board voted to reject a complaint seeking removal of the novel Tricks by Ellen Hopkins from district high school libraries, saying the complaint was not filed by a parent or guardian as required under state legislation cited in the discussion (referred to in the meeting as Senate Bill 10 98).

The board’s action followed more than an hour of public comment. Supporters of keeping the book on shelves argued it has educational value and that district review processes should be respected. “I urge you to vote no and retain it, and honor the decision made by the review committee,” said Austin McNutt, a district teacher who told the board the committee that reviewed the book was made up of trained professionals and community members. Several parents and a submitted statement from an Oregon Library Association representative also warned that removing titles could expose the district to legal risk and limit students’ access to diverse perspectives.

Opponents, including the complainant Rick Nelson, told the board they had read excerpts they described as graphic and urged removal. Nelson said he filed a complaint in December and criticized the makeup of the review committee, saying it included two teachers, an administrator and one community member. “As a taxpayer, I paid for that book. It’s gonna stop,” Nelson said during public comment.

Board discussion centered on procedure after the passage of the statute referenced in the meeting. Board member Pat (full name not provided) said the recently enacted law requires that formal library-material complaints be filed by a parent or guardian and that the complaint before the board had not met that requirement. Pat proposed rejecting the complaint on that procedural ground and recommended that a certified librarian the district plans to hire in August review challenged titles on circulation and literary value before the board spend further time on the matter.

Pat also told the board that, on the district’s circulation records, Tricks had not been checked out since about 2018. Several board members said a certified-librarian review and a look at circulation would likely resolve many of the outstanding challenges without costly legal exposure.

The board voted to reject the complaint on the stated procedural basis that it had not been submitted by a parent or guardian as required under the statute referenced in the meeting. Two board members recorded opposition to the procedural rejection; the motion carried. Board members said parents or guardians may file properly formed complaints under the new law and the district will proceed with the planned librarian review in August. The board also discussed, without taking formal action, possible future options such as age restrictions or parent-approval mechanisms if legal counsel advises those steps.

The district will not remove the book as a result of this vote. The superintendent and staff said they expect the certified librarian, once in place in early August, to review circulation data and collection needs and report back to the board before further board-level action.

What happened next: The board moved on to other agenda items; the rejected complaint can be refiled by a parent or guardian under the statute described in the meeting. The district also indicated staff will examine whether its complaint-handling procedure requires revision to align with the new law.